Swedish power metal band Sabaton are renowned for their epic-scale concerts, and Sabaton: The Tour to End All Tours is a pretty great way to catch one of their performances without having to wait for them to reach your shores. There’s nothing much in the way of documentary footage to ease newcomers into the show, but Sabaton‘s anthemic style is straightforward, rousing stuff that is going to have even power metal sceptics nodding along.
Director Jens de Vos marshalls the cinematographic talents of Glen Verdickt who keeps the visuals stylish and crisp, and the audio wizardry of Joost van den Broek who has created a truly exceptional mix that is both incredibly weighty and crystal clear. Restraining himself from any overly showy editing, despite having a dozen moving cameras focused on the stage and the audience, de Vos has faithfully recreated the experience of sharing a show with 16,000 fans. If you like the band, you’ll love it, and if you’ve never heard them before, then this might be the best way to give their music a try. It’s a pleasure to watch Joakim Brodén wind up the crowd, see the expert fretwork of Chris Rörland in pin-sharp detail as he wails out a solo and feel the drums thunder in your chest as Hannes Van Dahl pounds them.
It’s really hard to convey just how good the sound is. Unconstrained by the dynamic range compression that bedevils modern audio releases, every detail of the performance is audible and exciting. You can hear the roar of the audience singing along with not a hint of muddiness, and every instrument is present and correct.
Fans of Sabaton are going to love The Tour to End All Tours, and anyone who’s Sabaton-curious is going to get the best possible intro to the band. If you’re into them, you won’t want to miss seeing this on the biggest possible screen.
