Where Legends Are Born With JOAKIM BRODEN From SABATON

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 as 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.
Now, Sabaton return with their newest album and perhaps greatest triumph, Legends. LEGENDS marks the very first time that every band member has come together to contribute to the songwriting process. This is SABATON as you’ve never heard them before—relentless and unbound. LEGENDS is a global journey through the annals of warfare, leadership and unbreakable will.
Throughout the album, SABATON—Joakim Brodén (vocals), Pär Sundström (bass), Chris Rörland (guitar), Thobbe Englund (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl (drums)—delve into some of history’s greatest and most loved characters such as Jeanne D’arc (also known as Joan of Arc), Hannibal, Genghis Khan, Vlad the Impaler, Julius Caesar, the Knights Templar, and the legendary swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi.
HEAVY caught up with frontman Joakim Brodén to find out more.
"We're an evolutionary band, not a revolutionary band," he began, "so every album is a little bit of an evolution. It's never going to change completely between albums. If you listen to our first album and our last album, with this one, there's a huge difference. But between the albums, it's usually a smaller step or a slightly bigger step. And I think this is a slightly bigger step, actually, maybe because the previous two albums were about World War One, and now we're jumping in history. We are covering everything from Ancient Egypt - that's 1800 before Christ - to Napoleon 1800 after Christ, and jumping both in time and geographically, quite a bit in between there. So I think that has sort of influenced the music and the sound to a certain extent."
In the full interview, Joakim discussed Sabaton's latest album Legends, detailing the lengthy process of its completion and the band's evolutionary approach to music. Joakim explained the criteria for selecting historical figures honoured in their songs, emphasizing a literal interpretation of legends and sharing personal connections to figures. He expressed surprise at the philosophical insights of Miyamoto Musashi discovered during songwriting and discussed his creative process, which includes managing writer's block.
The conversation also touched on the limited edition vinyl of Legends, the band's commitment to diverse music formats, and upcoming tours in Europe, the US, and Canada, highlighting the excitement of live performances and audience engagement and more.


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