Pär Sundström and Thobbe Englund on Sabaton’s new era, Thobbe’s return, The Legendary Orchestra, and why Poland always feels like home.
Introduction
Last year, Sabaton giants finally turned the page on the World War I era and embarked on a bold new chapter, exploring the stories of legendary figures whose names have left an enduring mark on history.
At the same time, guitarist Thobbe Englund has returned after seven years away, the band has begun a new partnership with Better Noise Music, and ambitious projects such as “Yamato” and The Legendary Orchestra prove that Sabaton’s creative ambitions extend well beyond the traditional album cycle.
Ahead of Sabaton’s recent concert in Poland, we sat down with bassist Pär Sundström and guitarist Thobbe Englund to discuss “Legends”, Thobbe’s return, the band’s future, and why Poland continues to feel like a second home.
Interview by Matt Sakson
“Legends” Still Feels Like a Brand-New Album
Matt: It’s been six months since “Legends” was released. Looking back now, how do you feel about the record?
Thobbe Englund: Not much has changed. It still feels very fresh to me.
Pär Sundström: I feel exactly the same. Even when we play these songs live, they still feel brand new. I don’t think the album has really settled in with us yet. Ironically, the only song that almost feels older is “Templars”.
Thobbe Englund: I think that’s just because of the atmosphere.
Pär Sundström: Probably. The story itself belongs to another era.
Matt: Yet, compositionally, it’s probably one of the freshest Sabaton songs you’ve written in years, especially with those choral arrangements.
Pär Sundström: That’s true. It has a unique sound. We don’t really have another song that sounds like it. The same goes for “A Tiger Among Dragons”. Both songs have their own identity.
Thobbe Englund: They definitely stand out on the album.
The Secret Behind “Templars”
Matt: Fans keep asking one question. What exactly is being sung in Latin at the beginning of “Templars”?
Pär Sundström: Well, we’ll never tell!
Thobbe Englund: That’s top secret! (laughs)
Closing the World War I Chapter
Matt: “Legends” marks a completely new chapter for Sabaton. For the previous six years your music revolved largely around World War I – longer than the war itself actually lasted. Was it difficult to leave that era behind?
Pär Sundström: Not at all. It actually felt refreshing. We’d spent so much time immersed in World War I that we naturally reached a point where we felt it was time to explore something different. That doesn’t change how important those albums remain to us. World War I suited Sabaton incredibly well. The imagery, the atmosphere, and the music all became part of the band’s identity. Those songs still make up a significant part of our live shows, and they’ll remain there for a long time.
Thobbe Englund: They’ve been fan favourites for years.
Pär Sundström: Exactly. Those albums gave us a lot of songs that became fan favourites, so they’ll stay with us for a long time. But creatively, it felt refreshing to move on.
Thobbe Englund: We’d never explored ancient legends before, so everything about this album felt fresh.
How Sabaton Chooses Its Heroes
Matt: “Legends” tells the stories of eleven historical figures – or groups of people – who left an extraordinary mark on history. Was it difficult narrowing the album down to just eleven stories?
Thobbe Englund: We started with something like thirty candidates.
Pär Sundström: At least. The interesting part is that we never begin with the historical figure – we begin with the music. Once a song exists, we ask ourselves which story best fits its atmosphere.
Thobbe Englund: “Impaler” was an obvious choice. The music is dark, heavy and haunting, so Vlad the Impaler immediately came to mind.
Pär Sundström: Some songs almost chose their own subjects. “Templars” was one of them. Others took much longer. “Lightning at the Gates”, for example, has this uplifting, majestic feel. You couldn’t pair music like that with a story full of bloodshed. We had to keep searching until we found the right match.
Why Napoleon Won’t Get His Own Album… Yet
Matt: One song I was particularly looking forward to was the one about Napoleon, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s fantastic! Still, Napoleon’s life seems like a goldmine of ideas for songs – could he ever get his own Sabaton concept album, much like “Carolus Rex”?
Pär Sundström: We’ve talked about it, but I’m not convinced an entire album about one person would work. My biggest concern is that it might become repetitive.
Matt: Besides the Emperor himself, there’s also the French Revolution, the marshals, the campaigns…
Pär Sundström: That’s true. There’s certainly enough material. Never say never.
Matt: Therefore, could the next album become a sequel to “Legends”?
Thobbe Englund: It definitely could.
Pär Sundström: There are still countless stories we could tell, but we’re not thinking that far ahead. Right now, our focus is entirely on “Legends”. We’re still touring the album, and there are still plenty of surprises in store during this “Legends” cycle. There’s definitely more to come before we start thinking about what’s next. We’re not done with “Legends” yet!
Saving “Yamato” for the Right Moment
Matt: In the meantime, you released “Yamato”, your second collaboration with “World of Warships”. Why was this the right moment to finally tell that story?
Pär Sundström: Ever since we released “Bismarck”, fans have been telling us, “Now you have to do ‘Yamato’”. Those are probably the two most iconic battleships of their era, so we always knew the comparison would be there. We’d been thinking about it for years, but we needed the right song first. Interestingly, the music for “Yamato” had been written long before “Legends”. We deliberately kept it off the album because we wanted to save it for this particular project. At the same time, we’d stayed in close contact with the people at Wargaming over the years, discussing different ideas for how we could follow up “Bismarck” in a meaningful way and integrate it into the game. Eventually, everything came together at exactly the right moment. We finally got the chance to tell the complete story, and I’m really happy we were able to bring that chapter to a proper conclusion – or at least for now.
Matt: “Legends” is also your first album with Better Noise Music. How did that partnership come about?
