Figured this would be appropriate

neosdark wrote:
Awesomesauce Maxi

Indeed! On May 25th, their new album "Carolus Rex" will be released. Mainly Swedish songs (as the cover artwork implies), but there'll also be an English version of every song. :)

Ya I've been waiting for it for quite a bit now, I have both Carolus Rex and En livstid i krig in both languages on my phone already, but I will buy the album as well, they deserve my loyalty.

In case anyone still cares about these guys as much as I do here is their newest single from the Masters of Rock Festival in the Czech Republic

Its about a fairly unknown Czechoslovakian Soldier Karel Janoušek, he first served in the Czech Legions of WWI, then became a general in the Czechoslovakian Army in the interwar era and then served as the Air Marshall of the Czech Government in Exile in Britain. When he returned home (1946 I believe) he was arrested by the Communist gov't and put through hell. He worked in hard labor moving through different prisons until his release 1961. He was finally rehabed in 1968, but only got his status' back in 1989 when he received his Marshall's status back as well as a ton of awards for his service and in 1991 was named General of the Army of the Czech Republic. Of course they were all posthumous as he died in 1971, just as he begun writing his memoirs.

Far From The Fame

Reincarnation!

Is there any other metal band similar to Sabaton you can recommend? I would like to listen to something new; and as Sabaton is one of my favourite bands, I'd like to see if you guys know some band with similar-sounding sound? :P

Sabaton is near perfectly unique. There are very few known bands that sound like them and have their themes, but I will certainly try to give you some bands you may like.

I really love Saxon (Battalions of Steel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3646P7bTZI, Crusader http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhhDbaah9DQ, Lionheart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdXrllfTshU, Mists of Avalon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAnprIS0uXQ, and plenty of other great songs), they have some historical songs and they are a long running power metal/ NWOBHM band.

I would also try for Dark Moor (one of the few Spanish metal bands, they are originally power metal), their original albums had a female lead, but she and some other members left after creative differences. They now suck though :( Their best songs have very historical basis': ''A New World'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJV2mZE6KwE, ''Maid of Orleans'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Ni-wrFwVs&feature=related, and some others.

Also try Tank (another NWOBHM band) known for a very politically charged song called ''The War Drags Ever On'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRHN7URkCIc, and some more fun songs like ''Blood, Guts and Beer'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDtr9j9NYLw.

The "Dawnrider" project's first (and only for now) album is quite war related, but fantasy based.

Try the band Blitzkreig, as well,  my favorite of their songs are "Vikings" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSfCrEnPbbg&feature=g-like and "Armageddon'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg84gKt84so&feature=related

Then a standards of Finland: Sonata Arctica, is quite popular, having range in their styles from classical power metal (I love their rendition of I Want Out by Helloween http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHK_HoOM1xo) to speed metal. They also have ballads. My favorite song of theirs is Dream Thieves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnHrIXZHqrI
Also from Finland is the ever popular Nightwish and their Gothic female leads. Awesome songs include ''Gethsemane'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6RuDVwXNLM, ''Stargazers'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCVehuXlJxk&feature=relmfu, and my favorite of theirs, ''Over the Hills and Far Away'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZukuU9uohA

And there is new band I have just recently found called Heathens Rage, they have an amazing song called ''Knights of Steel'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX13rhsD02A&feature=g-like

Hope you like at least one or two of them :D

Wow neos, what a great list! Thanks for that! :D

I believe I'll have a closer look at Saxon and Nightwish! ;)

Glad you like at least some of them. Very few people in New York City share my musical tastes, so its nice to find somebody who likes power metal, and the related styles, even if far away.

Strangely, I'm more of a rap guy than a metal-addict - still, this is fantastic music and I want to increase my knowledge of it!

I used to listen to rap when I was younger and it was a relatively unknown musical style among New York Russians back then. The raps had to do with tough, harsh life and the dreams of making it big. But as it grew commercialized and stopped speaking to me, started talking about women, drugs, money, and garbage like that, I dropped it. Meanwhile much of the younger Russian community embraced it, leading to shallow, hypocritical and quite foolish people, you are what you listen to, eh? I mean really, do you think doing drugs all day, not going to school, dreaming that you'll make it big out of nowhere is a particular good mindset? I'm not accusing you or any other rap lovers here of it, its just personal experience with the people back home. I still have my old Eminem CD's and a few GrandMaster Flash and the Furious Five vinyls, but that's about it.

I focus more on the metal aspect of the world because I like the power and themes behind it all, but I'm currently hitting that weird point between metal and folk, and have started crossing into folk. Stuff like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxtpB2o28v0&feature=g-like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imeAa7BBfiQ

At the same time I've been going into the past more and more getting things like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=977o2Yq-GVo&feature=g-like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROKbHgxCL7I&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVgSMuRsjNg&feature=g-like (Not that old, but the style is XD)

And finally there is only one band I love more than Sabaton and that is because no matter how they try changing, they still sound awesome. That is the power metal band Edguy. Nobody beats them in my book, especially not their early and coming of age stuff. Now they are are more straight metal, but still sound amazing. They are well known for their religion hypocritical music as well as other themes that concern modern man. They can do everything from ballads, to speedy metal compositions, to heavy, powerful metal compositions, and their versatility is their key power in my eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8bw1tYF4PE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voqp7OY9mVQ&feature=g-like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inaV_owkJNs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70GHlZ9uWJ4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_jmfu5y4JQ&feature=relmfu

Plus they have some really funny songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j514_JRBjKc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y3CMlvrkN0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbi2ONXYGYQ (Great for when me and my friends are drinking at my place XD)

I see what you feel about rap music these days and I may assure you, I don't feel different! The songs I listen to are well chosen, mostly older German ones, from the 90s and early 2000s. Since then, it grew to some swaggy gangster crap I can't identify with.
As you mention Eminem; he's my favourite American rap artist (obvious, eh?) due to his humorous and unique lyrics.

I didn't quite discover the folk corner yet, you reminded me I actually wanted to do that at some point of time.

Well Eminem had very realistic reasons to rap, his daughter and the crap he went through growing up. So he had spirit and soul to his earlier stuff, now he is as commercialized everyone else.