Sabaton - Legends (Album Review)

Sabaton - Legends
‍Released: October 17, 2025

Lineup

Joakim Brodén // vocals
Pär Sundström // bass
Chris Rörland // guitars
Hannes Van Dahl // drums
Thobbe Englund // guitars

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Swedish heavy metal heroes Sabaton have changed themes for their new record, Legends. After two straight albums (The Great War and The War to End All Wars) retelling the battles and historical figures of World War I, the band now look across history to tell the tale of warlords, armies, soldiers and samurai. As you can tell from the vivid artwork, this one travels through Ancient Egypt, journeys to the holy land, Hannibal laying siege to Rome, Caesar crossing the Rubicon, and Napoleon riding into battle. It’s refreshing lyrically and visually to have new topics for frontman Joakim Brodén to convey to eager fans, who have been speculating about the song subjects since the track titles dropped. 

When I interviewed Brodén before their Aussie tour, he told me that picking singles has been a challenge: “… it feels like it's half the album or more five, six songs that are sort of being evenly spread out as the best or most single potential…” That evenness is certainly a strength of the LP in that it is remarkably consistent across the board with every song packing an anthemic chorus, crisp guitar leads and military precision from the rhythm section. It does mean, however, that the album lacks a breakout moment that rivals ‘Primo Victoria’, ‘The Red Barron’ or ‘Ghost Division’. The opening tracks, ‘Templars’ and ‘Hordes of Khan’, certainly hit hard and will be great additions to the live set, with ‘Hordes of Khan’ already being played in Australia. ‘Templars’ is their usual epic opener, with choral and orchestral accompaniment, as Brodén narrates the tale of the Knight Templar soldiers heading to Jerusalem. My blood still pumps faster every time I hear it, and it segues into the synth intro for ‘Hordes…’, which is a hard driving riff heavy track. 

The potential of the theme is best realised then they tell different kinds of stories. ‘A Tiger Among Dragons’ kicks off with Hannes Van Dahl pounding the toms, giving the song a distinct tribal feel. It's got a rousing contrast between verses and chorus too. It tells the story of Chinese general Lü Bu (did you ever play those Dynasty Warriors games on PlayStation?) and is awesome. Miyamoto Musashi's samurai tale causes the band to go full Iron Maiden, galloping their way through ‘The Duelist’.

Likewise, the Joan of Arc inspired ‘Maid of Steel’ is a thrashing tune that calls for empowerment against the patriarchy. It’s an absolute ripper with a bridge that evokes a hymn-like chant. Ideas of rebellion and opposition also fuel the single ‘Lightening at the Gates’, with slower verses telling the story of Hannibal approaching Rome and overcoming “mountains… cold and snow”. Slightly disappointing is their take on Romanian hero, Vlad the Impaler. On ‘Impaler’, they put him in a fairly standard Sabaton song, rather than embrace the gothic nature of the legend. It’s a mid paced metal tune with a stomping beat but lacks bite (excuse the pun) in depicting his cruelty, focusing on his methods of defence: “impale them, bring them to their knees… decapitation, annihilation, burn them down in flames.” The history of each of these figures is richer than the armed conflict of WWI, giving Brodén a wider vocabulary for lyrics. 

Where the Legends concept waivers a bit is when they speak of conquerors rather than different military heroes. They narrow the focus on ‘Crossing the Rubicon’, which packs a massive hook, in conveying the significance of Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon River and bringing his army to Rome. The album version is missing the contributions of Nothingmore (who appeared on the single) and is arguably better for it, but thematically it feels a bit off given all that is happening in armed conflict worldwide. Likewise, ‘I, Emperor’ is the album’s rare falter, the chorus being overly wordy and egocentric. It might be accurate to Napoleon’s worldview but it didn’t click for me. I am more on board with the Dio-esque ‘The Cycle of Songs’, about the Egyptian Pharaoh Senusret III and the glorious closer ‘Till Seger’, with its organ intro and some killer guitar harmonies. Swedish ruler Gustavus Adolphus led his armies against their neighbours, leading to the rise of Sweden as a European power. There’s a majesty to the song that shows the band’s dedication to songs about their homeland and the tune has the energy of a bar room singalong or sea shanty. 

In my review for The War to End All Wars, I suggested I was ready for a new concept and Sabaton has met my expectations with Legends. Sabaton remain committed to exploring military history via their brand of power metal and despite the change in topics, their musical base remains the same. Legends embraces consistency through its eleven tracks and, while it might lack an anthemic stand out, it's a victory for Sabaton fans as the band remains a reliable force. If you want more, check out the interactive map the band have launched below. 

Rating: 8.5 / 10 
‍Legends is released October 17, 2025 via Better Noise Music. Pre Order and Pre Save here. 
Words by KJ Draven @kjdraven