Reaction to and Analysis of Christmas Truce by Sabaton

[@sunnysidesofblue]

This entire song and video is amazing, but one thing that always hits me particularly hard is the look on Pär's face at 8:40 (and again at 35:44). That sheer terror when you realise a friend is probably about to get killed, and there's nothing whatsoever you can do to prevent it. Such a horrible thing, and so well acted. Also, the very subtle shift from "we are all friends" to "we were all friends" is just... so heartbreaking. I'm so glad you have discovered this amazing band. They have written so many amazing songs, and I love how they educate people about history in a very unusual way.

[@fnglert]

Hannes: "We have Floor at home" Floor at home:

[@davidkreacts]

Yup, that sounds about right! ;-)

[@dorlonelliott9368]

10+ albums of Sabatonic Metal to go - History taught with Metal. They also have a Sabaton History Channel that expands on the events/people they sing about. To Hell and Back is about PTSD and Audie Murphy. PS the outro was Floor Jensen of Nightwish - she is married to Hannes.

[@davidkreacts]

This is a history lesson I am fully here for! I just subbed to their History channel and look forward to exploring it. Thanks for the recommendation of To Hell and Back - I'll look that up for sure.

[@tyrannosaurusrhett]

There were collapsible pianos produced for soldiers to take into the trenches to entertain themselves with. They were called trench organs, which has the downside of making them harder to research because you end up with a bunch of articles about WWI and surgery. They weren't full uprights like the one Joakim is playing, being much smaller things that could be carried by a single person instead, but I do remember someone mentioning that there was at least one piano in a German trench. I don't have any sources on that one though, so file that under "possibly apocryphal."

[@davidkreacts]

I had no idea about this, and went and looked them up immediately - what an awesome instrument, and very cool that it was possible to have pianos in the trenches. According to the Classic FM article (linked here for any who are interested), there are three functioning trench organs left in England. www.classicfm.com/music-news/trench-organ-wwi/

[@bjornherzog6070]

do not want to read all comments, so maybe allready said, but the Soldiers in the Trenches refused to shot each other, so the command circled the soldiers in the parts of the trenches where the truce took part ;)

[@davidkreacts]

I don't think that has been mentioned, and that is extraordinary.

[@suzybailey5501]

My first time hearing this and I'm in tears! This has to be one of, or maybe the most remarkable, interesting and powerfully emotional events in human history! My grandfather was a stretcher bearer during WW1, the countless times he climbed out of the trenches, while under fire, stepping over bodies to try and bring back those who might be saved, was something he could never talk about. The amount of thought that went into this is astonishing and it is both sad and beautiful in equal measure! An interesting and thought provoking reaction, thanks David! 🙂👍

[@davidkreacts]

You are very welcome - thank you for the comments. The story of your grandfather is truly extraordinary - what a brave and dedicated man he must have been. I know many veterans of all ages who will not discuss their time on active duty. My own grandfather's story might come out when I react to Bismarck, depending on the story Sabaton tells, and of him and his four comrades that I met, only one of them spoke openly about things. My grandfather did confide in me, but even that was rare.

[@richardwest6358]

In the lyrics it mentions the ground turning white. This refers to the fact that they had been staring at churned, brown mud dotted with pieces of their mangled friends. During the truce , as well as the well reported football kickabout some of the troops took the opportunity to bury their comrades

[@najroe]

Sabaton has a song about PTSD and drug addiction that returning soldiers often face, To hell and back, It is about a medal of honour recipient, Audie Murphy, and his struggle against PTSD and drug addiction... for some video is quite hard to watch but together with the lyrics get the message across, basicallym no matter how brave you are while fighting you can find yourself struggling with mental health problems later, sometimes much later.

[@davidkreacts]

Thanks to the commenters here, I have that on my list and will definitely be watching that in due course. I can only imagine what it must be like, and I applaud Sabaton for doing such a great job in communicating the message.

[@eTraxx]

Imagine the band talking about the ending credits .. "We need a powerful voice ..." .. and Hannes saying .. "Wait a minute .. " .. as he picks up his phone. :)

[@davidkreacts]

A definite "problem solved" moment, to be sure! Quite apart from the ease of getting hold of Floor, she's also the perfect choice for this.

[@frankster1477]

I didn't think I wanted to watch this because I knew what it was about and this is such an emotional time of year, but I'm glad I did. This was a courageous choice for the band. Thank you for reacting to it.

[@davidkreacts]

You are welcome. I'm glad that you enjoyed both it and my own video. The song is quite extraordinary, and so well handled.

