On Monday evening, December 1, Swedish metal band Sabaton took over the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. Ahead of the show, I had the chance to sit down with guitarist Chris Rörland.
We talked about the tour, the band’s new album, and the small Easter eggs hidden throughout the record.
Strife Mag: Thanks so much for taking the time. How has the tour been so far?
Chris: It’s been really good. We’ve been playing some big shows and it’s been amazing. We just came from France and… wow. I can’t say too much, but France was really loud.
Strife Mag: What has been your favourite part of the tour so far?
Chris: Honestly, it’s when we get to do the full production. In some places you have to scale things down a bit, but here we can fit everything. That’s going to be huge and really cool.
Strife Mag: This is the Legendary Tour, inspired by historical legends. Which of the eleven legends scared you the most to tackle, considering how strong their reputations already are?
Chris: I actually haven’t thought about it like that. But I think being impaled alive would be the worst. Being left to die like that… that’s horrible. Compared to that, being killed straight away almost sounds better.
Strife Mag: The album has been out for about six weeks now. Which track from The War to End All Wars surprised you the most in terms of crowd reaction?
Chris: I’d say “The Unkillable Soldier”. We all thought it was a good album track, but not necessarily one of the biggest songs. Now it’s actually the most listened-to track on the album. Playing it live really changed how I feel about it, especially with the choreography. It turned out to be a really cool song.
Strife Mag: I’m very curious to see it live tonight. I’ve also seen the music video – who came up with that concept?
Chris: That’s mostly Joakim and Pär. Everyone in the band has their own roles. I focus more on guitars, musical details and merch design, but when it comes to music videos, they usually come up with those crazy ideas.
Strife Mag: I really enjoyed it. It felt very different.
Chris: I actually prefer doing those kinds of videos. The classic “stand there and pretend to play” videos feel boring to me. Acting and making something fun is much more interesting. That’s why Michael Jackson’s videos are so iconic, like Thriller or Ghosts. Those are the ones people remember.
Strife Mag: So you’d like to do more videos like that?
Chris: Absolutely.
Strife Mag: The album was finished before you signed with Better Noise Music. Did having no label pressure change how you approached writing?
Chris: A bit, yes. We had just closed the World War I chapter with The War to End All Wars, so we wanted to do something different. Legends gave us more freedom. Some legends are heroic, some darker, and musically it allowed us to explore new territory. With a World War I album there’s a structure you need to follow, but here we could go all out.
Strife Mag: Do you feel that having more time helps creativity?
Chris: It does, but I also work really well under pressure. When you have to deliver, ideas come fast. When you have all the time in the world, it’s easy to think, “I’ll do it later.” Still, it worked out really well.
Strife Mag: Why did you decide to sign with Better Noise Records?
Chris: Everyone in the band handles different things. I trust the people who manage those decisions. But the short answer is: we want to grow bigger. Nuclear Blast has been great to us, but Better Noise is stronger when it comes to streaming platforms and pushing the band internationally, especially in the US.
Strife Mag: The music industry has changed a lot since you started. Has the shift to streaming and short-form content changed how you write music?
Chris: Not for us. I hear a lot of bands feel like everything has to happen within the first five seconds of a song, and it becomes almost too intense. We don’t want to write music like that. We do our thing. If people like it, great. If not, that’s okay too.
Strife Mag: You grew up with physical formats, right?
Chris: Yeah. We grew up with vinyl, CDs, cassettes. You’d put on an album, sit down, look at the artwork and really listen. I still collect vinyl and listen to a lot of music that way.
Strife Mag: Sabaton is known for being very welcoming to the music press. Where does that come from?
Chris: We’re not difficult people to work with. If we’re nice to journalists and photographers, they’re nice to us. That’s how you grow. If you shut everyone out, people won’t care about what you do.
Strife Mag: Is there a moment on this tour where you think, “This is why we do this”?
Chris: Every night. You can be exhausted, sick, barely slept… but the moment you play the first chord and see the crowd react, it all makes sense again. That feeling never gets old.
Strife Mag: Is there a musical Easter egg on the album that fans might not have noticed yet?
Chris: There are a few, but one fun one is a lightsaber sound. We actually recorded a real lightsaber-style toy in the studio because one song reminded us of Star Wars. I won’t say which song though – people have to find it themselves.
Strife Mag: Which song is the most fun to play live on this tour?
Chris: From the new album, some are still very challenging because they’re technically demanding while running around on stage. But “A Tiger Among Dragons” is really fun, and “Primo Victoria” is always a great moment to get the crowd going.
Strife Mag: Finally, what’s the weirdest or funniest gift a fan has given you on this tour?
Chris: We haven’t really received gifts this time because everything is so closed off. It’s sad in a way, because fans are the reason we do this. But with shows this big, it’s hard to meet everyone. We try to give everything we have on stage instead.
Strife Mag: Thank you so much for your time.
Chris: Thank you, absolutely. My pleasure.
Make sure to check out our full review of Sabaton’s live show in Amsterdam.
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