Pop Evil Front Man Joins Sabaton For ‘Templars’ Update

By: Philip Sayblack

​A partnership between Sabaton and Pop Evil front man Leigh Kakatay has given Sabaton’s ‘Templars‘ new life.
The two sides premiered the update take of the song this past Friday. The first single from the band’s most recent album, 2025’s Legends. The change from the original single is clear right from the opening of this update. The band’s familiar power metal lean is still there, primarily in the choruses but the verses, which see Kakatay adding his vocal talents, give the song more of a melodic rock approach. That duality (of sorts) gives the update its own unique, engaging and entertaining touch.
Sabaton front man Joakim Broden had the following to say of the team-up and the bands’ tour, which is scheduled to launch Wednesday in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“‘Templars’ was a hit with our fans when we dropped it last year to introduce our 11th studio album, Legends,” said Broden. “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.”
The noted tour is scheduled to run through Dec. 21 in Ft. Lauderdale and while it largely will take the band’s across the Midwest, also includes stops in cities, such as Wheatland, CA; Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN.
The tour’s schedule is noted below:
SABATON ON TOUR:
9/23 — Halifax, NS — Scotiabank Centre
9/25 — Laval, QC — Place Bell
9/26 — Ottawa, ON — History Ottawa
9/27 — Toronto, ON — Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
9/29 — Thunder Bay, ON — Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
10/1 — Winnipeg, MB — Burton Cummings Theatre
10/2 — Winnipeg, MB — Burton Cummings Theatre
10/4 — Edmonton, AB — Edmonton Convention Centre
10/5 — Calgary, AB — Grey Eagle Event Centre
10/8 — Vancouver, BC — PNE Forum
11/6 — Dallas, TX — South Side Ballroom
11/7 — Houston, TX — 713 Music Hall
11/8 — San Antonio, TX — Boeing Center at Tech Port
11/11 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Financial Theatre
11/12 — Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Palladium
11/14 — Wheatland, CA — Hard Rock Live
11/17 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union Event Center
11/18 — Loveland, CO — Blue FCU Arena
11/20 — Omaha, NE — Steelhouse Omaha
11/21 — Milwaukee, WI — Landmark Credit Union Live
11/22 — Minneapolis, MN — The Armory
11/24 — Chicago, IL — The Salt Shed
11/25 — Des Moines, IA — Vibrant Music Hall
11/27 — St. Louis, MO — The Factory
11/28 — Cincinnati, OH — The Andrew J. Brady Music Center
11/29 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore Detroit
12/1 — Boston, MA — MGM Music Hall at Fenway
12/2 — Philadelphia, PA — The Met
12/3 — Pittsburgh, PA — Citizens Live at the Wylie
12/5 — Virginia Beach, VA — The Dome by Rutter Mills
12/6 — National Harbor, MD — The Theater at MGM National Harbor
12/8 — Atlanta, GA — Coca-Cola Roxy
12/9 — Nashville, TN — The Truth
12/11 — Orlando, FL — Hard Rock Live 
12/12 — Fort Lauderdale, FL — War Memorial Auditorium 
More information on the new update to ‘Templars’ and the upcoming tour is available along with both bands’ latest news at:
Website: https://sabaton.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sabaton
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sabaton
Website: https://www.PopEvil.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/popevil
Twitter: https://twitter.com/popevil