Swedish power metal legends and history nerds Sabaton have confirmed that their 11th studio album, Legends, will be released in October via Better Noise Music.
The album is the follow-up to 2022's The War to End All Wars, and finds the band abandoning the trenches of World War 1 for older landscapes.
"This time we look further back in history than we have the past few years, going to times that I think are very exciting," says bassist Pär Sundström. "As someone who's always been into the history of the Middle Ages, knights and the legends of old, it felt incredible to finally bring those stories into the Sabaton universe."
According to the band, the 11 tracks on Legends tell 11 "iconic legendary stories", a statistic reflected in the album's vinyl release, which will be available in – you're probably ahead of us here – 11 unique editions, each related to one of the tracks.
“We’re all about telling stories through our songs, so we thought, why not do the same with our vinyls?" says Sundström. "Instead of just making them a cool colour, we wanted them to actually tell a story too. That’s why we decided to name them after the legendary figures featured on the album. It just felt like the perfect way to make them more special. We hope all the physical music collectors out there love the concept! We took the idea from the community and tweaked it ourselves!”
The first fruits of this revolutionary story/vinyl project are revealed with the release today of two tracks from the album. Lightning at the Gates tells the story of the Carthaginian general Hannibal, perhaps most famous for attempting to cross the Alps with 37 North African war elephants, many of who perished during the trek. This heroic tale will be reflected in the Hannibal Edition vinyl. Meanwhile, the Miyamoto Musashi vinyl variant is a companion to The Duelist, which tells the story of the 17th-century Japanese swordsman who authored the classic Book Of Five Rings.
"Legends have always been woven into our music, and the Heroes album is the perfect example of that!" says singer Joakim Brodén, referencing Sabaton's 2014 album, which celebrated several heroic figures from WWII. "I’m incredibly proud of Heroes and everything it stands for, so Legends is just a natural next step. It’s like the story continues, but goes way back in time. We’re excited to finally be taking our listeners on a new journey! Here’s to another chapter in Sabaton’s story!”
Lightning at the Gates and The Duelist join the previously released Templars and Hordes of Khan in building anticipation for Legends, which will be released on October 17. Pre-orders are available now.
Sabaton's Legendary tour marches across Europe in November and December, supported by an orchestra performing highlights from the band's substantial repertoire of historical bangers. Full dates below.
Sabaton: Legends tracklist
1. Templars
2. Hordes Of Khan
3. A Tiger Among Dragons
4. Crossing The Rubicon
5. I, Emperor
6. Maid of Steel
7. Impaler
8. Lightning at the Gates
9. The Duelist
10. The Cycle of Songs
11. Till Seger
Sabaton: 2025 tour dates
Aug 21: Cologne Gamescom, Germany
Sep 01: Perth Metro City, Australia
Sep 03: Adelaide Hindley Street Music Hall, Australia
Sep 05: Melbourne Margaret Court Arena, Australia
Sep 06: Sydney Hordern Pavilion, Australia
Sep 07: Brisbane Fortitude Music Hall, Australia
Sep 09: Auckland Powerstation, New Zealand
Sep 10: Auckland Powerstation, New Zealand
Oct 06: Istanbul Zorlu Performing Arts Center, Turkey
Oct 08: Chișinău Arena, Moldova
Oct 10: Almaty Baluan Sholak Arena, Kazakhstan
Nov 14: Cologne Lanxess Arena, Germany
Nov 15: Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena, Germany
Nov 16: Ostrava Ostravar Aréna, Czech Republic
Nov 18: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Nov 20: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Nov 21: Vienna Stadthalle, Austria
Nov 22: Krakow Tauron Arena, Poland
Nov 24: Stuttgart Schleyerhalle, Germany
Nov 25: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Nov 26: Esch sur Alzette Rockhal, Luxembourg
Nov 28: Paris Accor Arena, France
Nov 29: Lyon LDLC Arena, France
Dec 01: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Dec 02: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
Dec 04: London O2 Arena, UK
Dec 05: Manchester Co-Op Live, UK
Dec 06: Nottingham Motorpoint, UK
Dec 08: Hannover ZAG Arena, Germany
Dec 09: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
Dec 11: Oslo Telenor, Norway
Dec 12: Gothenburg Scandinavium, Sweden