[@henrikvidin]

Thank you for an accurate and emotional reaction to an epic artwork that Sabaton made with this one. I think you got all the details in the bands story telling but one (and that is awesome done I think). You mentioned the arc of the ball the last time when it is stopped by a foot and becomes still. That is actually the French and British officers that did not sanction the truce (along with their German equivalents). The stop of the ball symbolizes the soldiers are forced down the trenches to take up the fighting again, for about 3,5 years from this event. I will check out your other reactions to Sabaton and other music because you did a great work in interpret this one. Well done!

[@davidkreacts]

Ah - thank you so much for the clarification - that makes sense now that you mention it, but didn't occur to me at the time. I appreciate the kind words, and hope you continue to enjoy my work.

[@Fuilleverte]

Bravery isn't not being scared. It is being afraid but doing what be done in the face of the horrors before your very eyes. War isn't clean and nice. War is brutal and horrifying. All of the songs come from history and Sabaton has a history channel on here with the full history. Pronunciations: Joakim- joe WAH keem---Lead singer with mohawk. Piano player, carries the cross Par is pronounced like the Golf term---Bass player and writing in the notebook and carving 2021 Hannes- HA ness---the singer over the credits is Floor Jensen of Nightwish, who is the wife of Hannes, drummer Tommy- TOE mee---playing the acoustic guitar in no-mans-land. Chris- I'm not 100% sure of this but I believe I heard that they enlisted some fans who were Military Re-enactors who all brought their own Uniforms and props. If you look closely the german soldiers all wear the same uniform boots to cap. On the Allied side there was a riot of mixed pieces and uniforms.

[@davidkreacts]

Absolutely agreed. One only has to watch the Bastogne episode of Band of Brothers to begin to get an understanding. Looking forward to digging into more Sabaton. Thanks for the info. I was very impressed by the uniforms, and re-enactors make a very logical pool to bring on board.

[@ajvikkibacik1505]

Watched this video on a whim. And am now a subscriber. I’ve watched no less than a dozen reaction video to Christmas Truce (huge Sabaton fan) and yours is by far the best. Your genuine respect for what this piece is and what it is about is captivating. Thank you sir for going out of your comfort zone to offer this amazing opinion on a truly wonderful piece of art.

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you so much, and you're welcome. I'm glad that you enjoyed my work on this one, and that I was able to do it justice. A wonderful piece of art indeed!

[@ingmariohman8242]

What a heartfelt commentary. Much appreciated.

[@michaelskoog9413]

Never thought i would be able to sit through a full one hour reaction video without skipping ahead even once. Reaction videos are of course a dime a dozen on KZbin, but the ones that actually helps me appreciate a great song even more than i did before are very rare. 👍

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you very much for sticking with me - I'm glad you enjoyed the video and got something out of it. :-)

[@ingmariohman8242]

I agree!

[@hummelchen6773]

What I find intriguing is, that "Silence" of course refers to the sudden silence on the battlefield (because the armies ran out of ammunition) but at the same time to Hannes the German soldier who can't still hear much because he was shellshocked.

[@davidkreacts]

A very astute observation - I didn't draw that comparison until after I'd reacted, but it's absolutely right.

[@justmenicole4842]

The vocals at the end is Floor , from Nightwish, who is married to Sabaton's drummer , welcome to the deep Sabaton rabbit hole

[@davidkreacts]

I caught that second time through - surprised I didn't recognise her first time, but I didn't know of the connection to Hannes when I recorded this, so I wasn't expecting it.

[@fenrisulfur842]

Oh since you´re active on helping vets suffering from PTSD, Sabaton will bring you a wide range of Time and Battles, from the ancient Greeks, to Vietnam. Sabaton is not taking sides, they tell stories, based on known facts, and put it into Songs. Would be great if you would consider them again in the future👍 Since Christmas is near, there is a movie very frequently on screen at this time. "Lawrence of Arabia"...If youre interested, check out the official video of "Seven pillars of wisdom" (The title of T.E. Lawrences Book btw)

[@davidkreacts]

Yes, I'm fascinated by their work already, having only seen the one video. Definitely more coming. I will definitely check out Seven Pillars... - I haven't seen Lawrence of Arabia in a long time, but it's a remarkable movie.

[@richardjosephus6802]

@@davidkreacts Welcome to the Sabaton rabbit hole. Like WW2? Check out Bismarck, and No Bullitt's Fly

[@davidkreacts]

@@richardjosephus6802 Thank you - I can sense this is a rabbit hole I'm glad to be in! Yes, I do! Will be checking out Bismarck next, probably - depending on what part of the story they tell, I have a connection there, so curious to watch.

