The Art of War (Sabaton album): Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox album |
{{Infobox album |
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| name = The Art of War |
| name = The Art of War |
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| type = |
| type = studio |
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| artist = [[Sabaton (band)|Sabaton]] |
| artist = [[Sabaton (band)|Sabaton]] |
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| cover = Cover art of war.jpg |
| cover = Cover art of war.jpg |
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| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
| venue = |
| venue = |
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| studio = [[The Abyss (recording studio)|The Abyss]] (Pärlby, Sweden) |
| studio = [[The Abyss (recording studio)|The Abyss]] (Pärlby, Sweden) |
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| genre = [[ |
| genre = [[Power metal]]<ref name="allmusic"/> |
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| length = 49:28 |
| length = 49:28 |
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| label = [[Black Lodge Records]] |
| label = [[Black Lodge Records]] |
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| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r2158133|first=Dave|last=Donnelly}}</ref> |
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r2158133|first=Dave|last=Donnelly}}</ref> |
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| rev2 = Jukebox:Metal |
| rev2 = Jukebox:Metal |
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| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jukeboxmetal.com/2008/sabaton-the-art-of-war/ | first=Andy | last=Lye | title=Sabaton - The Art of War | publisher=Jukebox:Metal | date=2008 | accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref> |
| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jukeboxmetal.com/2008/sabaton-the-art-of-war/ | first=Andy | last=Lye | title=Sabaton - The Art of War | publisher=Jukebox:Metal | date=2008 | accessdate=18 April 2020 | archive-date=19 June 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619030527/http://www.jukeboxmetal.com/2008/sabaton-the-art-of-war/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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|rev3 = [[Encyclopaedia Metallum]] |
|rev3 = [[Encyclopaedia Metallum]] |
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|rev3score = {{rating|7.8|10}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Sabaton/The_Art_of_War/190522 | title=Sabaton - The Art of War (Reviews) | publisher=[[Encyclopaedia Metallum]] | date=6 May 2019 | accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref> |
|rev3score = {{rating|7.8|10}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Sabaton/The_Art_of_War/190522 | title=Sabaton - The Art of War (Reviews) | publisher=[[Encyclopaedia Metallum]] | date=6 May 2019 | accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref> |
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}} |
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'''''The Art of War''''' is the fourth album by Swedish [[ |
'''''The Art of War''''' is the fourth album by Swedish [[power metal]] band [[Sabaton (band)|Sabaton]]. |
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The album is based on the ancient Chinese military treatise, ''[[The Art of War]]'' written by General [[Sun Tzu]] in the 6th century BC. It consists of 13 chapters, each of which describe a different aspect of warfare, and is considered the definitive work on military tactics and strategies of its time. The tracks on the album correspond to each chapter of treatise. The lyrics of the songs are about famous battles or war, mostly based on the battles of the [[World War I|First]] and [[World War II|Second]] World Wars where Sun Tzu's tactics were applied.<ref name=liner>{{Cite AV media notes|title=The Art of War|others=The Art of War|year=2010|type=booklet|publisher=[[Nuclear Blast]]}}</ref> |
The album is based on the ancient Chinese military treatise, ''[[The Art of War]]'' written by General [[Sun Tzu]] in the 6th century BC. It consists of 13 chapters, each of which describe a different aspect of warfare, and is considered the definitive work on military tactics and strategies of its time. The tracks on the album correspond to each chapter of treatise. The lyrics of the songs are about famous battles or war, mostly based on the battles of the [[World War I|First]] and [[World War II|Second]] World Wars where Sun Tzu's tactics were applied.<ref name=liner>{{Cite AV media notes|title=The Art of War|others=The Art of War|year=2010|type=booklet|publisher=[[Nuclear Blast]]}}</ref> |
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Since the album's release, the song "Ghost Division" has served as the opening song for most of Sabaton's concerts.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gigview.be/interviews/interview-sabaton-p%C3%A4r-sundstr%C3%B6m | title=Interviews | GigView }}</ref> |
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==Production== |
