“Legends” arrived on October 17 via Better Noise Music and mark the band’s label debut.

“Working with our American brothers in NOTHING MORE on our new single ‘Crossing The Rubicon’ has been an absolute pleasure,” says SABATON frontman Joakim Brodén. “When we shared the song with the guys, they really liked it and were genuinely excited about a collaboration, which got us really pumped. There’s something powerful about bringing two worlds together in music.”

“I’m really glad we got the chance to team up with our new labelmates NOTHING MORE for this one,” adds SABATON bassist Pär Sundström. “Collaborating with them added a cool touch. This one’s a special treat for both their fans and ours!”

NOTHING MORE frontman Jonny Hawkins says: “This song awakens that old, war spirit in me and makes me want to ride a horse straight into the gates of hell. I’m proud to be a part of it with such an incredible band like SABATON.”

“We are very honored and excited to release this collaboration with our newfound Swedish labelmates SABATON,” adds NOTHING MORE guitarist Mark Vollelunga. “It was fun to do something a little different than we were used to, and we’re stoked they wanted us to put our special NOTHING MORE sauce on their Scandinavian metal.”

In November 2025, SABATON will embark on a 20-city European run dubbed “The Legendary Tour”. The band teased the trek as “a huge celebration of SABATON‘s music, storytelling and the incredible bond they share with their fans”, featuring “The Legendary Orchestra and other surprises,” resulting in “something unprecedented.” “The Legendary Tour” will be SABATON‘s first headlining tour in support of the band’s upcoming eleventh studio album, “Legends”, which will arrive on October 17 via Better Noise Music.

Speaking to “Coffee With Ola”, the YouTube program hosted by Ola Englund, SABATON bassist and manager Pär Sundström stated about the upcoming trek: “We’ve  got bigger stuff planned for the upcoming tour. And it’s a very special kind of thing, so we have to build it around the ‘Legends’ album. But I don’t wanna spoil too much. I think it will be exciting to see it. And we are also building a show that is a little bit more than just a rock show, so to say. So we have two stages and something that connects them.

“On the previous tour, ‘The Tour To End All Tours’, we used a couple of little acting things, and there was a little bit more theater than we did before,” he explained. “A lot of fans liked it, and it further strengthened the topics with the show. And we thought, ‘Okay, let’s continue down this road.’ So it’s a little bit more on the theater side. And then we got this little twist there, which is the opening band, which is ‘The Legendary Orchestra’, which we created specifically around — this was the time, this was the album, this is the tour. It’s not like SABATON and orchestra. There will be a full show with SABATON, but before that it’s a full show with The Legendary Orchestra, which is pretty much — you can see it as a cover band of SABATON, playing SABATON tunes that we won’t play during our set on the upcoming tour, but in orchestral arrangements, with lead instrumentalists, lead vocalists, choirs, and it’s very powerful, very emotional, and it sounds, of course, completely different — no electrical guitars, no drums, percussions… So a SABATON fan gets a lot of SABATON songs. And just that we can’t play all of them ourselves, because, yeah, that would be a very long night for us and we wouldn’t be able to do so many of them.”

Regarding SABATON‘s switch from longtime record label Nuclear Blast to Better Noise Music, Sundström said:  ”It was something that we were negotiating with for over a very long period of time. It’s an important step because we had been with Nuclear Blast since 2010. So it’s 15 years working with Nuclear Blast. And to move away from them, it was a decision because we wanted to try, like what happens if we go somewhere else? What new networks, what new ideas, what comes out of it? And so it’s been an interesting thing, but it’s also so much people to talk to. And I found that we really needed also a label that has a strong presence in the United States. So, during this, like, one and a half year when we’ve been negotiating, it’s a lot of nighttime calls to various departments in America and interviewing them about how they do ideas, feeling, what do you think about this? (We) shared the album with a bunch of them and to get feedback, like, are they gonna like it? And this kind of things. It’s been a very interesting process to find a new record label. And then we kind of ended up where it all started, because Better Noise Music, they came to visit very early. They jumped on a flight to meet up with us and expressed that, like, they really would like to work with us. And in their roster, they don’t really have any band in the power metal genre. So it was also a challenge for them to try something that they haven’t really worked before, which I liked that they were not afraid of that challenge. They were, like, ‘We would like to do this, and we think that we can do a great job with it.’ So it’s been very exciting. And now we’re living it and we’re in the middle of it and seeing things unfold and we see the new networks, we see the new opportunities.”

Throughout the aptly titled “Legends”, which blends rock and history for fans of all ages, SABATON delves into some of history’s greatest and most loved characters such as Jeanne D’arc (also known as Joan Of Arc),Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar and the legendary swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi.

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for “Hordes Of Khan”, SABATON said: “SABATON fans are always sharing topics they’d love to hear songs about, and Genghis Khan — one of history’s most legendary conquerors — has been a frequent request over the years. At the time, it didn’t quite fit within the scope of our World War I era, but once we decided to shift our direction, we revisited the idea.

“Before we fully commit to any song suggestion, we need to feel inspired by the story behind it. And that’s where the research begins…

“As we searched for topics for the new album, we were on the lookout for epic stories that deserved equally epic music. Genghis Khan instantly stood out as the perfect fit. His story checked all the boxes and proved to be very inspiring. He was a master of horseback warfare and united the Mongol tribes through diplomacy and military might. This man built the largest contiguous empire stretching far beyond Mongolia. It bridged East and West through the Silk Road and left a lasting impact on global history. How could we not write about Genghis Khan? And so, ‘Hordes Of Khan’ was born!

“The music for ‘Hordes Of Khan’ was composed by Joakim (Brodén, SABATON singer) and the lyrics to the song were written by Pär (Sundström, SABATON bassist). It carries a galloping rhythm that evokes images of a warrior charging on horseback. The song’s energy and movement make it an ideal fit for this topic, capturing the spirit of Genghis Khan and his legendary conquests.

“Born as Temujin, son of Yesugei, Genghis Khan was a brilliant strategist and a master of horseback warfare. He united the fiercely independent Mongol tribes through a mix of diplomacy and relentless military power. Khan forged the largest contiguous empire in history which stretched far beyond the steppes of Mongolia, bridging East and West via the Silk Road and leaving a profound and lasting impact on global history, culture and trade. He united civilizations, fostering commerce and sharing knowledge.”

A 33-minute documentary about the making of the yet-to-be-released official “Hordes Of Khan” music can video can be seen below.