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I’m a sucker for a good hard-to-find track, especially if it’s a nice cover. So when I heard that Sabaton had covered Twisted Sister’s excellent “Burn in Hell”, from their classic LP “Stay Hungry”, I knew I had to track it down. It’s available as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of “The Last Stand”, or included with issue #7 of Sweden Rock Magazine. The latter seemed an easier target, so I visited a few stores I felt could carry imported rock magazines. I came out empty-handed, so I decided to use the Internet’s global village to order a copy. Luckily, Sabaton’s webstore had it in stock. With shipping tagged on, the cost was a tad high, but after all the effort spent finding a copy, I wasn’t about to give up. I silently cursed the weak Canadian dollar and placed the order.
I receive my copy fairly quickly, well packed and in great shape. And that’s when I realized that “Sweden Rock Magazine” is actually in Swedish! I know, that seems fairly obvious now, but to my defense, the title IS in english! It’s a very high quality magazine, covering many different genres with great photos (at least I can enjoy those). There’s even what I assume to be a “retro review” of “Sweet Dreams” by Sword, a band which claim its origins on the south shore of Montreal.
But how’s the CD? “Burn in Hell” is a very dark and heavy song that contrasts a lot with Twisted Sister’s upbeat commercial hits. Sabaton’s version is a little more upbeat, played with the Swede’s usual gusto and bravado. The updated production is a very nice improvement over the original, with a wider sonic range that push the song with much more impact. I still prefer Dee Snider’s original vocal delivery, but Joakim Brodén gives it the Sabaton treatment to good effect nonetheless. If it weren’t for the fact that the lyrics are not about war, it could easily pass as a Sabaton song!
Rounding out the disc are “The Lost Battalion” from their latest opus “The Last Stand” and a live version recorded at Wacken 2015 of “Resist and Bite” from “Heroes” (also available on the DVD “Heroes on Tour”).
Is it worth tracking down? Unless you’re a hardcore Sabaton collector, probably not. I’m not one, but am I glad I tracked it down? You bet! Sabaton rocks.
He's also a regular contributor at the excellent news site Montreal Rampage
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