Continuing a banner year, the Swedish masters of heavy metal Sabaton re-up their 2025 hit Templars with a brand-new version featuring Leigh Kakaty of Platinum-certified, chart-topping rock powerhouse Pop Evil. The song is now available on all DSPs and digital download providers via Better Noise Music. Listen to Templars (feat. Pop Evil) HERE. It’s a collision of two different genres of hard rock that feels completely seamless.
Yesterday, Sabaton welcomed Pop Evil frontman Leigh Kakaty to the stage during their set at Louder Than Life in Louisville, KY. Surprising tens of thousands of fans, they debuted this version together, leading to one of the standout moments of the massive fest. 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 of this momentum culminates on the chantable chorus: “Templars on the march, charge from the temple.”
Regarding the new version, Sabaton vocalist Joakim Brodén says, “Templars was a hit with our fans when we dropped it last year to introduce our 11th studio album, Legends. 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. It’s also a great way to get everyone fired up for our upcoming tour in North America. It’s going to be a blast touring with Pop Evil, and we hope our fans enjoy this new take on the song.”
Bassist Pär Sundström added, “We’ve always enjoyed finding new ways to revisit our music, and Templars felt like the perfect song to experiment with. When the opportunity came to collaborate with Pop Evil due to them joining us on our upcoming North American tour, it was an easy decision. Leigh‘s take on the track brings a different attitude. It’s exciting to see one of our songs evolve like this.”
Sabaton will embark on the Legends On Tour trek across North America this month. The tour kicks off on September 23 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and wraps on December 12 in Fort Lauderdale. Pop Evil and Wings of Steel will serve as support.
