As we enter the Christmas season, it is appropriate that Sabaton cover the last stand of the Swiss guard at the Vatican in 1527. I've said before - I am not sure where their beliefs truly lie, as they publicly eschew the title of "right wing." Nevertheless, the very fact they can and will discuss subjects like the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazi party with some sympathy for the German people, as well as the effectiveness, heroism, moral courage, or bravery of the ghost battalions, the Ger…
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Oddly, this year, I am not so much saddened, as grim. Yes, a tragedy occurred this day, two decades ago, and yes, many have forgotten. Yes, the memory has been systematically scrubbed, so that we cannot as easily find the images of the buildings collapsing, or the jets striking the building caught in realtime that I saw broadcast that very day. And yes, there paper americans, born here or elsewhere, who tell us it's really our fault. In a way, it is, but not for the reasons usually given by t…
The latest Sabaton History video is on Simo Häyhä, the Finnish sniper known as the "White Death", with what is likely the highest recorded kill count for a sniper in any conflict. The song is regularly on my workou tlist.…
Along with Kristiansand, Oslo's surrounding terrain is somewhat gentler than much of the rest of Norway. The country overall heavily shows the signs of being carved out by glaciers, but the extremes in sheer cliff walls, tall hills, and relatively little flatland hold less true here. It is indeed beautiful, in a stark way. And it does call to me. Don't bother with the town hall. You can hardly miss it if you're downtown because it's right on the waterfront, and is a Soviet-style hideous exampl…
It's been an interesting couple weeks, with plenty of food for thought. In the meantime, Sabaton finally released their "Great War" album. I don't know if this will over time supplant The Last Stand as my overall favorite Album, but every song on it is solid, two of the prerelease singles already featuring prominently in my workout mix, with a greater degree of complexity and variety as they take on more challenging musical compositions. The variety of melodies, including, yes, not recycling r…