SABATON's PÄR SUNDSTRÖM: It Is 'Not Necessary' To Be Fresh 'To Be Successful In Heavy Metal'

In a new interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, SABATON bassist and manager Pär Sundström spoke about the factors that were involved in making the Swedish act one of the most commercially successful European heavy metal bands in recent history. He said  (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think that the success of SABATON lies in a combination of a lot of things. We've always been a hardworking band, and we've always been a do-it-yourself band, a band that is driven by people saying 'it cannot be done'. We're driven by people saying that 'you can't do that, you can't do that.' Me and [SABATON singer] Joakim [Brodén] always [were], like, 'Yeah, then let's do it and prove those people wrong.' We're both happy to have met each other. I mean, he's a great songwriter, fantastic singer, and this. And I could do the other part, which was more natural for me. And together, it became very good as a team there, 'cause we complete each other very well. And I think that the success of SABATON cannot be attributed to a single thing. It's attributed to a lot of things. And since 2012, the lineup is sort of complete with Thobbe [Englund, guitar], Chris [Rörland, guitar] and Hannes [Van Dahl, drums]. And they have all given their heart and soul to this band, and we are such a unit, and we are here. And I think that the success of SABATON is attributed to a lot of this. And to the great team that is sitting, working in our office. So, all the people around us. It's not just any single thing that can take the glory for that. It's all of us. But I would say that the main cause is that we believed always in doing things our way."

Elaborating on how SABATON has never allowed outside influences to affect the way he and his bandmates run their business, Pär said: "Yeah, we never had a management to tell us anything how to do or how to do things and this and that and that. We always invented the wheel over and over again — how we tour, how we do that, how we do that. I mean, last year we were doing, I would say, the biggest tour in Europe or something, with over 200 crew members. It was all put together by me and my best friend from childhood who is our production manager for the last 20-something years. And nobody ever told us how you pull together a 200-crewmember touring party that goes around like a small town building up these things. We were doing everything without any external professional people coming and tell us how you do it. We did it our way, and this is part of how we always [were]. Even though we make mistakes, we're okay with that. We are totally fine with making mistakes. We learn from them and we move on. We don't let the negative things weigh us down so much. They do happen to everybody, and then we just move on with it."

Asked how challenging it is "to keep SABATON fresh after more than 25 years" of writing and recording music, Pär said: "Yeah, I think it is not important to be fresh. [Laughs] A lot of bands before us have proven that to be a functional thing in the heavy metal industry. So, being fresh is not necessary to be successful in heavy metal. We know that. So for us it was never about that. We just do what we do, and sometimes we have a lot of ideas that maybe can be considered very fresh or unique thinking. Like we started our own festival — now it's on pause, but we still ran it for 13 years. Our own cruise was for 14 years. We were not the first one to run our own magazine, but we did it our way and we started it up and it's this free magazine that we are running now for several years. And we are operating our mailorder in a way that I wouldn't say I see in other bands how we do that. Because we don't really look at what others are doing. We just think what we wanna do and then we do it. I mean, SABATON history channel, it was something we wanted to do. I don't think anybody else has produced over 130 documentary movies about history like that, how we are working together with museums all around the world, these kind of things. [It is] just a lot of stuff that we just do."

This past June, SABATON announced a second part to the European "The Legendary Tour", set to take place in April/May 2027.

Last year's leg of "The Legendary Tour" brought in an audience of over 260,000 people in 13 different countries, with 420 tons of equipment marking the biggest ever arena tour production ever seen from a rock band.

The spring 2027 run takes in 15 different countries, including shows at Dublin's 3ARENA, Glasgow OVO Hydro and Birmingham NEC.

Four months ago, SABATON announced the new dates for its previously postponed North American tour. The band called off the original shows in order to allow Sundström sufficient time to heal from "inflammation in his arms".

SABATON's North American tour was scheduled to kick off February 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and hit venues across the U.S. and Canada, including major stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston before wrapping April 20 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The new dates will launch on September 23 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and conclude on December 12 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

SABATON kicked off the European leg of its "The Legendary Tour" on November 14, 2025 at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany. The band teased the 20-city European 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." "The Legendary Tour" was SABATON's first headlining tour in support of the band's eleventh studio album, "Legends", which arrived on October 17, 2025 via Better Noise Music.

Throughout the aptly titled "Legends", which blends rock and history for fans of all ages, SABATON delves into some of history's greatest and most loved characters such as Jeanne D'arc (also known as Joan Of Arc),Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar and the legendary swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi.

"Legends" is available across various different physical formats and retailer exclusives, including CD, 2CD digibook, 2CD earbook (both including the exclusive Storyteller Edition),11 unique vinyl editions (including a special vinyl color and exclusive artwork each),additional exclusive vinyl colors and a limited box set (including another exclusive vinyl color, the 2CD earbook, and a colored cassette as an exclusive format).

Among 11 unique vinyl editions, each one portraying one legendary figure, "Legends" is available as the "Hannibal Edition" and the "Miyamoto Musashi Edition", which are linked to the song releases for "Lightning At The Gates" (Hannibal) and "The Duelist" (Miyamoto Musashi).

"Legends" is a rock odyssey that transcends time and borders, with melodic guitar riffs, goosebump-inducing choirs, and epic choruses. It marks a bold evolution in storytelling, plunging headfirst into the heart of history's most formidable and enigmatic figures. These are not just rock songs, they are battle hymns carved from the blood and legacy of warriors, kings, strategists, and revolutionaries.

SABATON have 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. They've collaborated closely with its network of specialists, developed over the years since the launch of the Sabaton History Channel on YouTube, to make sure this new album is once again as close to reality as possible.

SABATON continues to work with graphic artist Peter Sallai to create the striking album artwork, and producer Jonas Kjellgren is once again behind the boards from his Swedish Black Lounge Studios to create the classic SABATON sound the band is now known for.

In the more than two decades since the band's launch, SABATON has headlined major festivals, sold-out arena concerts worldwide, and gained a legion of loyal fans by carving out a reputation for being one of the hardest working bands in the business. Since their 2005 debut album, they've earned gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications in territories around the world with their 10 studio albums. Eight of their albums scored Top 10 international chart status, and six claimed the Top 5. SABATON has earned eight Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards nominations, taking home the award for "Breakthrough Artist" in 2011 and "Best Live Band" in three different years, and a Grammis nomination (Swedish equivalent to the U.S. Grammy Award) as "Best Heavy Metal" band. They've accumulated more than three billion streams across all streaming platforms and two billion views on YouTube.

Guitarist Thobbe Englund 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.