==Production== |
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Spoken quotes from [[Sun Tzu]]'s ''[[The Art of War]]'' can be heard in songs such as "Sun Tzu Says", "The Art of War", "Unbreakable", "The Nature of Warfare", "Cliffs of Gallipoli", "Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)", "The Price of a Mile", "Firestorm" and "A Secret". These quotes are taken from [[LibriVox]]'s audiobook version of the book, which follows the [[Lionel Giles]] translation. |
Spoken quotes from [[Sun Tzu]]'s ''[[The Art of War]]'' can be heard in songs such as "Sun Tzu Says", "The Art of War", "Unbreakable", "The Nature of Warfare", "Cliffs of Gallipoli", "Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)", "The Price of a Mile", "Firestorm" and "A Secret". These quotes are taken from [[LibriVox]]'s audiobook version of the book, which follows the [[Lionel Giles]] translation. |
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At time of writing, "Unbreakable" was intended to describe a particular historical [[guerrilla warfare]] action; however, songwriters Joakim Brodén and Pär Sundström have since forgotten which one they were thinking of.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJPyLlxj8nY |title=Unbreakable − Guerrilla Warfare − Sabaton History 039 <nowiki>[Official]</nowiki> − YouTube |last1=Neidell |first1=Indy (host, writer) |authorlink1=Indy Neidell |last2= Sundström |first2=Pär (host) |authorlink2=Pär Sundström |last3=Olsson |first3=Spartacus (writer) |last4=Linke |first4=Marcus (writer) |date=31 October 2019 |access-date=23 November 2019 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> |
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==Track listing== |
==Track listing== |
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{{track listing |
{{track listing |
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|collapsed= yes |
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|headline = Re-armed edition bonus tracks |
|headline = Re-armed edition bonus tracks |
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|extra_column = Theme |
|extra_column = Theme |
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* Daniel Mullback – drums |
* Daniel Mullback – drums |
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* Daniel Mÿhr – keyboards |
* Daniel Mÿhr – keyboards |
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==Charts== |
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{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
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! Chart (2008) |
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! Peak<br />position |
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|- |
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{{Album chart|Sweden|5|artist=Sabaton|album=The Art of War|rowheader=true|accessdate=February 5, 2024}} |
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|} |
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== In popular culture== |
== In popular culture== |
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Latest revision as of 23:49, 25 July 2024
| The Art of War | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 May 2008 | |||
| Recorded | September 2007 – January 2008 | |||
| Studio | The Abyss (Pärlby, Sweden) | |||
| Genre | Power metal[1] | |||
| Length | 49:28 | |||
| Label | Black Lodge Records | |||
| Producer | Sabaton, Tommy & Peter Tägtgren | |||
| Sabaton chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Art of War | ||||
| ||||
| Re-Armed edition | ||||
 Front cover of the 2010 reissue | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Jukebox:Metal | [2] |
| Encyclopaedia Metallum |    [3] |
| Metal Storm | [4] |
The Art of War is the fourth album by Swedish power metal band Sabaton.
The album is based on the ancient Chinese military treatise, The Art of War written by General Sun Tzu in the 6th century BC. It consists of 13 chapters, each of which describe a different aspect of warfare, and is considered the definitive work on military tactics and strategies of its time. The tracks on the album correspond to each chapter of treatise. The lyrics of the songs are about famous battles or war, mostly based on the battles of the First and Second World Wars where Sun Tzu's tactics were applied.[5]
Since the album's release, the song "Ghost Division" has served as the opening song for most of Sabaton's concerts.[6]
Production
[edit]The Swedish national anthem from Sweden Rock '09 (found on the Re-Armed edition) was the only song on which bassist Pär Sundström has contributed vocals until 2012, when the line-up change required Sundström to step up to the microphone on a more permanent basis.
Spoken quotes from Sun Tzu's The Art of War can be heard in songs such as "Sun Tzu Says", "The Art of War", "Unbreakable", "The Nature of Warfare", "Cliffs of Gallipoli", "Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)", "The Price of a Mile", "Firestorm" and "A Secret". These quotes are taken from LibriVox's audiobook version of the book, which follows the Lionel Giles translation.
