SABATON's Eleventh Studio Album Was Completed Before Label Switch, Says JOAKIM BRODÉN

In a new interview with Mexico's Summa Inferno, SABATON's frontman, co-founder and principal songwriter Joakim Brodén spoke about the band's latest single, "Templars", which marks SABATON's debut release under the group's new record label, Better Noise. The song tells the tale of the rise and fall of the Templar Order, a brotherhood of warrior-monks founded in 1119 after the First Crusade, dedicated to protecting pilgrims and sacred Christian sites in the Holy Land. In 1307, King Philip IV of France betrayed them, driven by greed. He seized their wealth and ordered the arrest and execution of many, including their Grand Master — the supreme commander of the holy order. Asked if the rest of SABATON's upcoming album will also focus on the Crusades, a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups, Joakim said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't wanna spoil the surprise, but let's just say the next album will not be about World War I or II. We wanna wait with the announcement. It's a different theme, but I can reveal it's not only gonna cover sort of the Crusader era. There will be more there. There is a concept, for sure, and a theme for the album."

Brodén went on to say that SABATON completed work on the follow-up to 2022's "The War To End All Wars" album before he and his bandmates signed with Better Noise. "We have had this in the bag for quite some time, but, as with everything else, things take time — timing, sorting everything out," he explained. "But, yeah, we've been with [SABATON's longtime label] Nuclear Blast for a long time and we're still really good friends, so there's no animosity there or bad blood. We just thought it was time for the next step."

Asked how he and his SABATON bandmates decide which topics to cover in their songs, in light of the fact that their lyrics primarily focus on military history, particularly focusing on wars, battles, and acts of heroism, Joakim said: "Ooh, that's a good question. It's a weird answer, though. Sometimes it's not really us deciding. In many cases we start with a theme or the concept of an album first, which then limits us, or sets the scene sort of — this is what we're working with — because we need to create those limitations for the creative process for us. It helps us, actually. And then let's say we decided a hundred years of the Swedish Empire, let's tell that story, but then at that point, we didn't know exactly which stories. And in some ways, some of those are the ones we decided ourselves and we researched a lot, some of those stories we decided we were gonna do, we didn't have the right music that would fit it or we couldn't tell the story the way we wanted. And sometimes it's actually fans writing us over the years. On certain albums, we've had e-mails from fans, like three years earlier, and it was, like, 'Oh, that's a great idea. Maybe we'll do something on that one day.' So our fans are a huge inspiration helping us out, because every nation has their own sort of history. And it's uncommon for, let's say, Scandinavians to know too much about Latin American history, and vice versa, I would guess. I mean, obviously we are aware of the Conquista and you are aware of the Vikings, but that's sort of where it ends. So sometimes it's also the song that decides, because we have a piece of music and we knew what the theme was, but we didn't know which exact battle. And then the song decides the lyrics and the story."

Last month, Brodén spoke to El Cuartel Del Metal about SABATON's decision to sign with Better Noise Music after a decade-and-a-half-long run with Nuclear Blast. Regarding what prompted the label switch, Joakim said: "Basically, they've gone through some changes, Nuclear Blast, over the years, [having] been bought up by [global digital music company] Believe [in 2018], and while I have no hard feelings towards any one of them, this felt like the next logical step. Because for the past two albums, it seemed like we had hit the roof, to us sometimes, of our reach with Nuclear Blast. With that said, we have good friends still, and we have good friends and lovely people who work there. So this is more of a — what do you call it? — intellectual decision of what's the best next step for SABATON and not emotional, 'Oh, we've been fucked over by a label.' No, we haven't."

The Nuclear Blast relationship with SABATON dated back to 2010's World War II-themed "Coat Of Arms" album.

Along with the digital release of "Templars", SABATON is offering its fans a special one-sided 12-inch vinyl single which is limited to 1,000 copies worldwide and set to be released on June 27.

The strikingly cinematic "Templars" video was filmed at two massive historical fortresses in Serbia (Belgrade Fortress within Kalemegdan Park and Smederevo Fortress),both of which provided a striking and authentic backdrop for the epic battle scenes.

SABATON — Joakim Brodén (vocals),Pär Sundström (bass),Chris Rörland (guitar),Thobbe Englund (guitar),Hannes Van Dahl (drums) — has always had a signature focus on writing songs about historical battles, wars, and acts of heroism that have solidified their impact with their loyal and longtime fans. SABATON has accumulated more than three billion streams across all streaming platforms and almost two billion views on YouTube.

Better Noise Music is known for its creative artist development, innovative cross-media strategies, and ability to build international success stories. It was named Billboard's No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Label and No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint of 2024, after its history-making run of five consecutive years as the No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint (2018-2022). In 2023 Allen Kovac moved up to chairman role and over the last two and a half years the company has been run by Dan Waite CEO, Steve Kline COO and president, Harris Masood CFO and Paul Cormack GM.

Since SABATON's 2005 debut LP, the band has released 10 studio albums (some of which have been certified as gold, platinum, and even quadruple platinum),seen eight of its albums score Top 10 international chart status, and six claim the Top 5.

2022's "The War to End All Wars" was the last SABATON album to feature guitarist Tommy Johansson. He has since been replaced by a returning Englund.

Thobbe originally joined SABATON in April 2012 and amicably parted ways with the band in July 2016 to focus on his personal life and expand his creativity. He rejoined SABATON in February 2024.

Englund recorded two studio albums with SABATON, namely "Heroes" (2014) and "The Last Stand" (2016),and assisted with the songwriting of some very popular songs including "Shiroyama" and "Fields Of Verdun", among others.

In November 2025, SABATON will embark on a 20-city European run dubbed "The Legendary Tour". The band teased the trek as "a huge celebration of SABATON's music, storytelling and the incredible bond they share with their fans", featuring "The Legendary Orchestra and other surprises," resulting in "something unprecedented."

Last fall, SABATON served as main support to JUDAS PRIEST on the legendary heavy metal band's North American tour.

In the more than two decades since their launch, SABATON has achieved quadruple-platinum sales, headlined major festivals, sold-out arena concerts across the globe, and earned a legion of loyal fans by being self-managed and carving out a reputation as one of the most innovative bands in rock. SABATON combines standout stage design and production with epic concept albums, linking real-life historical war events with classic kick-ass metal. To date, the band has released ten studio albums, amassed six gold, two platinum, and one four-times-platinum awards, seen eight of its albums score Top 10 international chart status, and six claim the Top 5.

When SABATON hit the 20-year mark, they headlined both stages at Wacken 2019 — the biggest metal festival in the world — simultaneously. Meanwhile, in 2023 as part of a charity initiative, SABATON donated their full-length animated movie to museums around the world in order to increase awareness and visitor numbers, and successfully encouraged people to support the preservation of history in these establishments. During SABATON's 25th-anniversary year, the band released the "Tour To End All Tours" concert film, and through independent distribution, it was screened in more than 1,200 cinemas spanning 28 territories.