[@miafranlund6982]

I found your channel due to your reaction to Bismark, so I went back to watch this too.

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you!

[@Tark-qs4mu]

This video has a deep, personal message for every single person who watches it. And, that message is different depending on who watches it, when they watch it, and their emotional state when they watch it. Which is exactly what art should be. I would typically say that this was a fun reaction, but, this time, it wasn't, exactly. It was exactly what it should have been; thought provoking, emotion inducing. I'm glad you did this song, this video. I can't say I'm not. But, now I've got to go and process for the next little bit. Thank you for sharing this with us, David. I can hardly wait to see what's next.

[@davidkreacts]

As always, a highly profound first paragraph that I agree with completely. Wait until I get to my reaction to Bismarck for my particularly personal one (I suspect). Thank you - I'm really glad that the video came across the way I wanted it to, and I completely understand the necessity of processing time after this one.

[@CapriUni]

Whenever I get overwhelmed at the thought of all the different wars being fought in the world, today, I try to remember all the times people have worked to make peace. This is a good reminder that it's possible.

[@davidkreacts]

Hear hear. I find it hard to read the news at the best of times. I think it's important to know what's what, but it can be so challenging. The story is a beacon of hope, and I wish that more and more will take heed and take action to focus on peace.

[@fenrisulfur842]

I´m sure you already know that, but the original cross they portrayed in the video is still there on a farmers field in Flandres....Lest We Forget

[@davidkreacts]

I did, yes - I love that they included their own tribute to that.

[@susanjw7763]

The haunting vocals done over the credits is the beautiful Valkyrie Queen Floor Jansen who is married to Hannes the drummer for Sabaton and was the first soldier you saw and he also exited the trenches with his arms in the air. You should also check out “10th man down” by Nightwish it’s song about the perils of war on a man who witnessed losing his mates and he wished he was with them, however he survived. Use the 2018 version filmed in Argentina. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqmUin1mesmBd6s

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you for the recommendation - I will check that out for sure. I know a lot of earlier Nightwish, but I'm less familiar since Floor joined them, so I'm glad to have suggestions of songs to check out.

[@marinamucic908]

10th man down is one of my favourite songs, in both versions

[@starstuff84]

I've tried every day for 4 days to watch and I can't get more than halfway through the song with needing to turn it off because of how hard it hits for many different reasons, including my own PTSD. That said, it's a beautiful song with powerful message that deserves every bit of exposure it gets. Thank you for doing this one and for the donations.

[@davidkreacts]

I can understand that - it hits hard enough without experiencing PTSD, quite apart from any other connections or points of reference.

[@leechowning2712]

Considering your personal experiences with PTSD, I would definitively avoid Great War, to hell and back, in Flanders Field and no bullets fly. Those four songs are some of my favorites but they are extraordinarily heavy. A more recent work that doesn't get as much attention but is just as emotional is soldier of heaven, but you won't often see a reaction to that.

[@SAITO2]

good man, first of all great choice on the song and with your supporting ptsd organizations I think you might also want to check out to hell and back which is about that very topic. Now I have to inform you that the song came out on October 29th of 2021 and the album on the 4th of march this year. Do also take a look at their special sabaton history channel for more information about the event and how the song came to be

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you very much, both for the comments and the information. I will be looking at To Hell and Back in due course, and I just subbed to their history channel - I'm really looking forward to digging into that.

[@fenrisulfur842]

what a great reaction to a single song! chapea Sir!

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you very much!

[@fenrisulfur842]

@@davidkreacts i missed an "u" dang

[@davidkreacts]

@@fenrisulfur842 I got what you were going for! ;-)

[@petervenkman69]

I think this is a work of pure genius, managing to both encompass the inspiring nature of the truce without downplaying the horrors of war. Most depictions of the truce I have seen did the first at the expense of the latter. (The Sainsbury's ad being good... but, nothing compared to this) My understanding is that the intro is Carol of the Bells in reverse, which is clever because it is both Christmassy, but changes it from being more upbeat to being a bit more ominous. This song was in the works for a long time (on and off for years) because they wanted to do it justice, and weren't willing to release it until they were confident they got it right, it was too important for them. A large part of the song was inspired by the correspondence of some of the soldiers involved. I know that Pipers (bagpipes) were traditional in the UK military. On a slight musical side note, Mark Knopfler (most famous as singer/guitarist/song writer in Dire Straits) wrote a song called "Piper Till The End" which was about his uncle who was a piper in the Black Watch during WW2 and died holding off the Nazis during the evacuation of Dunkirk. The spiked helmet was a WW1 German helmet, but yes the Prussians used these helmets as well, but remember Prussia at this stage was part of Germany, and they were the ones who created the German Empire. As I am sure hundreds of people have already said, the outro was sung by Floor Jansen (Most famous as lead singer of Nightwish), her husband being Sabaton's Drummer Hannes Van Dahl.

