On Friday (Sept. 12), Sabaton frontman Joakim Brodén joined Loudwire Nights to celebrate his band’s latest song, “Crossing the Rubicon,” featuring Jonny Hawkins and Mark Vollelunga of Nothing More.
Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.
“I love doing fun stuff and unexpected stuff and trying new stuff,” Brodén told Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong about the new song and collaboration with Nothing More.
Nothing More happen to be Sabaton’s new label mates as they just joined Better Noise, which will be releasing their 11th studio album, Legends, on Oct. 17.
“Sometimes it is as simple as that … I wasn’t too much involved in it because I had a lot going on at the moment, which is weird because I’m normally the music guy who gets into all of these things.”
Pär Sundström, Sabaton’s bassist and Brodén’s partner in the band since they formed in 1999, took the lead on the song with Hawkins and Vollelunga.
“I’ve got to say, I was super impressed when I heard the results,” Brodén shared.
“I’m the cranky guy. I would expect to go in there and say, ‘Yeah, that’s not very good. Change that.’ But in this case, no. I loved it.”
Sabaton Tease Plans For U.S. Tour in 2026
While the details weren’t officially out when Brodén joined Loudwire Nights, he was excited to share for the first time that Sabaton will be touring America in 2026 with Pop Evil.
“It’s more of a feeling than a certain thing,” he explained about what makes touring the United States different than other parts of the world.
“I truly love the national park system and that whole thing going on. I’ve used it extensively myself over the years and one of my favorite parts being in America is the nature and wildlife.”
When Chuck asked him what his favorite park is, Brodén was quick to answer.
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“At the moment, it’s the Rocky Mountains,” he said.
“But I’m hoping to make it to a few in Utah – Moab, Zion. Big bucket list and I’ve got to bring some camera equipment and hiking gear.”
What Else Did Sabaton’s Joakim Brodén Discuss on Loudwire Nights?
- What Ozzy Osbourne means to him as an artist: “I love Ozzy for being Ozzy as a solo artist. I think The Ultimate Sin, Blizzard of Ozz, the first ones were milestones and actually my sort of second awakening for metal, because growing up in Sweden that stuff wasn’t played that much on radio, so it wasn’t as accessible to us in Sweden.”
- The moment heavy metal hooked him: “I was like three or four years old and Twisted Sister came out with ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ or ‘I Wanna Rock,’ neither me or my mom remember which song it was. But it was on Swedish TV. Mom was in the kitchen, I was in the living room. I was screaming so she thought, ‘My kid is dying.’ She ran around and there I was, freaking out in front of the TV to Twisted Sister.”
- What his historical research looks like for Sabaton’s music: “It’s different for every song … It depends on how much we know about this person to begin with, what knowledge we have coming in — but certainly also if we find the right sources directly. Some songs, you might read a book…it’s totally different for every song.”
Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below
Joakim Brodén joined Loudwire Nights on Friday, Sept. 12; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner