Some bands are all image, no substance, the mythology they build around themselves seemingly there to distract from an alarming lack of good material, a big show papering over huge cracks. The same certainly cannot be said of Swedish wrecking crew Sabaton, the quintet matching their unmistakable eternal warrior image with music that more than satisfies that epic, Power Metal itch.
Nowhere was this more apparent than in December’s show at The O2 in London, where, with a battery of Power Metal classics backed with the greatest show on earth, the band showed they will continue to win the hearts and minds of legions for years to come. Whilst their last global trek was a mighty spectacle, this new production at The O2 made that one look like a village hall panto.
This tour came on the back of the new album Legends, released in October 2025. Whilst previous albums have focused generally on more recent conflicts, Legends looked further back into history and some of the greatest military leaders of men, the storytelling equal to anything they had done before.
The glorious juxtaposition of these tales of Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc and Hannibal with thundering Heavy Metal is a match made in Valhalla, and it is impossible not to get caught up in the cinematic grandness and scope of it all.
It is easy to see an image of the rampaging masses of Mongols going into battle, all fired up with the full pelt rocker Hordes of Khan blasting out from their ranks as they lay waste to anything in their path.
Whilst the Sabaton style is overall rooted in rampaging and grandiose anthems, the different textures of numbers like A Tiger Among Dragons and Impaler show they are far from a one-note entity, displaying the ability to change and adapt that defines all great leaders.
Singer Joakim Brodén brings his own unmistakable identity to the band, while the devastating twin guitar work of Chris Rörland and Thobbe Englund and thundering rhythm section of drummer Hannes Van Dahl and founding member, bass player Pär Sundström all add their own vital components to the sound.
With great work from all five throughout, numbers like opener and first single Templars show just what an unstoppable machine the outfit have become over the years, and their sonic blitzkrieg matches any of the subjects of their songs.
With a broader scope of subjects than ever, the band have been able to really stretch out here and with huge, arena-sounding arrangements adding classical, almost Wagnerian, heft to everything, this is an album that threatens to not just blow up speakers but tear down walls and invade and capture surrounding neighbours’ gardens.
While the likeable Swedes are doubtless people it would be a pleasure to spend some time in the company of over a few jugs of ale, they undoubtedly mean business and Legends goes beyond its subject matter and is equally a statement of intent.
When Legends was released, the upcoming tour promised to be their biggest and most ambitious yet, as Sabaton had never sounded so ready to conquer the world. Both showed that this band is unstoppable.