[@davidkreacts]

Totally agree with your first statement there. I don't know how I missed Carol of the Bells when I was recording, but I agree, there is a tension about hearing it this way. I'm very glad that they took so much time over getting this one right - it's not something anyone would have wanted them to release half-cocked. I didn't know about Knopfler's Piper Till the End - I shall have to check that out. You are quite correct re the Prussians - I think I've played too many games where the helmet is used to make the Prussians distinct from the Germans! :-P Yes, I caught Floor's name when the credits rolled around the second time. I should have got it when I heard her, but not knowing her connection to Hannes, I think it was one of those cases of hearing her voice out of the usual context of my experience, so not recognising her.

[@petervenkman69]

@@davidkreacts Since Dire Straits broke up, Mark Knopfler has had a very long and pretty prolific recording career and touring career, but in a much more manageable low key way. The stadium events were too big for him, as he no longer knew the crews he was working with (an aspect he had enjoyed), which is largely why Dire Straits couldn't continue for him... they got too big for it to be enjoyable for him. Anyway the point is that Piper 'Till the End was released in around 2009... so in the context of his career, comparatively recently.

[@davidkreacts]

@@petervenkman69 Thank you for the very comprehensive information. Looking forward to seeing his work.

[@petervenkman69]

@@davidkreacts You are very welcome, but I didn't get the title right, it is "Piper to the End"

[@davidkreacts]

@@petervenkman69 Noted

[@fenrisulfur842]

Nice one! Didnt check your library, but Sabaton has "On Flandres Fields" on this Album as well. Since the Author, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, was Canadian, this song is maybe interesting for you for another reaction

[@davidkreacts]

This was my first Sabaton reaction, but certainly won't be my last! On Flanders Fields is definitely on my list.

[@connydely1460]

In Flanders fields is on The Great War,the previous album 🤘

[@fenrisulfur842]

really really nice reaction! got another subscriber

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you so much!

[@miiah7475]

I loved your comments & thoughts! You mentioned the behind the scenes material, so here is the link to what Sabaton has released on youtube: SABATON - Christmas Truce (The Making Of) kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6XFknycbtmZhLs It's (5min 26seconds of) photograps of the shoot edited nicely to/with an intrumental/orchestral version of the song in the backround. There's some seriously great photos... Only sortof related, but might be a fun sidequest (on your own time): SABATON - Frauenfeld Rocks 2022: Operation Christmas Truce (VLOG) kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoPNeqGngrlkjs0 (in the video description) Mission: “Operation Christmas Truce”. Follow us on our epic quest to find a piano in Switzerland so we can play our song about peace to the amazing crowds at Frauenfeld Rocks 2022. 🤘 Was the mission a success? Did we play the song? And what happened to the piano?! Find out!

[@zannebrazeau]

the outro with the end credits be floor jansen from nightwish she also happen to be married to the drummer hannes van dahl

[@davidkreacts]

Indeed - I caught her name in the credits second time through, and it made complete sense. I didn't know she was married to Hannes when I recorded, which is the only excuse I have as to why I didn't recognise her vocals sooner.

[@LoppyJen]

Thank you for introducing me to this song! Some of my favourite Christmas songs are songs that include the Christmas Truce of 1914, and this has been added to that list. And they got several things right. According to at least one report, it was a German soldier who stepped into No-Man's Land when both sides began to sing the same caroles in their native tongues. Troops tried to continue the tradition in 1915, 1916, and 1917, but efforts were thwarted by higher officials. My cousin is in the Armed Forces, and though he doesn't talk a lot about being overseas, he did mention fear, and the thought of, "Keep your head down and get your men back home/to base." I can only imagine what it was like to physically experience it. And that cut you mention in the middle with, "this is what PTSD must feel like," it kind of is. A completely un-associated item, sound, smell, sight can bring you back to the trauma, even if only for a moment. On a music video note, it's so telling that it's the piano that is blown up at the end; the instrument that began the song is forever snuffed out in the end. P.S., thank you for taking the time out to learn how to pronounce their names to get them right - that means a lot to see it. Also, thank you for taking the time to issue a content warning, AND for donating 50% of your buymeacoffee donations to a good cause! You're a wonderful human being.

