Sabaton singer Joakim Brodén has spoken about the delayed success of his band’s song The Last Stand.
Despite being released in 2016 as a single from Sabaton’s album of the same name, the track took years to catch on, and it wasn’t until the 2020s that it started properly grabbing attention, thanks to its use in videos shared on Instagram and TikTok.
“It’s interesting, The Last Stand, because it had a second life through social media, eight years after the release of the album,” Brodén says in a video interview with Metal Hammer.
“It was popular, among the most popular when it came out on the Last Stand album. However, it wasn’t really the flagship track. It was always there, among the most popular, but it had higher staying power than other tracks.”
The singer says that Sabaton have had songs throughout their career which have found popularity in the years following their initial release.
“We see that usually with every album release: there are songs which are hugely popular at release and then they dwindle and disappear,” he explains.
“Others are growers that get more and more popular over time, even though no one really cared about them during the release. This was trickier to see before, but these days, with streaming, you’ve got the hard data. It’s not that complicated.”
However, he calls The Last Stand “a bit of a weird one” in the way that it found its fanbase. “It’s the only time we had a social media-driven song,” he adds. “We always had organic fans listening, or fans enjoying or discovering through somewhere else.”
He continues: “When the album was released, I think a lot of people liked [opening track] Sparta for example, but that one fell really quick: ‘OK, awesome, it’s cool, but then [whistles] you don’t listen to it.’
“But, that’s natural. We all have, when we listen to a new album, some songs we like, and then five or 10 listens later, some of the tracks you initially liked, you’re not that much into. You discover two or three new tracks you didn’t like on the first listen.”
At time of writing, The Last Stand has just over 200 million streams on Spotify, making it Sabaton’s second-most popular song on the service. Only 2014 track To Hell And Back has been listened to more, boasting 215 million streams.
Sabaton released their new album, Legends, via Better Noise Music on October 17. The band will tour Europe later this year, starting with a show in Cologne, Germany on November 14.
Sabaton are known for writing lyrics centred around military history, with the song The Last Stand being based on the sack of Rome in 1527. Earlier this week, Brodén said that his dream live show would take place on the beaches of Normandy, where Allied Forces landed during the D-Day offensive in 1944.
Watch Hammer’s full interview with Brodén below.
Sabaton are the cover stars on the new issue of Hammer. Inside, they give our writer a tour of their hometown of Falun, Sweden and show him around their secret HQ on the outskirts of the city. Order your copy online and get it delivered directly to your door.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
