Sabaton's final EP in the Echoes Of The Great War EP trilogy, entitled 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". Stream Stories From The Western Front here.
In celebration of this final EP, the band has also unleashed a brand-new music video for “1916” filmed in Birmingham, England, and at Britain’s 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. Watch the music video below.
The Western Front was one of World War I’s main theatres 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.
“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 UK. 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,” explains Pär Sundstrom. “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,” Pär adds, “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.”
Meanwhile, Joakim Brodén shares more information about the band’s cover of Motörhead: “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 essentially just kids. 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!” he notes.
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!
Tracklisting:
"1916"
"Great War"
"Hellfighters"
"The Price of A Mile"
"Fields of Verdun"
"Race To The Sea"
"Devil Dogs"
"1916" video:
(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)