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you for all of your comments, and for filling in some of the blanks I had about the event. I'm glad you enjoyed the video - this song is quite extraordinary. And thank you - just trying to do my part. :-)

[@carinarodebak9419]

Just informing you David, you are now entering my second musical obsession. The time I spend on musical videos can be divided into 40% VP/Geoff, 40% Sabaton/Tommy Johansson and the last 20% sprinkled all over the place. This December it has been much more Tommy, since he does a Christmas Calendar with daily releases of songs and guitar solos etc. Tommy is here playing the French soldier with a guitar and fake moustache. Sabaton writes true stories, well researched. They have a sister channel, Sabaton history, where they tell the background history to each song. Floor Jansen of Nightwish is married to the drummer of Sabaton Hannes Van Dahl, the guy getting grenaded and first up from the trench. That cross you saw is a copy of the memorial cross erected in Ypres, where this truce happened. Due to covid much filmmaking was stopped. It gave Sabaton possibility to hire the filmcrew that produced this video. Normally their videos are not so epic, even if always good. Filmed in Czechia, where Joakim is very welcome, his mother being czeckish. Sabaton has had concerts together with czechish symphony orchestra. Bismarck is also epic, being financed by a gaming company of warcraft. Today Tommy released his cover of this song as his Calendar piece. He never sings upfront in Sabaton. I was at the point of turning out light for the day, we 2 being in different time zones, soon midnight here, but no way am I able to go to sleep when I discovered that you are reacting to this masterpiece. FYI it's common that you keep me up late, it's not to be taken as a complaint. Truce is said to have started by hearing the germans singing Holy Night in their trenches Christmas Eve. Remember, in many European countries it's the Eve that's celebrated, not Christmas Day. Carol of the Bells is intervoven. It's said somewhere the germans won the football game 2-1. The ball is the heirloom at a British regiment to this day.

[@davidkreacts]

Duly noted! I can understand the obsession - I've heard a lot about Sabaton, but it's something different entirely to hear them. Sounds like I need to check out Tommy's channel as well. While I am sorry that so many film productions were shut down - my partner is a film actor, so we also felt that impact - I'm glad that it gave them the opportunity to record such a spectacular video. I would love to hear a symphonic Sabaton performance - I'll have to hunt one out! Bismarck is definitely on my to-watch list - I have a connection to the story of that ship, which I will go into when I react to the video. I hope my timing doesn't disrupt your sleep too much! I'm glad you don't mind though. :-) Yes, I'm surprised I didn't catch Carol of the Bells while I was watching - it's so prominent, now that I see it back! You know, it never occurred to me to wonder what the score was - thanks for that info! Also, hot tip, there's a reaction that you recommended coming later this coming week.

[@carinarodebak9419]

@@davidkreacts I see that the Sabaton Army has begun to find you. Forgot to mention that I have a close family member forced to retire early from work due to PTSD, so that cause is dear to me. All Sabaton is epic, but the most outstanding are Truce, Bismarck and En livstid i krig. That last one recorded in my old hometown, where to I'm returning for a concert with Sabaton in February My first Metal show. Taking 1 daughter and son-in-law as their Christmas gift from me. They still can't fathom how their old mother has become a S fan.

[@davidkreacts]

@@carinarodebak9419 Thanks for the tips - I'll add the other two to my list (Bismarck already being there). That will be exciting! I saw Nightwish as my first full on metal gig, at a medium-size venue in London. I still remember it to this day - must have been coming on for 24 years ago now. It was a magical feeling. I'm excited for you and your family. :-)

[@leechowning2712]

Very similar playlist selection to myself, it would be interesting to see how many others there are crossing that line of not having a whole lot of songs that we listen to, and these two groups being near the top.

[@thewrenchreviews9986]

Sabaton's "No Bullets Fly" or "Soldier of Heaven" you must see. Historic stories done so well by Sabaton. You must see.

[@davidkreacts]

Noted and added to the list - thank you.

[@thewrenchreviews9986]

@@davidkreacts As with all Sabaton videos, be sure to watch them to the very end.

[@ingmariohman8242]

Your grandfather being an aviator, these will especially relate to you.

[@leechowning2712]

I knew you would love the song, I'm strange in that I only have maybe four groups that I listen to, and I cross pollinate as much as I can. It's harder to convince metal reactors to check out Hall of the Mountain King. When you commented on the first line being powerful I was reminded of when I see someone comment that Geoff has a deep voice in the first 30 seconds of one of his songs. We just sit back and laugh and know that the person is completely underprepared for what is coming. Understand this is a song that was extremely special to them and they overkilled it, taking nearly 3 years to make the lyrics and music. As to your hope for a thousand subscribers before the end of the year, if you react to any other Sabaton song you will get almost as much new fans as when you first fell into the voice play set, there's actually very few crossing between the two but there are a few of us. Merry Christmas and keep warm.

