SABATON Frontman Explains Latest Guitarist Departure

Alan Dixon of The Metal Voice conducted an interview with vocalist Joakim Brodén and guitarist Chris Rörland of Swedish metallers SABATON at this year's Heavy Montreal festival, which is being held August 6-7 at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about the recent announcement that guitarist Thobbe Englund will play his final gig with SABATON later this month in the band's hometown of Falun, at the group's Sabaton Open Air festival, as part of a release party for SABATON's new album, "The Last Stand", Joakim said: "We wear people out, I think. [Laughs] In a sense, it's part of the reason, actually.

"When we did the most intensive period we had in our career, it was 170 shows from April '14 to April '15 — twelve months there — of course, you don't play every day, so if you 170 shows, that probably means you were on the road, or away from home, for 270 days that year. So I totally understand why, even though most people get into doing this… I've seen it before, and it's gonna happen again, I guess, that people [are like], 'Yeah, of course, I don't wanna do anything else. And then, after a couple of years, [they're like], 'Oh, man. I thought I wanted this.' [Laughs]"

Thobbe stated about his decision to exit SABATON: "I have in recent years become more aware of what would make me feel real happiness and content, and that is to expand my own creativeness in combination with a somewhat stiller life, where I will not tour all year round at the speed of light."

"The Last Stand" will be released on August 19 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "Heroes" was once again produced by Peter Tägtgren (PAIN, LINDEMANN, HYPOCRISY) and it "marks a brand new chapter in SABATON history," according to a press release.