SABATON’s last EP in the “Echoes Of The Great War” EP trilogy, “Stories From The Western Front”, is now officially available on all platforms and features a never-heard-before cover of MOTÖRHEAD’s well-known track “1916”
In celebration of this final EP, SABATON has also unleashed a brand new music video for “1916” filmed in Birmingham and at the famous Black Country Living Museum. The music video features an overload of historical characters from the SABATON lore, a headbanging metal army from Birmingham and even a cameo from the living members of MOTÖRHEAD, Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell.
The Western Front was one of World War I’s main theaters of conflict. It stretched across more than 400 miles through France and Belgium from the Swiss border to the North Sea. It was a deadly place, and to put things into perspective, at least four million men died there, although the true figure can never be confirmed.
The “Stories From The Western Front” EP tells stories of those who fought and fell on the Western Front, a place where the trenches and the ceaseless shelling drove men to insanity. Often those who returned from this treacherous place did so with shell shock and chronic nightmares, PTSD or injuries that changed their lives forever.
SABATON bassist Pär Sundstrom states: “We are excited to release the last EP in the ‘Echoes Of The Great War’ series as well as a new music video, which we had a blast filming in the U.K.
“Our new EP tells the tales that came from the Western Front, a brutal and unforgiving theatre of war. The Battle Of Verdun, which was the longest battle of the First World War, the Battle Of Passchendaele in 1917 in Flanders, the Battle Of The Somme… these are all things we should not forget. And through this EP — in fact, through this whole EP collection — our sole mission has been to immortalize these stories and ensure that these are at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
“Speaking of the Battle Of The Somme, this conflict resulted in a huge loss of human life — around 300,000 fatalities. It was one of the bloodiest and deadliest conflicts of WW1 — and in human history! This is what ‘1916’ was written about and that’s why it was the missing puzzle piece of this EP.”
SABATON singer Joakim Brodén shares more information of the band’s “1916” cover: “We believed that ‘1916’ was the perfect fit for this EP, not only because it’s related to the First World War, but because we just love everything about the song. Lemmy was inspired to write this track after watching a documentary about the Battle Of The Somme. The lyrics are emotionally charged and perfectly describe the experiences of all the young soldiers, most of whom were just kids, essentially. A lyric that really moves me and hits home is: ‘We were food for the gun, and that’s what you are when you’re soldiers’. I can’t get that out of my head.
“We think we did this song justice. It’s our tribute to one of the greatest bands in the world and a nod to those who fought in the First World War and made the ultimate sacrifice.”
With each EP in the “Echoes Of The Great War” trilogy, SABATON is releasing an exclusive digipak in limited numbers. They often sell out immediately, so if you want one for your collection, be quick.
SABATON “Stories From The Western Front” track listing:
01. 1916
02. Great War
03. Hellfighters
04. The Price Of A Mile
05. Fields Of Verdun
06. Race To The Sea
07. Devil Dogs
