Sabaton - Metalizer Re-Armed (2LP)

Metalizer Re-Armed is the closest you can get to stepping into Sabaton’s rehearsal room just before the breakthrough years. Released in 2010 on Nuclear Blast as part of the band’s Re-Armed reissues, it puts a hard spotlight on their formative era, when Joakim Brodén’s baritone and synth hooks were still jostling for space with wiry twin guitars and quick-fire drums, and when the group hadn’t yet locked into the full-blown military history concept that would define them a few records later.

A quick bit of backstory matters here because Metalizer had a strange journey. Sabaton recorded the material in the early 2000s, but the album ended up delayed and only surfaced in 2007, bundled with the Fist for Fight compilation of earlier demos. The 2010 Re-Armed edition tidies that story up for new listeners and collectors alike, putting the tracks and extras in one place and giving them the kind of package you’d actually want to shelve next to Primo Victoria and The Art of War. It’s also a neat snapshot of the classic lineup in full flight, with Pär Sundström holding down bass, Daniel Mullback battering the kit, and the guitar tandem of Rikard Sundén and Oskar Montelius carving those bright, staccato riffs.

Spin “Hellrider” and you hear a band brimming with youthful pace. The song is all engine, driven by double kicks and a chorus that plants itself in your head. “7734” remains a fan favourite, not just for the inverted calculator gag hiding the word hell, but because it nails Sabaton’s early knack for an arena-sized refrain. The title track struts on a chugging rhythm that hints at the heavier side they flirted with back then, while “Burn Your Crosses” and “Endless Nights” lean into a melodic power metal sweetness they would sand away later. There’s less of the battlefield reportage that became their calling card. Instead you get tales built from classic metal tropes, sung with that unmistakable Brodén grit and framed by bright keys that colour the edges rather than dominate.

Production-wise, Metalizer Re-Armed doesn’t polish the edges off. The guitars sit forward, cymbals splash a little, and the vocals ride hot. It feels alive. If you’ve come to Sabaton through the cinematic heft of The Art of War or the radio-hardened hooks on Coat of Arms, this will sound rawer and a bit leaner. That’s the charm. You can hear the band still working out how to stack choirs, keyboard leads and gang vocals without crowding the room, and you can hear the rhythm section pushing the tempo with that lovely early-2000s power metal zeal.

The real draw of this edition is how it corrals the era in one place. The Fist for Fight material captures Sabaton when they were sharpening their weapons, and it shows how many of these melodies were already in their bloodstream. You can trace lines from these cuts straight to the battles they’d soon narrate on Primo Victoria and Attero Dominatus. It has become an important document for fans, both because it explains the band’s evolution and because so many of these tunes still go off live. “Masters of the World” in particular thumps with a chest-out swagger that has always felt tailor-made for a festival field.

If you collect Sabaton vinyl, this one earns its shelf space. The songs translate well to wax, with those brisk tempos and busy midrange giving your speakers a proper workout, and the expanded tracklist makes Metalizer Re-Armed a value-packed spin compared to shorter studio sets. It’s also the kind of record you might luck into at a Melbourne record store while digging for European power metal, then kick yourself for not grabbing sooner. For anyone keen to buy Sabaton records online, it’s a smart add because it fills in lore and delivers enough fist-pumping choruses to justify repeat plays. Search terms like Sabaton albums on vinyl or Metalizer vinyl turn up a few versions, and most of them pair nicely with the band’s later, glossier fare.

Critical consensus has long pegged this as the scrappiest of the early catalogue, and that feels right, but scrappy here means direct and fun rather than half-baked. Metalizer Re-Armed is the sound of a band tightening bolts before building tanks. If you’re new, it’s a lively prequel that still lands big hooks. If you’re already converted, it’s a nostalgic blast that makes you want to queue up the whole run, from this raw spark through to the grand, history-soaked epics. And if your weekend plans involve hunting vinyl records Australia wide, keep an eye out. This chapter of Sabaton is worth hearing loud, with a needle in the groove and zero distractions.