Swedish metal powerhouse Sabaton have returned with Legends, their eleventh studio album, released via Better Noise Music. The new record takes listeners deep into the lives of eleven of history’s most iconic and notorious figures, each immortalised in song with the band’s trademark mix of thunderous power metal, cinematic scope and meticulous historical detail.
The album’s lead single I, Emperor dives into the complex life of Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history’s greatest tacticians and most controversial rulers. The track is accompanied by a board game-themed music video that reimagines the Battle of Waterloo, filmed with the kind of theatrical flair Sabaton fans have come to expect.
“Napoleon is straight up legendary,” says frontman Joakim Brodén. “His story was built for a Sabaton song. Fans have asked us for this one for years, so here it is-you asked, we delivered.”
Bassist and co-founder Pär Sundström adds, “We’ve had countless requests for a song about Napoleon, so we knew it would hit hard. It’s punchy, powerful and catchy, and I can’t wait to see how fans respond to it live.”
In true Sabaton fashion, Legends plays like a history book brought to life, merging roaring guitars with tales of bravery, conquest and downfall. The album pays tribute to a cast of larger-than-life figures including Joan of Arc (Maid Of Steel), Genghis Khan (Hordes Of Khan), Julius Caesar (Crossing The Rubicon), Hannibal (Lightning At The Gates), and the Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi (The Duelist). It’s an ambitious concept, even by Sabaton’s standards, capturing moments where courage and chaos collided to shape the world.
Tracklist
Templars – Knights Templar
Hordes Of Khan – Genghis Khan
A Tiger Among Dragons – Lü Bu
Crossing The Rubicon – Julius Caesar
I, Emperor – Napoleon Bonaparte
Maid Of Steel – Joan Of Arc
Impaler – Vlad The Impaler
Lightning At The Gates – Hannibal
The Duelist – Miyamoto Musashi
The Cycle Of Songs – Pharaoh Senusret III
Till Seger – King Gustav II Adolf
Sabaton’s Legends also marks a milestone for the band’s creative evolution. For the first time, every member-Brodén, Sundström, Chris Rörland, Thobbe Englund and Hannes Van Dahl-has contributed to the songwriting. The result is a record that feels united in purpose yet more musically adventurous than ever. “This is Sabaton as you’ve never heard us before-relentless and unbound,” says Brodén.
The video for I, Emperor takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to Napoleon’s tactical genius, turning the battlefield into a tabletop war game. Each band member takes the role of a different army: Brodén as the French, Sundström and Rörland as the British, and Van Dahl and Englund as the Prussians. Using a strategy book that details how Napoleon could have won at Waterloo, Brodén outsmarts his bandmates and wins the game-only to discover they’ve entered an alternate reality where France triumphed. It’s a clever, cinematic twist that showcases the group’s playful side as much as their passion for history.
For the shoot, Brodén arrived with a stack of history books tied to past Sabaton songs, while Sundström turned up with his collection of vintage board games. Together, the band transformed a local pub set into a history-bending game room filled with antiques, second-hand treasures and handmade props.
Since forming in Falun in 1999, Sabaton have become one of Sweden’s most successful rock exports. Their fusion of heavy metal and military history has earned them Gold and Platinum certifications worldwide, eight Metal Hammer Golden Gods nominations (winning “Best Live Band” three times), and a Swedish Grammis nomination for Best Heavy Metal Band. Their albums Primo Victoria (2005), The Art Of War (2008), Carolus Rex (2012), The Great War (2019) and The War To End All Wars (2022) each explored humanity’s defining conflicts-from the Second World War to the fall of empires.
Legends by Sabaton is out now via Better Noise Music.
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