The Valley of Death - The Battles of Doiran - Sabaton History 115 [Official] 

The fighting on the Macedonian Front is often overlooked when one thinks of the Great War, and it was even scoffed at by some at the time, who called the Entente Army of the Orient the 'Gardeners of Salonika', but it was of great importance, defended brilliantly by the Bulgarians, and its collapse heralded the end of the war. What else do you think is overlooked about the Great War that deserves more focus? If you would like to gain early access to our Sabaton History episodes and actively support this awesome project that we are so passionate about, you can do so by joining our Patreon community. There are some pretty cool perks when you become part of the Patreon family. Find out more and join here 👉 www.patreon.com/sabatonhistory

We eventually were enemies of Bulgaria during the Great War but they defineltely were a worthy and strong opponent. Battles during the second Balkan war and WW1 were truly fierce. I think that Sabaton premiered the song in Bulgaria two days after they had played here in Greece. Peace only among us neighbors. Greetings from 🇬🇷🇬🇷

Every time I hear more about how well the Bulgarians fought, I am more and more confinced that the Bulgarians deserved to win the war.

Great video! Proud to be Bulgarian. Дълбок поклон и вечна слава на героите! Да живее България!

I am an American descendant of ethnic Bulgarians from the region of Macedonia, who fought in defense of their native land, on the Macedonian Front of World War One. The Doyran (Doiran) Battles of 1917 and 1918 were victories for the Bulgarian Army. I respect the memory of all of the heroic men --- of the Bulgarian Army as well as their equal heroic opponents of the British and Greek military forces. Rest in Peace.

Once I've read a book for the battle based on true events. It's about two soldiers, one of them veteran from WW1 and the two Balkan wars and a new private, never seen a battle before, stuck on a machine gun nest. They managed to hold a big enemy attack and spend the next two days in the nest both of them wounded. They were found by the help of the pigeon, found by general Vasov himself.

Fantastic! I have a Steyr Produced, 1912 Bulgarian Contract M95 MANNLICHER Stutzen carbine rifle with original Bulgarian ammunition, en-bloc clips and Bulgarian bayonet, that saw action here at the Battles of Doiran! So happy Sabaton did a song and now a Sabaton History Channel episode about this incredible defence in the Great War! I'll keep marching on to your great score, and may there be an encore with many more episodes to come! Thanks Par, Indy and all the rest of the Sabaton Team!!! Love from Adrian in Canada!

Thank you for that amazing song! What an incredible feeling it was witnessing it live and hearing all of us proudly singing along! Long live Bulgaria!!! 🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬

I’m not Bulgarian but after listening to the valley of death I think I might be

Thank you for the episode and greetings from Bulgaria. I was at your show when the song premiered and I sang my lungs out to it. Hope you guys visit us again in the future - we have a big fan community here dedicated to Sabaton. Also try that rakia you have there, I'm certain it's good. Поздрави от България и поклон и вечна слава на героите!

Loved the story at the end! I think the Polish cavalry saber is my favorite one, but being invited to the military academy and being treated to a show just for the band is a very close second!

I have been waiting for this for a LONG TIME! Thanks so much

It was an emotional show for us too, patiently won’t be the word I would describe it though. I know for sure there were loads of emails pushing for a song about Bulgaria. But to premiere it here was something special, not to mention slightly changing the lyrics just for this performance - it did hit right in the feels. A huge thank you for the song, for your dedication to Bulgarian fans and a personal thank you to a special polar bear for the set list from that show 😅 We shall await your return

i didn't know much about this battle so it's always cool to learn from you guys. joakim in a tank looking like a child with his best present ever made my day lol! you were so lucky! ps. damn bulgaria's army looks badass af! just like in WWI, pretty underrated imho.

Bulgaria preformed really well during The Great War. I enjoyed the Salonika Front while watching TGW. So glad Sabaton made this song! 🤙

"the tank was not shootable because of the dry season..." Ah, fond memories of running around trying to put out fires in the Golan Heights every summer live fire training exercises. IDF tanker here

Much respect from Bulgaria! We loved the song and we can't wait to hear it live again!

My Great Grandad was briefly on this front with the Kings Royal Rifle Corps before being invalided home. It was a bit of an eye-opener seeing KRRC cap badges in the Bulgarian Museum of History.

I always have chills when i hear this song or when i hear someone talking about Doiran front! Вечна памет на героите от Дойран! 🇧🇬

Another great history lesson. The Battle of Doiran was epic as the song. I actualy live in Veliko Tarnovo and missed you guys.The news spread that you are in the city came too late to me :( . Keep up the good work guys and enjoy the rakia. Nazdrave :)

This song makes me a Bulgarian Patriot, and i'm not even close to be Bulgarian! Best song on the album and easily the best Guitar solo on any Sabaton song

Awesome! I will mention this interview at national TV soon! Thanks for honoring our gradfathers!

