Sabaton will release their eleventh album, Legends . The album is the Swedish power metal band's first release on Better Noise Music .
The album will travel through time to tell the stories of great historical figures such as Joan of Arc , Napoleon Bonaparte , Julius Caesar , and the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi .
In a conversation with Wikimetal , vocalist Joakim Brodén spoke about the historical research process of these figures, the concept behind the album cover, songs that could become big live hits, and more. The Swede also reminisced about the band's show at Bangers Open Air 2025 in May and commented on the possibility of a return to Brazil soon.
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Wikimetal: Legends will be the band's first album in partnership with Better Noise Music . What motivated Sabaton to make this label change?
Joakim Brodén: Well, basically, it was time for a change. Unfortunately, many people believe we had problems with Nuclear Blast . We didn't really care about that, as they are good friends. However, many of our partners are no longer part of the label either. It's not the same label it was when we joined. Of all the names we considered, Better Noise was the most excited to work with us. They had several great ideas and were very willing to listen to what we had in mind.
WM: This is the first time that all band members have contributed to the songwriting process. How has this total collaboration impacted the sound and dynamics of the album?
JB: Actually, I wish I had a better answer, but nothing has changed (laughs). Hannes [ Van Dahl , drummer] doesn't write much music; he only did one with me, which was "Man of War," written as extra material for Heroes (2014). After that, he didn't compose anymore, until now, when we wrote "Till Seger" together. With Chris [ Rörland , guitarist] and Thobbe [ Englind , guitarist], I do it more frequently. Even when he [Thobbe] was no longer in the band. Normally it's me and Pär [ Sundström, bassist] who work on the lyrics. But, yes, this was the first time that all the members of Sabaton wrote songs for the same album. It was just a coincidence.
WM: Why did you choose to delve into the stories of legends like Joan of Arc, Napoleon, and Miyamoto Musashi at this point in your careers?
JB: We felt there were several, how can I say, legendary figures or warriors. I think I could call them leaders or commanders, that we'd like to talk about. But what would be the themes for Napoleon and Julius Caesar in that case? We didn't feel ready to do something about a revolutionary war or a Napoleonic war on an album dedicated to that. The same thing happens with Genghis Khan , for example, even though you could do an album dedicated to each of those people. So, the solution we adopted was the problem itself. We have all these wonderful people we'd like to write songs about. What's the common denominator here? In that, we came to the conclusion that they are all legendary.
WM: What was the process like for researching these characters in historical context?
JB: Quite different this time. Normally, we only focus on modern wars. Not always. But generally, a large part of our songs recount wars that took place during the 20th century. So, for a guy like Napoleon, who is extremely well-documented and recent, I wouldn't say that much has changed. We've done research on much older things, like "Carolus Rex" [which talks about Charles XII of Sweden, who lived between 1682 and 1718]. In other cases, like Julius Caesar, for example, there's no shortage of material.
However, when it comes to people we weren't so familiar with, like the Chinese general Lu Bu , or Miyamoto Musashi, it's a whole different world. Especially since Bu was born in 156 AD. Because of that, the historical material is actually harder to read and access (laughs). But we've done this before and we were very happy to do it again. There were many interesting discoveries. I, for example, only knew Musashi as a duelist and samurai. I had no idea about his philosophical side. So, when researching him, I had to incorporate that into the lyrics. The pre-chorus of "The Duelist" came from The Book of Five Rings .
WM: When Legends was announced, you mentioned that it would be the “natural successor” to Heroes (2014). How do the albums connect, since both deal with historical moments but take place in different periods?
JB: I don't really know. Maybe it's because both albums are about small groups of people. Heroes, for the most part, are alone. But they can also be part of small units or groups. In that way, they end up being quite similar.
WM: Does the band feel it has an educational role, since the songs can increase the interest of a younger audience in historical events and figures they might not otherwise know about?
JB: It wasn't our intention, but I'd say it's a positive thing (laughs). We never planned to become history professors within heavy metal. But, for example, if someone discovered their love for history with us, that's certainly an absolutely wonderful and incredible thing. It's better that they discover it with us than with other bands (laughs).
WM: One of the songs that attracted the most attention was “Crossing The Rubicon,” which features members of Nothing More. What was it like releasing a track with a band that has a very different style from yours?
JB: The song was composed without them. The version that's on the album doesn't feature them. So, they were the ones who chose which track they wanted to collaborate on. If it were a single, for example, we could have composed something together.
However, first we wanted to do it the Sabaton way, as we normally do. And only then did we send it to them, where they could see what they wanted to do with the music. I think it's a different process. If we make a Sabaton album, it will be written our way, from beginning to end. If it's a single that won't be on the album, then we open it up for collaborations.
WM: Do you already have an idea of which tracks have the greatest potential to become big live hits?
JB: I have no idea. I have good faith in "Templars," since it's the first single we released. I believe in it a lot because I think it will be an excellent song live. But I can't guarantee it yet, since it hasn't debuted in the shows (laughs). We've played "Hordes of Khan" a few times, but personally, I don't think it will stay in the setlist forever. "Templars" and "Crossing The Rubicon" are the ones that have the best chance of staying longer. We'll see what the fans think.
WM: Of all the legends featured on the album, which is your favorite?
JB: Not musically, but historically, I'd say it's Miyamoto Musashi. Largely because of the duality he had between being a philosopher and a warrior at the same time. And also an author. There's much more to it than I imagined, you know? There were many discoveries involving all of them, but he was the biggest surprise for me.
WM: What's the concept behind the album cover?
JB: The concept was to put as many legends from the album as possible on the cover, and try to figure out how on earth Peter Sallai managed to pull it off (laughs). And he did! If you ask me, it's the most beautiful cover of all the albums we've ever released. That Hungarian knew exactly how to do it.
WM: In May of this year, you came to Brazil to be one of the main attractions at Bangers Open Air, what was it like performing there?
JB: Wonderful, I loved every second of the show. Before we went on stage, we had a great autograph session with the fans. We had some sound problems, as we later learned. There was a sound engineer who was doing his first show that night, and things happened that he didn't expect. Unfortunately, the sound the audience was hearing wasn't great. We understand that, depending on where you were, the PA was fluctuating quite a bit. But even so, it was absolutely fantastic.
WM: You announced a major North American tour for 2026, Legends On Tour . Are there any plans to bring this show to South America in the future?
JB: I hope so. You didn't get much of the cycle of The Great War (2019) and The War to End All Wars (2022). That's why we had pushed for a Latin American tour. We really wanted us Latin American fans to have seen a show from those eras. I hope that the next time we return, we can do something entirely dedicated to Legends . Without having to do everything mixed together again.
WM: Finally, what message would Sabaton like to leave for the Brazilian fans who are waiting for the release of Legends ?
JB: Hope to see you soon, my friends! Let's do this, for sure. Smoking Snakes, eternal is your victory! [chorus of “Smoking Snakes”]
READ ALSO: Bangers Open Air 2025: Sabaton delivers historic show
