Sabaton rebuild Templars with Pop Evil’s Leigh Kakaty

On September 18, Sabaton released Templars (feat. Pop Evil). A day earlier, on September 17, Leigh Kakaty walked on unannounced during their Louder Than Life set in Louisville. They played this version together. It is not a new original: Templars came out in 2025 as the lead-in to the 11th album Legends.

“‘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.”

Joakim Brodén

“When Sabaton approached me about contributing to ‘Templars’, I was immediately intrigued. 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. ‘Templars’ captures the triumph and diversity — the kind of energy and emotion that we all look for in music. 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.”

Leigh Kakaty, Pop Evil

The joint North American Legends On Tour starts September 23 in Halifax and runs through December 12 in Fort Lauderdale. Support: Pop Evil and Wings of Steel.