[@davidkreacts]

I hear you re cross-pollination. I haven't kept up a music library on my phone so much, but if you'd seen my iPod a few years ago, it would have made absolutely no sense! I have seen a few reactions to videos I've already covered where people comment on Geoff's voice when he's in or around a C2, and there's a great sense of knowing what's coming that is very enjoyable - I really enjoy seeing reactions to him from people who haven't heard him before. I can see the dedication and work that went into this - it's so perfectly crafted. I'm glad they took their time and made sure they were truly happy with it. I didn't get to another Sabaton, but I'm hoping to put one out very early next year. Hope you had a great holiday, and kept warm and safe yourself. :-)

[@leechowning2712]

@@davidkreacts trust me when I say that any of their videos is highly entertaining, and there are times I really would love to just go through and tell people choose the ones with the lowest views because so many of their songs our stories that really deserve to be told and nobody knows them, but at the same time reacting to one like no bullets fly will guarantee a lot of hits.

[@davidkreacts]

@@leechowning2712 I can understand that. I'll see if I can hit one or two of those lower view count videos in due course.

[@fenrisulfur842]

speaking of everyday objects and flashback...Do you know the australian Band "Red Gum - I was only 19"? John Schumann, the voice of the Band is running a PTSD awareness campaign for some years now. Another Song to have a look on

[@davidkreacts]

I was not aware of that, but will check them out. Thank you.

[@fenrisulfur842]

@@davidkreacts its a forgotten Gem, and as I mentioned, John is doing the same as you. Some time ago, he performed that song with the royal autralian Lancers Band

[@susanjw7763]

A song that gets played every ANZAC day’s dawn service.

[@susanjw7763]

There is another song about the returning Vietnam soldiers and their battles inter grate into the general population called” when the war is over” by John Farnham.

[@hummelchen6773]

Too bad that I can give only one thumb up... I would have given you ten thumbs for your reaction... 🙂

[@davidkreacts]

That is very kind. I'm glad you enjoyed it! :-)

[@mrlizardtx]

What you fail to understand is when you combine the sound of an acoustic guitar with bagpipes in just the right way, it sounds like a heavy metal electric guitar.

[@davidkreacts]

I actually have a reasonable amount of experience in combining instruments to create different effects - it's something I dabbled in when I was a composer, and also have studied in other people's work (like Hans Zimmer doing the opposite, and having an electric guitar sound like bagpipes in the new Dune score). However, I don't believe that's what's happening here - you can hear the bagpipes separately from the guitar in this (and after the guitar has started playing - at 4:07 in the original video, to be precise), though I am very open to learning otherwise if there is evidence to the contrary.

[@mrlizardtx]

@@davidkreacts In that case, you didn't realize my tongue was firmly planted in my cheek, pure sarcasm.

[@noneofyerbeeswax8194]

@@mrlizardtx Wow, cool. It probably has to do with some natural resonance, frequency interference etc. It reminds me of what some death metal vocalists do in order to sound more bRRRutal - because the progress in those extreme genres of metal has reached the point where cold, hangover and smoking 10 packs a day just aren't enough anymore: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3mreqSXg7uGaaM

[@davidkreacts]

@@mrlizardtx Haha - sorry, my bad - I am bad at picking that up in text form. :-P (You could achieve something like that, with use of a distortion pedal and some careful mixing.)

[@agnieszkazuk]

Great reaction, thanks! Liked and subscribed :-)

[@davidkreacts]

You're welcome, and thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed.

[@rosswhite5975]

All Sabaton songs are about military history. One of my favourite bands. For a PTSD related song of theirs i would recommend 'To Hell and Back' (official music video)

[@davidkreacts]

I'm looking forward to checking out more of their work. Military history is a genuine interest of mine, so when worlds collide (metal being the other), why not dig in? ;-) Thank you for the suggestion - it's on my list.

[@rosswhite5975]

@@davidkreacts You are going to love this band then. Another great thing about them is that they also have their own 'Sabaton History Channel' on KZbin where they have episodes for every single one of their songs, explaining the history behind the lyrics and a little info about the songwriting etc. Here is the Christmas Truce episode - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnvUZ2eae5qNnLM

[@davidkreacts]

@@rosswhite5975 Thank you! Yes, a couple of folks have mentioned it and I've subbed, but haven't had a chance to check it out yet. Thanks for the link - I'll make that my starting point. :-)

[@Bonovin]

Floor Jansen from Nightwish on The outro

[@davidkreacts]

Indeed - I didn't know of her connection to the band, so didn't anticipate it, though I'm still surprised I didn't catch it. As soon as I saw her name in the credits second time through, it made complete sense.

