Swedish masters of heavy metal Sabaton have re-upped their 2025 hit “Templars” with a brand new version featuring Leigh Kakaty of Pop Evil, out now on all platforms via Better Noise Music.
The two bands debuted the version together live at Louder Than Life in Louisville, when Sabaton welcomed Kakaty to the stage during their set, surprising tens of thousands of fans and delivering one of the standout moments of the festival.
Kakaty infuses the track with a rush of fresh energy and fire. Between blasts of distortion and thunderous drums his soaring vocals take flight, all building to the chantable chorus: “Templars on the march, charge from the temple.”
“‘Templars’ was a hit with our fans when we dropped it last year to introduce our 11th studio album, Legends,” says vocalist Joakim Brodén. “This year, we wanted to do something a little different with it, and teaming up with our North American tourmates, Pop Evil, just made perfect sense. Having a fantastic vocalist put his own stamp on the track adds a whole new layer and gives the song a fresh energy that we’re really excited for everyone to hear.”
“We’ve always enjoyed finding new ways to revisit our music, and ‘Templars’ felt like the perfect song to experiment with,” adds bassist Pär Sundström. “Leigh’s take on the track brings a different attitude. It’s exciting to see one of our songs evolve like this.”
“When Sabaton approached me about contributing to ‘Templars’, I was immediately intrigued,” says Kakaty. “I’ve always appreciated the band’s ability to bring history to life and this song stood to that power. The track gave us the opportunity to explore loyalty, purpose, and the challenges that come with standing by what you believe in. Collaborating on a song with such strong storytelling was a real privilege. Heading out on tour together in the fall makes the track feel even more special for me.”
Listen to “Templars” featuring Pop Evil: https://sabaton.lnk.to/TemplarsFtPopEvil
A Banner Year
The single arrives on the heels of “Yamato,” created in partnership with World of Warships and developer Wargaming. Since releasing in March it has passed 7.5 million Spotify streams, with the video tallying 4.6 million views. The band had previously worked with Wargaming on “Bismarck” in 2019, which now sits above 124 million streams and 111 million video views.
Legends, their eleventh studio album, arrived in October 2025 and has racked up nearly 200 million streams. Kerrang! rated it 4 out of 5, noting that after eleven albums Sabaton do one thing but do it better than anyone else.
Legends On Tour
Sabaton embark on the Legends On Tour trek across North America this month, kicking off September 23 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and wrapping December 12 in Fort Lauderdale, with Pop Evil and Wings of Steel supporting.
2027 UK And Europe Dates
With The Legendary Orchestra
- April 7 – Dublin, 3Arena, Ireland
- April 9 – Glasgow, The OVO Hydro, UK
- April 10 – Birmingham, bp Pulse LIVE, UK
- April 12 – Nantes, Zenith Metropole, France
- April 13 – Toulouse, Zenith Metropole, France
- April 15 – Lisbon, MEO Arena, Portugal
- April 19 – Milan, Unipol Forum, Italy
- April 20 – Geneva, Arène de Genève, Switzerland
- April 22 – Nuremberg, PSD Bank Arena, Germany
- April 23 – Düsseldorf, PSD Bank Dome, Germany
- April 24 – Rotterdam, Ahoy, Netherlands
- April 26 – Mannheim, SAP Arena, Germany
- April 27 – Leipzig, Quarterback Immobilien Arena, Germany
- April 28 – Hamburg, Barclays Arena, Germany
- April 30 – Graz, Stadthalle, Austria
- May 1 – Budapest, MVM Dome, Hungary
- May 2 – Prague, O2 Arena, Czech Republic
- May 4 – Bratislava, Tipos Arena, Slovakia
- May 5 – Łódź, Atlas Arena, Poland
- May 7 – Tallinn, Unibet Arena, Estonia
- May 8 – Helsinki, Veikkaus Arena, Finland
Tickets and info: sabaton.net