Reminds me of when I did a kata to Shiroyama in a tournament with my katana. Usually you don’t see people do entire songs but I did all of Shiroyama. I spent months practicing and trying to sync it all up, adding or removing parts to fit the song better, and if the introduction took longer or less time as the song played in the background I had different sort of improv lines that I would do to not lose sync with the song. I don’t want to hoot my own horn but I did amazing, and the audience was loving it, however I messed up one part when I was doing a flashy sort of movement as if I was swinging the blood off the sword. Like most weapon katas you see are very restricted and traditional like they don’t look at all like if you’re actually fighting people, they look boring and wholesome. Not this time, you could see me simulating like decapitations and grappling and just looked more like an actual samurai in nasty, imperfect combat rather than a dude practicing moves :| so the judges really liked that. Back to what I was saying though, I did that move and the tip of the sword got a bit closer to my hakama than I expected and clipped my right ankle and I just see the tip of the sword a bit red, just a slight sight of reddish. I didn’t stop, I kept going, despite my ankle now burning up 😂 and I could see blood coming off from beneath the hakama. After I finished the judges asked to see my hakama and my sword. They came up and saw the blood on the mats and my hakama down low cut open in a perfect slice and my ankle oozing blood. They took my sword and looked at it and saw it was a live blade and their face was like disappointed and was like “I’m sorry but you’re disqualified” :| and turns out you’re not allowed to use “real” weapons in tournaments :| I was like “there’s people using thick wooden bo staffs and nunchucks, are you going to disqualify them? Those are real weapons and everyone here knows how to maim someone with them, so why aren’t they disqualified.” They told me it wasn’t the same and that if it wasn’t a real blade I would’ve definitely won, they told me they’ve never seen a kata as “brutal” as mine, and that everyone usually does like robotic looking katas of like perfected techniques that will just never work or really be used in a fight but that I was the only one that wasn’t afraid to show like what looked like a choreographed fight between samurai. I knew one of the judges and he was like “that part where you did that hip throw and then took your tanto and it looked like you slit someone’s throat, that shit was fire, I gave you 9 points just for that.” But indeed the rules quite clearly, in bold, said “no live or sufficiently sharpened blades are allowed for any and all types of bladed weapon.” So my sensei and I took the L and went on 😂

Дълбок поклон пред българските герои!

The video we all Bulgarians were waiting for! Thank you so much for that, the song, your big respect for us, and for every concert. I remember your first gig, I went there for Hammerfall, haven't heard of Sabaton before, but you just rocked and stole the show. You were so happy with the BG fans on this first encounter, and I am a big fan since then. After the second show, I remember a friend of mine wrote you an e-mail for an idea for a song about Bulgarian history. He mentioned THIS very battle! He is so happy now, that after so many years you have heard his request, which is a request of many others. Thank you Sabaton, thank you Indy!

This is my favorite song on the album, and one of my favorite songs ever. The story is great, it's a joy to sing along with, and the instrumental feels like flying. Beautiful piece, I sincerely hope I get to see you guys play it live someday. Also it's about the Balkans, which is my favorite geographical region that isn't America. I badly want to go there. Rock on, gentlemen! 🤘🤘

_Our Own Little Verdun._ 🤘🔥 _Благодаря Ви Sabaton!_ 🇧🇬🌹🇸🇪

I never thought I'd see rakia on this show.

Sabaton videos should be played in school as they explain history better than, the history curriculum in schools.

It's the _Second_ Battle part that's the real kicker. Classic WW1 'assault the meat grinder with your face again, but win this time' stratuuuuurgy. Suddenly all those mutinies make perfect sense. "So, lemme get this right. The nation known as the Prussia of the Balkans has a garrison in this mountainous area which can reasonably be described as 'defender's wet dream ground', they've had six months to survey the location and dig in, they have interlocking strongpoints on the peaks, artillery in place with observation posts on the high ground, gunnery solutions on every rock and bush in the area, and they have German military advisors who've been given all the barbed wire they can eat and instructions to 'go nuts'. And you want us to attack it _again_ ?"

I've worked alongside some of the Bulgarian Army previously, great guys. All super professional. If I recall correctly, there is only one military university in Bulgaria, so that is where some of the officers I talked to came from as well.

Ohhhh i've been waiting for this one. As a Bulgarian i actually learned a lot about that part of our history because of that song. Before that i knew that general Vazov existed, but that was about it. For the record your pronunciations are decent. And yes, that is a little bit of rakia.

