The EP contains five tracks, one of which is a fairly curious cover of a Nelly Furtado song called Say It Right. The other four represent the style of metal Civil War are about, and if one were to describe it using traditional genres, heavy metal springs to mind first and foremost. I don't have a lot to say, negative or positive, about the cover track, so I'll focus on the actual Civil War music in this review.
The EP starts off with a track called Rome Is Falling, and I dare say right off the bat it's one of the catchiest heavy metal songs I've heard. The chorus especially is exceptionally captivating, and the incredibly talented Nils Patrik Johansson's voice has never sounded better. Considering the EP originally came out in 2012, I can't nominate Rome Is Falling as the track of 2013 even though I'd like to! Pretending I have a time machine at hand, I'll go back to late 2012 and declare Rome Is Falling as the best track in 2012.
Forevermore is a ballad-esque song where the voice of NPJ gets all the space it deserves making chills run down one's spines. However, ballads are something I don't particularly find very interesting and Forevermore isn't really an exception. Don't misinterpret me; Forevermore is not a bad track, but there are times when you'd rather listen to the roaring thunders of a civil war more than to a soft ballad! The track is saved by the magnificent rendition of vocals by NPJ once again which makes the song have such a good feeling to it despite its style.
The title track Civil War represents quite the traditional heavy metal and there are no big surprises contained within this track. A good track, but nothing spectacular. I do like the compact sounds but apart from that there are no really eyebrow-raising moments here. Just good, solid heavy metal for the fans of it.
To close down this chapter of an EP, the last track, Custer's Last Stand, tells the tale of the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 where the joint forces of the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes under the lead and visions of Sitting Bull rose against the US armies who'd invaded and taken over their sacred lands. Lt. Colonel George Custer, a popular Civil War hero then, and his troop of 210 men were overwhelmed and massacred by the Indians resulting in nationwide demand for retribution, which ultimately culminated in the destruction of the Sioux tribe about a year later.
So much for the history lesson! The song starts with war-like drumming and gloomy guitars as if opening up for the thunderous events of battle to come. Yet again I must praise the vocals as it's really difficult to imagine anyone else laying the same feeling to this song than NPJ. The whole composition of the song works out great and there are no dull moments in this track. Custer's Last Stand is a fitting ending track for Civil War EP as it leaves one wanting to hear more, and more, and more. And more.
Civil War is not just another Sabaton by any means even though there are Sabaton-like moments here and there, particularly the sound environment is reminiscent of that of Sabaton's. The EP doesn't leave anyone with liking for the genre in cold; in fact, even as an avid Sabaton fan, I'm now far more interested in hearing the next Civil War album than the next Sabaton album. I for one welcome the different aspects into depths of history as provided by Civil War, not just the modern warfare era. I was skeptical what would happen after the split in Sabaton, but now I'm more than happy that it happened. Let's hope this won't be Civil War's last stand, and indeed the guys are, according to their Facebook updates, in process of producing new songs for the upcoming full album. Nine cheers for Civil War!
You can listen to Rome Is Falling on Youtube. Civil War EP is also on Spotify.
Buy the album directly at Despotz Records.
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