Pär Sundström: After spending so many years with Nuclear Blast, we simply felt it was time to see what other opportunities were out there. It wasn’t because we were unhappy with Nuclear Blast – quite the opposite. We had a great relationship with them. But after so many years, you naturally fall into certain routines. There’s nothing wrong with that, but sometimes you need new people, fresh ideas and a different perspective. That’s exactly what we found at Better Noise. Working with a new label gave us ideas we probably wouldn’t have come up with otherwise, so in that sense, the move worked out exactly the way we’d hoped.
“It Felt Like Time Had Stood Still”
Matt: Before the release of “Legends”, Sabaton went through a significant lineup change – Thobbe, you returned to the band after Tommy Johansson’s departure. What made returning to Sabaton such an easy decision? And are you still a member of Civil War?
Thobbe Englund: Yes, I’m still a member of Civil War. As for coming back to Sabaton… honestly, it was a complete no-brainer. When I heard Tommy was leaving, I happened to be having a beer with Pär. We talked about it, and the answer was basically, “Yeah, absolutely!”. Coming back has been a strange experience – in the best possible way. It genuinely feels as though no time has passed. It doesn’t feel like there was a seven-year break at all. All the memories we share feel as fresh as if they’d happened yesterday. Without question, coming back was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Matt: There’s a scene in one of the James Bond films where M asks James to return to MI6, and he replies, “I never left!”. That almost sounds like your story.
Thobbe Englund: (laughs) That’s actually funny, because I remember watching Sabaton in 2022. Someone standing next to me said, “Isn’t it strange that you’re no longer in the band?”. My immediate reaction was, “What do you mean I’m not in the band? I’m just not on stage!”. That’s genuinely how it felt. In a way, I’ve always been part of Sabaton – I just wasn’t the one standing under the spotlight.
Matt: So it’s really more of a family than just a band.
Thobbe Englund: Exactly. It’s both. We’re a band, but we’re also like a family.
The Legendary Orchestra Is Only Just Beginning
Matt: Last year you wrapped up The Legendary Tour in spectacular fashion with a hometown show at Stockholm’s 3Arena in front of almost 30,000 people. It was an unforgettable finale. Was that the biggest headlining concert in Sabaton’s history?
Pär Sundström: Yes, it was our biggest headline show ever outside of festivals. It was just us on stage, which made it incredibly special. Ending the tour at home in Sweden, in front of that audience, was a very emotional moment.
Thobbe Englund: Absolutely. It was something truly special.
Matt: For that tour you also created The Legendary Orchestra, which added a whole new dimension to the show. Can fans expect that project to return in the future?
Pär Sundström: Sooner than you might think. The orchestra wasn’t just a one-off experiment. During the tour we realised there was so much more we could do with the concept, so we’ve continued developing it ever since. We’ve been working on new arrangements, new music, new stories, and collaborations with guest musicians. We’ve built something much bigger than what people saw on the tour. So no – The Legendary Orchestra is definitely not finished. Quite the opposite. It’s coming back in a very big way.
Matt: That’s fantastic to hear. It was genuinely one of the highlights of the show. Obviously, it wasn’t the only one – for The Legendary Tour, you built that incredible castle stage, wore medieval-inspired costumes and created a theatrical spectacle. Should fans expect something similar this time around?
Pär Sundström: Not at all. What we’re bringing for the summer festivals is something completely different. The setlist has changed, the atmosphere has changed, and the whole production has a different identity. The Legendary Tour was almost like musical theatre – a carefully scripted story from beginning to end. This time we’re focusing much more on raw energy.
Thobbe Englund: Exactly.
Matt: So it’s going to feel more spontaneous?
Thobbe Englund: Much more.
Pär Sundström: The previous show had to follow a very precise script. Now we have much more freedom. We’re changing the setlist around, experimenting with the setlist and allowing each show to develop its own character. It’s a completely different experience.
Beyond the Stage
Matt: Pär, outside of music, gaming has become another major passion of yours, which eventually led to the creation of Horns Up Games. Are there already plans for another game after “Lord of Metal”?
Pär Sundström: First we have to finish “Lord of Metal”. That’s our main priority right now. After that, we’ll see where things take us. The gaming industry is completely different from the music business, and I’m still learning how it works. Fortunately, I have a great team around me. Of course, I already have plenty of ideas for future games – but developing a game takes a very long time. We’ll get this one finished first, and then we’ll see what’s next.
Why Poland always feels like home
Matt: If the data on setlist.fm is accurate, tonight’s concert will be Sabaton’s 51st performance in Poland, which says a lot about your relationship with Polish fans. What keeps bringing you back here year after year?
Thobbe Englund: The energy! There’s just something special about Polish audiences. Every time we come here, the atmosphere is incredible. And… we’ve got a little surprise for tonight.
Pär Sundström: Ultimately, it’s the fans who keep bringing us back. If people didn’t want us here, we wouldn’t be coming. But yes, playing this many shows in one country is quite unique. Germany is, of course, a huge market, and we also play a lot in countries like the UK and the United States simply because of their size. But after those, Poland is right at the very top of the list.
Matt: We’re almost out of time, so I’d like to finish with one last question. Would you like to leave a message for your Polish fans?
Thobbe Englund: Whenever I think about Poland, one memory always comes back first – our concert at Przystanek Woodstock in 2012. That was shortly after the new lineup came together, and the welcome we received from the fans was simply incredible. The hospitality, the atmosphere, seeing all those Polish flags… it was one of those moments you never forget. That’s why Poland will always have a special place in my heart.
Pär Sundström: I completely agree. In fact, I was out in the city with some fans last night. We had a few drinks, shared stories and created a few more memories. That’s what makes coming back here so enjoyable every single time.