Great history video. Thanks for it. I am proud to be bulgarian. Поклон пред нашите герои дали живота си за отечеството! Да живее България.🇧🇬🦁💪

That was an amazing episode. I was at the show this summer and then learned they are coming to my home town Veliko Tarnovo and could not believe. A friend of mine who works in the military school got me an autographed photo, it's so cool. Thank you, guys, for writing this song and debuting it in Bulgaria!

Just came back from Veliko Tarnovo last week. 3rd visit, there is a range nearby as well. Love that town and Bulgaria in general.

As one of the patient Bulgarians, I am very thankfull for this song and video. This song is amazing and always hits close to home.

The great war channel is just not the same without you. So glad you do this thing with Sabaton! My favorite ww1 historian and one of my favorite metal bands all in 1 video. Like chistmas in July :)

A bulgarian here , thank you guys so much for making this amazing song about the bulgarian strength !

As a Brit, I can't help but respect the Bulgarians for resisting so many attacks by the strongest empire in history. Rest in peace to the British and Bulgarian troops who fought and died in this battle 🇬🇧❤️🇧🇬

That was so interesting. thank you so much . I didn't even know Bulgaria fought on the German side. When I saw that photo of you guys on the tank I was wondering where Tommy and Chris are....but of course you can't put two polar bears into the heat of the desert 😉. Maybe you should film in Antarctica with them😄😄

Well I think that the first domino was knoked out a year or 2 earlier when the German HQ didn't let the Bulgarians to advance any fearther cus they were afraid that if they push the 5 nation army in the sea it might be relocated on the western front.

I was really looking forward to when this episode would be released, it is a very cool topic that is never mentioned but definitely deserves to be shared.

Videos like that make me proud I am a Bulgarian!!!🇧🇬🤘

Bulgarians holding the line! Facing wave after wave they’ll never surrender

Thank you Sabaton for honor the Bulgarians and general Vladimir Vazov who lead our troops in these battles. You are surely forgiven for the 10 years delay with this song. I still remember the moment when the song started and then whole crowd shouted "DUG IN DEEP EQUIPPED FOR ATTACK". These memories still give me chills! Glad to see you had fun after the show in Veliko Turnovo! Hope this is not the last song you make about our small country!

Seeing Par with that damadzhana Rakia makes me really laugh, balkan people will undeersrand. Than you Sabaton for this song, it rеaly worth the wаiting!!!

This is my favorite Sabaton song. Glad to finally have a Sabaton history video about the events it describes!!

If you want more information about wars you miss in school Listen to sabaton and sabaton history

I always make sure not to remove a sabaton song from my playlist until I learn the story behind the song. Now, this song is STAYING on my playlist!

14:06 - I love it too :) Greetings from Bulgaria and thousands THANKS for doing this great song and honor our grandfathers that took place in this memorable events! You have my full respect for that! Waiting for 10 years was definitely worth it!

I just wanna say that Im happy we are getting even more content of indy talking about ww1. That channel was my introduction to how modern war worked, and made me spiral into soooo many rabbit holes.

So glad that you guys made this video! I’ve been anxious for it ever since I heard this awesome and epic song! And the story is just as awesome! Keep up the good work!

Upon first listen I wasn't a huge fan of the song but it has grown on me over the months. Really love the solo, so now it's time to sit back, turn the heater up in my car and enjoy my morning before work. Thanks Sabaton 🤘

I would be very surprised if Tolkien did not based the eye of sayron on that observation post. he probaly must have heard of it from other veterans

I was fortunate enough to witness the premiere of Valley of Death at Hills of Rock festival in Plovdiv. I had quite the adventure the week prior, drove across the country, from town to town, had some stuff to do. It was an exhausting week, and to be fair, I went to the festival for Slipknot. Attended all three days though, and I gotta say, Sabaton threw an amazing show to close out the festival. It was awesome. I wasn't a fan, but witnessing this, they definitely got my respect and next time they come back to Bulgaria, I would definitely go see them again.

I think this song is very underrated on the album. While I pretty much love all of your music I just think this one is amazing.

Thank you very much for this episode and the song Valley of the Death. I really love it. I am from Pleven (Bulgaria) where the 9th division is/was from. You are welcome to visit us any time of the year! Wish you all the best! :)

I love watching the history behind the music on this channel. Great video!