[@rianavermeulen4316]

So SAD😢😢😢 AMAZING ❤❤❤

[@davidkreacts]

Isn't it? Such a phenomenal song.

[@Nem01]

Nice reaction.

[@robindowse4473]

Hi, What a stunning reaction to this song, possibly the best reaction i have seen yet. Of course you have another subscriber on your way to 1000. If you continue down the Sabaton rabbithole you may want to try “No bullits fly” the story of Charlie Brown and Ye Old Pub. Also “Soldier of Heaven” the story of White Friday on Mount Marmolade WW1. However to throw you a curveball, 2 bands, 2 songs both related to war or more accurately, those affected by them are…. Linkin Park “Castle of Glass” and…. Five Finger Death Punch “Wrong side of Heaven” these are both songs I would love to watch your reaction to and analysis of. Both deal with some heart wrenching stuff. Thanks

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you very much, both for the compliments and for subscribing! I will be doing more Sabaton in the new year, and have added those to the list. Also the other songs - I haven't heard the Linkin Park song and didn't know they had done something like that, so I'm very intrigued, and I really haven't heard much Five Finger Death Punch, so I'm looking forward to both of those too. My list is very long right now, but I'm trying to intersperse my a capella reactions with other music, so I'm looking forward to getting to them.

[@Nem01]

In combat we witness, endure and have to do horrible thing. Not just to stay alive, but to be able to defend and protect. And fightinhg not to lose our humanity and sanity in the process.

[@Cordelia53]

Would love to see your reaction to Belleau Wood by Garth Brooks

[@davidkreacts]

I've added it to my list. :-)

[@noneofyerbeeswax8194]

I can't believe I've just watched an hour long reaction video. It was worth it.👍 If you want to reach your subscriber goal or even exceed it, there is a way: react to a Nightwish song. You will be invaded by the Army. :) Seriously, I hope you do it, and not just for the views and subscribers. But since you're obviously aware of who the Goddess is, I wonder how familiar you are with her and Nightwish' work. By the way, Joakim is pronounced Yoakim, not Hoakim, it's Swedish, not Spanish. :)

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you for sticking with it - I'm glad you enjoyed. :-) I definitely will react to Nightwish. I was a huge fan back in the day, but I actually haven't seen much of their work since Floor joined, so I am looking forward to digging into it. Thanks for the correction - I'm half Spanish myself, so it came out automatically. Duly noted for next time. :-)

[@leechowning2712]

Always got to do is do Bismarck, maybe No Bullets Fly, and if you want the real history nerds Seven Pillars or Last Stand... The Sabaton Army follows behind me.

[@generichardson4771]

all of their music is military history they also havea history channel sabaton history give it a look and reaction

[@davidkreacts]

I am very excited to dig more into both them and their history channel. :-)

[@grinningpinhead3961]

Great review of a fantastic song. Could you please do a reaction to rock this christmas by trucker diablo. Tis the season after all 🙂 Also the female vocals at the end are of floor jansen from nightwish and she is wife of sabatons drummer hannes van dhal

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you! I have added it to my list - not sure if I'll get to it this year, as I already have a lot lined up, but will see what my recording schedule turns into. :-) Yes, I caught Floor's name in the credits second time around - I hadn't known about her connection to the band before, so I didn't recognise her at first, but it made total sense the moment I saw her name in the credits.

[@Nem01]

May you please concider bringing Sabaton teactions back to the channel? If you're open for a recomendation: I would suggest the live performance in Gothenburg of En Livstid I Krig. (With english subtitles if you're not fluent in swedish.) En Livstid I Krig means A Lifetime of war.

