Sabaton are this generation's Iron Maiden. Theatricality? Check. Songs about historical events? Check. Enormous, bar-raising live shows? Big ol' check. But more than that, the Swedes are challenging themselves and reinventing their live experience between tours, keeping up with the kind of mega-live extravaganzas we've come to expect thanks to the likes of Parkway Drive, Ghost and even rising stars like Castle Rat.
So here we are: power metal's biggest band, playing the biggest arena in the UK. Manchester's Co-Op Live might not be sold out, but the 10,000 odd-fans who are here fill the space comfortably. And where they don't, Sabaton's impressive stage production surely does.