At time of writing, "Unbreakable" was intended to describe a particular historical guerrilla warfare action; however, songwriters Joakim Brodén and Pär Sundström have since forgotten which one they were thinking of.[7]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Theme | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sun Tzu Says" | First two sentences of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War | 0:23 | ||
| 2. | "Ghost Division" | Brodén, Sundström | Brodén | The 7th Panzer Division in the Battle of France | 3:51 |
| 3. | "The Art of War" | Brodén | Brodén | The third chapter ("Planning offensives") of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War | 5:08 |
| 4. | "40:1" | Brodén, Sundström | Brodén | The Battle of Wizna | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Unbreakable" | Brodén, Sundström | Brodén | Guerrilla warfare | 5:58 |
| 6. | "The Nature of Warfare" | The sixth chapter ("Vacuity and Substance") of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War | 1:18 | ||
| 7. | "Cliffs of Gallipoli" | Brodén, Sundström | Brodén | The Gallipoli Campaign | 5:51 |
| 8. | "Talvisota" | Sundström | Brodén | The Winter War | 3:32 |
| 9. | "Panzerkampf" | Brodén, Sundström | Brodén | The Battle of Kursk from the Soviet perspective | 5:15 |
| 10. | "Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)" | Brodén, Sundström | Brodén | The Italian campaign and the Battle of Monte Cassino from the allied perspective | 4:05 |
| 11. | "The Price of a Mile" | Brodén, Sundström | Brodén | The Battle of Passchendaele and senseless slaughter of World War I in general | 5:55 |
| 12. | "Firestorm" | Brodén, Sundström | Brodén | Carpet bombing campaigns in World War II | 3:25 |
| 13. | "A Secret" | A humorous outro addressing music piracy | 0:37 | ||
| Total length: | 49:28 | ||||
| No. | Title | Theme | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Swedish Pagans" | The Vikings | 4:13 |
| 15. | "Glorious Land" | A song about military forces defending their homeland | 3:19 |
| 16. | "The Art of War" | Pre-production demo version | 4:48 |
| 17. | "Swedish National Anthem (Live at Sweden Rock Festival)" | Swedish National Anthem | 2:34 |
| Total length: | 14:54 | ||
Different versions
[edit]The Art of War was released in three different versions, a standard edition containing only the CD, a vinyl version and a Limited Edition. The limited contains the full-length CD and the book The Art of War by Sun Tzu. The limited edition comes in a DVD case with alternate artwork. All preorders from the official Sabaton homepage also included the single, Cliffs of Gallipoli. In 2010 The album was re-released with other early Sabaton albums under their new label in a "Re-Armed" version that included several new bonus tracks.
Personnel
[edit]- Joakim Brodén – vocals
- Rickard Sundén – guitars
- Oskar Montelius – guitars
- Pär Sundström – bass
- Daniel Mullback – drums
- Daniel Mÿhr – keyboards
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8] | 5 |
In popular culture
[edit]"40:1" became a hit in Poland and Sabaton was asked to perform it on the Polish Independence Day celebration in Gdańsk in 2008. "40:1" is also used as an entrance song by Polish mixed martial artist Damian Grabowski.
The title track was featured in the Sabaton Soundtrack DLC for the grand strategy game Europa Universalis IV.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Donnelly, Dave. The Art of War at AllMusic
- ^ Lye, Andy (2008). "Sabaton - The Art of War". Jukebox:Metal. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ "Sabaton - The Art of War (Reviews)". Encyclopaedia Metallum. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ "Sabaton - The Art Of War (guest review)". Metal Storm. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ The Art of War (booklet). The Art of War. Nuclear Blast. 2010.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Interviews | GigView".
- ^ Neidell, Indy (host, writer); Sundström, Pär (host); Olsson, Spartacus (writer); Linke, Marcus (writer) (31 October 2019). "Unbreakable − Guerrilla Warfare − Sabaton History 039 [Official] − YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Sabaton – The Art of War". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Europa Universalis IV - Sabaton Soundtrack | Sabaton – Official website and headquarters". Sabaton – Official website and headquarters. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