Funny Fact, most things in Lord of the Rings are inspired in real life things, and most of them are in Sabaton songs, from Lady of the Dark to The Winged Hussars

I am pleasantly surprised that you have been invited by the commander of the National Military University in Veliko Tarnovo, because so far only domestic and foreign politicians have been invited. Also the man with black balaklava were cadets from the same University but they wear it because it's part of their speciality - Airborne Forces. I hope you had a good time in Bulgaria as much as we enjoyed your concert and the song you have made in honor of those who have given their lives for the Motherland.

This has got to be one of the most badass songs Sabaton has produced.

Love this kind of video and love to hear about the history behind some of my favorite songs. Please do "The Lady of Death" sometime soon. 😀

Finally, I have been waiting for this one for some much time and I have to say that this episode was worth the wait! Love from Bulgaria

On a hill just outside Veliko Turnovo there's a church with the most metal paintings I've ever seen. Nice little town. And Bulgaria is often surprisingly metal.

The vocals of this songs are unbelievable, getting even better knowing the history and some backstage of the song.

This and Versailles are my personal favorites off of War to End all Wars. Salute to the bravery of the Bulgarian defenders.

The British were supposed to break through the defenses of Doiran. Sounds like they were smashing their faces into a brick wall until they got tired of the squishy sound.

12 years. It was worth the wait. You even said it will be about Doiran back then, but I was losing hope :D I thought the interviewer made some shit up :D Thank you for this song. It is badass! Also, we are the Oprah of Rakia - You get Rakia, and you get rakia, everyone gets Rakia. I find it funny that you still keep the one in the keg the BG battalion gifted you 13 years ago. Must be great to drink now :D

I’ve waited so long for this one! I’m so excited! (Can’t wait for you guys to possibly do Lady of the Dark!) (or release it if it’s recorded!)

Yessss another sabaton history episode!!! My day is made

I've been waiting for this one forever! Thank you Indy and Sabaton!!😁🔥🔥

Yeah, but Indy, the Eye of Sauron being this huge literal eye gazing out across his domain from the top of a tower is an invention of the movies.

Can you imagine these defenses in France and Russia? Wow

Thank you, Sabaton for keeping your promise!

It seems like the Bulgarian defense had future information but nonetheless they planned for every contingency and the enemy I know was frustrated like hell. Regardless this is an example of how successful you can be when you properly plan

The British had such respect for Vladimir Vazov that upon his visit to England in 1936 they lowered their national flags in his name.

"Run away alive, the dead go!" Said one of the soldiers on the Thessaloniki front, the rest is history.

Very interesting video on the Valley Of Death, which is one of my favorite songs on The War To End All Wars!

I have 3 songs I want a Sabaton song about. 1. The siege of Port Arthur 2. The death of Monarchism in a post WW1 world. 3. The tale of the IJN Yamato.

Although we were often on the opposite sides we're very fond of our eastern neighbours. Ferrocious adversaries in war, dear, warmhearted people in peace...pozdravi Bugarskoj iz Srbije.

Probably the most replayed song from the album for me. Really kicka**.

Thank you so much for putting this out there. Can't wait to watch it

I've learned more from Sabaton and Sabaton history than I ever did in a history class.

Him: There's plenty of Rakia to drink Bulgarians: Damn, this won't even get me through the winter

Once again I feel so much smarter after watching a Sabaton video. Thank You.

The greatest tactical win of the Great War! "Bring down the flags. Here comes the winner of Doiran: gen.Vazov"

Excellent video!, Really ejoyed it and the short mention of JRR Tolkien , keep up the good work!

I love seeing a new upload from sabaton history, im guaranteed to learn something

Thank you. I was looking forward for when you explained the history of this song. This is one of my favorite songs.

"Tolkien." You know, Sabaton does have a song inspired by Tolkien. You could use that to do an episode about the Professor and his time in the War.

4:00 and absurdly motivated... I would also like to add that toward the end of the war, Bulgaria was kind of slightly feeling the strain of mobilizing about 22% of the population to war and this contributed to the French and Serbian breakthrough on that front. There were food and equipment shortages and regular insubordination in a couple of places which very much contributed to this outcome.

Love you all and love my Bulgarian AK! Thanks for the video, the history, and the song!

It's over Britanakin, I have the high ground..... This was Bulgaria's 5th war since 1878. The Pleven guys were of high level.

Rule 1: Never give your enemy time to get their act REALLY together.

Sounds like the Bulgarians are really good hosts, from all the hijinks Pär related.

I have to just say the breakthrough Dobro Pole was due to a soldier mutiny which was heading to Sofia , if decide if want to call it a breakthrough

Could you please make playlists for each of the albums containing the history videos of the songs of each album.

The Valley of Death is probably the best song in the album

Sabaton history taught us well

Nice. I got here within an hour of this video being posted. As always, I enjoy your content. Hope to see more from ya.