”What I love about Denmark is, you’re even more insane on a Thursday night than us Swedes on a Saturday!”
- Joakim Brodén (vocals)

This was said by Sabaton’s vocalist Joakim Brodén, as they took the stage as the second band this evening. Before them Bullet had played and later it was time for Hammerfall. But now it was Sabaton; and according to Brodén it was only their third time in this country. A bit weak it might seem, as they are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, but I’m sure the audience tonight convinced them to become more frequent visitors.

At least it would seem that Sabaton was gladly awaited, for the big crowd was very much into the show.
And what a show it was! Sabaton has been one of those bands whom I have heard about, but never gotten around to listen to. So many bands, so little time you know? But this performance convinced me that the battle-ready Swedes are truly a force to be reckoned with, especially on a live-stage.
The energy and intensity was far higher than anything I could have imagined, and it wasn’t just Brodén either (although his part in it was not easily overlooked); the whole band was on fire!
They started their set out with four songs from their latest album, The Art Of War, and after this it was time to ask if anyone was interested in hearing something. There was a roar of a reply, so Sabaton quickly opened up for the rest of their back-catalogue.
Having so many new songs at once can be a bit risky, especially if people haven’t had time to learn them, but it worked out fine for Sabaton; still, the crowd was even more excited and lively when classics like Primo Victoria was played. Brodén told us that Swedes have a tradition for jumping here and therefore he wanted to ask us if we wanted to jump along with him; needless to say we did!

I really enjoyed this show, even though I didn’t know any of the songs at the time. A small problem which can be easily rectified.
After the show many of the band members could be found down by the merchandise stand for a chat and signing.

Setlist (courtesy of Nina Hansen):

Intro
Ghost Division
The Art Of War
40:1
Cliffs Of Gallipoli
Attero Dominatus
The Price Of A Mile
Primo Victoria
Metal Machine / Metal Crüe