Nils Patrik Johansson – War and Peace Review

Nils Patrik Johansson has sung in metal bands for almost as long as I’ve done anything on this Earth. Lending his gritty, commanding voice to acts like Astral Doors, Wuthering Heights, and Civil War since 2002, NPJ is someone with history behind him, as well as a man with history on the mind. War and Peace, the third album of his eponymous act Nils Patrik Johansson, offers forty minutes of epically inclined heavy/power metal, themed primarily on history. Topics range from the two World Wars and Gustav Vasa’s Rebellion to matters like environmentalism and his love for Hungarian rock music.¹ But twenty-three years is a long time to do anything, and the Law of Diminishing Records spares few souls. Is War and Peace another victory for NPJ, or is it time for him to wave the white flag?

If my description of War and Peace put you in mind of a certain other Swedish war-themed power metal band, you’re not far off: it does sound like Civil War! From mid-paced stompers like “Barbarossa” to double-kick speedsters like “Gustav Vasa,” Johansson belts over crunchy, synth-laden power metal keen on getting lodged into the listener’s noggin like shrapnel. Hooks are aplenty on War and Peace, particularly poignant on the high-energy “The Great Wall of China” and the Wuthering Heights-folksiness of “Prodigal Son.” Songwriting is tight, keeping tracks around four or five minutes with little in the way of gratuitous soloing or meandering instrumentals. War and Peace does nothing groundbreaking, but on a genuinely delightful ditty like “Prodigal Son” or a fist-pumping rager like “Barbarossa,” how much does that matter?

Well, unoriginality matters when most of the songs aren’t very good, either. Nils Patrik Johansson packs few weapons in their war chest for War and Peace, and what few they possess have some defects. When War and Peace slows down, like on the overwrought “Stay Behind” or the throwaway instrumental opener “Himalaya,” things build up to nothing and stay there, making for lethargic and unfun listens. When speeding up, Johansson doesn’t always deliver when it matters, like on the bare-bones chorus of “Gustav Vasa” or the tuneless belting of the “Hungarian Dance” refrain. The streamlined songwriting also tends towards the formulaic. Almost every song has the standard pop structure and a bookend/closing instrumental “tag” that feels superfluous, like the “Star Spangled Banner” Hendrix rip finishing “Stay Behind” or the tokenized Chinese string and choir motif in “The Great Wall of China.” Overall, most of War and Peace feels hollow, taking the shape of good songs but lacking substance.

Beyond its structural issues, War and Peace is just an awkward listen. NPJ’s vocals are proficient and enjoyable, replete with his iconic warbling vibrato and snarling Dio-isms, but he leans into these techniques so much it can come off as campy. This is particularly bad in the quieter moments of War and Peace, like the piano bridge of “Gustav Vasa” or the verses of “Stay Behind,” where his deliveries are so exaggerated they can feel like caricature. Similarly, what’s being said can be hard and/or regrettable to follow. The final trio of songs exemplifies the lyrical woes of War and Peace: over-repetition (“Hungarian Dance,” “Two Shots in Sarajevo”) confused messaging (“Hungarian Dance,” “The Great Wall of China”), and clumsy wording (“The Great Wall of China,” “Two Shots in Sarajevo”).² When the songs aren’t very good, these kinds of concerns grow from minor quibbles to major issues rapidly.

Surrender is never an option, but War and Peace is no victory for Nils Patrik Johansson. Too often, War and Peace is too overwrought, too underwritten, and too derivative of both other bands’ and Johansson’s own works. Toss in some wince-able lyricism, and you’ve got yourself a tough listen. But even when making a bad album, NPJ can still drop bangers like “Prodigal Son” and “Barbarossa,” so it’s not a complete loss. However, as a complete work, I’m peacing out on War and Peace.

Rating: Bad
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Metalville
Website: facebook.com/nilspatrikjohansson
Releases Worldwide: October 10th, 2025