The Swedish epic power Metal band SABATON isone of the few oasis in the current desert of power Metal-land so a new album by them it can only mean good news for fans of the gerne. Two years after the highly successful "Art Of War" the Swedes are ready to release their sixth studio album entitled "Coat Of Arms" .Since 2005 with each one of their releases SABATON managed to gain bigger reputation and to become more popular among the power Metal fans and from what it seems their new very good album will continue this tradition.

Someone might expect that this CD would be the natural extension of "Art Of War",however in my opinion "Coat Of Arms" is the missing link between their previous album and "Attero Dominatus". From the first time that I listened to the album it brought to my mind "Primo Victoria" and "Attero Dominatus" while I could hear some elements and especially the same keyboard style of "Art Of War". So what they tried was to combine the elements of their two previous albums. In "Coat Of Arms" we have the power Metal sound of SABATON blended with epic and heavy Metal elements influenced by bands such as MANOWAR etc, we have impressive and catchy epic choruses, tasty melodies, keyboards again having an important role and duels between the guitars. Everything that you might love in them is still here. Even the lyrics are again about war focusing entirely on World War 2 battles and historical facts (with only the exception of the last song).

"Coat Of Arms" starts with the title track which talks about the Greek-Italian war during WWII and the unexpected and heroic victory of the Greek army. It is a really impressive song starting with a slow atmospheric intro which drives us smoothly to their known epic power Metal sound with great riffs and a powerful epic chorus. The more mid-tempo and heavy "Uprising" is talking about the Warsaw Uprising follows, while the fast and aggressive "Screaming Eagles" - which is about the 101^st Airborne Division and the Siege of Bastogne - is a total highlight. Another song that really impressed me from the beginning is "The White Death", telling the story of the great Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä during the Winter War. The CD ends with "Metal Ripper", a tribute to Heavy Metal (such as "Metal Machine" and "Metal Crüe" from their previous albums) starting with the exact same riff of JUDAS PRIEST's song the "The Ripper".

Overall, "Coat Of Arms" is an enjoyable album with good powerful songs in the same level and quality with their previous successful releases. I totally suggest it without hesitation to the fans of SABATON and generally power Metal!