I absollutely have to look deeper into Sabaton. I know that most of their videos are on a similar production level, but I got trapped in other rabbit holes for now. There is too much good music out there once one digs around a bit.. 😀 Regarding that dulling of the sound after the grenade-hit: It totally reminds me of slowly getting unconscious when anesthesia kicks in. The effect is pretty spot on. Unfortunately I had way too many surgeries that I can remember something like that.. 🤔 I'll post my promised suggestions here, since the genre is more or less fitting. For one, I think with your background in Musical-Theater you might enjoy Ayreon, if you don't know them yet. It is one of the projects of the dutch composer, producer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen. He created a whole SciFi universe from which every album tells a story in the form of a Rock-Opera with one singer per character in the story. He gathers many guest vocalists and musicians from europe and around the world to record his music. Genre-wise his music ranges from Folk to (classic) Rock/Metal with a good dose of Musical Theatre, since most songs feature more then one singer and it is some sort of story telling or dialouge going on. There is not that much videography to break down, since most official videos are from the studio, live performances or lyric videos. But there is enough interesting singing, arrangement and composition to analyse. The usual starting point for reaction channels is The Day That The World Breaks Down (kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXfYfn6ap9-Dp7c) from the 2017 album The Source. It is the first track of the album that features all 11 singers and the video has text pop-ups with background information about the prduction, singers and story from Arjen himself. It is 13 minutes long though. If you want to check out a live performance, the Ayreon Universe concert from 2017 is available on KZbin. It was the first official Ayreon live performance after 22 years and is a "best of Ayreon" show with songs from many albums up until that point. Here is the link to the playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLJGn3wi7b7b606GfoKAdOgm6rtX9OliRc Many do "Everybody Dies" or "Eye of Ra" first, but every song from that show is worth a look. The concert features a total for 16 singers and 11 musicians. If you know a little european Metal music, you might recognise one or two of the features vocalists. ;-) And something very different: Indian Folk Metal with Bloddywood from New Dehli. They cover important topics in their music but almost always with a positive message. Good starting points might be Machi Basahd kzbin.info/www/bejne/faTcZqaArpqSaZY Gaddaar kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZqum4Z5id2em5o Aaj kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZjZeWmqjZl4oJI

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you so much for the detailed comment, info and suggestions! I hear you re rabbit holes - I think by simple dint of becoming a reactor, I just jumped into about twenty sequentially! Ayreon has been on my personal, non-reactor list for ages, and I just never got round to checking them out, so I will absolutely give them a look. Glad to have a good starting point or two as well. Love the conceit of the rock opera with a legit cast of vocalists. If you haven't heard them, check out Abydos - one of the members of Vanden Plas created the group to record a concept album that tells a story so well that it was turned into a staged musical. (Just the one singer on the album, if I recall correctly, but still cool.) I appreciate the Bloddywood recommendation as well - completely new to me, and I look forward to checking them out. :-)

[@chrisgertz8250]

You my friend have given the best analysis yet of this song. Amazing song. Amazing video. For recommendation for another great video.. you should check out Metallica"One". Another great video worth your analysis.

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it. I might do a pure analysis video of One - I am a big Metallica fan, so I can't quite react to it. I have a pure analysis coming not this week but next, so I'll see how that goes down. :-)

[@justmenicole4842]

You won't get youtube strikes from sabaton. They enjoy their music get reacted to

[@susanjw7763]

So does Nightwish and Ayreon.

[@davidkreacts]

Good to know - thank you!

[@davidkreacts]

Excellent - I'm an old-school Nightwish fan, so I'm looking forward to reacting to a couple of videos with Floor fronting them - Ayreon I've only heard a couple of songs from, but I'd be interested to check them out more.

[@leechowning2712]

@@davidkreacts just remember to react to their official songs or the yarn hub story animations, and you won't have any problem whatsoever. Occasionally people will react to the live performances, but some live venues will cause problems.

[@davidkreacts]

@@leechowning2712 Good to know - thank you.

[@2121gul]

Sabaton har en historie kanal på youtube 🍻🇸🇪

[@davidkreacts]

Takk - jeg er glad for å vite om det, og skal sjekke det ut. (I sincerely hope Google Translate got that right - I have no ability in the language myself. In case it didn't, thank you.)

[@2121gul]

Det är norska men bra ändå👍🏻😁

[@davidkreacts]

@@2121gul Thank you for bearing with me! ;-)

[@fenrisulfur842]

listen to the Master with whiskers...😾

[@davidkreacts]

Indeed!

[@fenrisulfur842]

@@davidkreacts another Cat Servant/Owner...we all know that feeling ;)

[@davidkreacts]

@@fenrisulfur842 Yessir! My cat actually makes an appearance in an upcoming reaction. :-P

[@basbeest2238]

There's a quite brilliant commcercial about this too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIipY314l5aVrK8

[@davidkreacts]

Indeed - I remember that bringing me to tears the first dozen times I saw it. I mention it at the very end of this video.

[@Mars-is4un]

🤗🍒🤘🏻

[@davidkreacts]

🤘🏻😄

[@lars6849]

just sing or marrie me

[@MustaLaatta]

+1 sub 👍 Nightwish army Finland 🤘 𝓜𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓪 𝓛𝓪𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓪

[@davidkreacts]

Thank you! There will be a Nightwish video or two coming not too far into next year.