Sabaton: we want to play D-Day anniversary gig on Normandy Beach

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Sabaton’s Joakim Brodén has said that he wants the band to play a special gig on the Normandy beaches on the anniversary of D-Day.

Speaking exclusively in the new issue of Metal Hammer magazine as part of the cover feature on the Swedish metal band, the singer outlined his plans for the ultimate war-themed show.

“I want to play on Normandy Beach on the 6th of June one day,” says Brodén. “The crowd isn’t coming in like a crowd normally would through a gate, they’re arriving on boats, like soldiers. The doors come down, and they run on the beach like the soldiers would have, and there’s pyros going off, and we start playing up on one of the bunkers.”

Asked if that could be in poor taste, he replies: “Maybe, but I don’t give a fuck. Everybody gets so butt-hurt about everything these days, it’s depressing. Are we breaking any laws? Are we doing anything morally wrong? Are we genuinely hurting anybody’s feelings or pissing on their family history? If the answer is ‘no’, then I don’t give care if someone takes offence on somebody else’s part.”

Sabaton were speaking to Metal Hammer ahead of their brand new album, The Great War, which is released on July 19.  The album’s 11 tracks are centred around World War I – a topic that Brodén says affected him when he was writing the songs.

“I’m not saying I got into some kind of depression, but I could feel a dampening blanket over me,” he says. “I felt a little bit numb. We’re searching for heroic stores, some kind of light or pride. But this is one of the darkest periods in the history of modern warfare. I think it got into the music.”

The new issue of Metal Hammer is a Sabaton spectacular, featuring an exclusive cover interview, a free sticker pack and a free collectable Sabaton tank. It's available instore and to buy online now.

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Metal Hammer Sabaton issue

(Image credit: Future)

Metal Hammer Sabaton feature

(Image credit: Future)
Dave Everley

Dave Everley has been writing about and occasionally humming along to music since the early 90s. During that time, he has been Deputy Editor on Kerrang! and Classic Rock, Associate Editor on Q magazine and staff writer/tea boy on Raw, not necessarily in that order. He has written for Metal Hammer, Louder, Prog, the Observer, Select, Mojo, the Evening Standard and the totally legendary Ultrakill. He is still waiting for Billy Gibbons to send him a bottle of hot sauce he was promised several years ago.