In the spirit of Christmas, Swedish metallers, Sabaton, are unveiling their brand new Christmas Truce Popup vinyl to ring in the festive season.
Now available for pre-order, this collectible popup vinyl pays tribute to the band’s popular track "Christmas Truce" from the album The War To End All Wars. The vinyl features three variations of the song, including the symphonic version, which is featured on The Symphony To End All Wars. It will be officially released on December 23.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
"Christmas Truce"
"Christmas Truce" (Radio Edit)
Side B:
"Christmas Truce" (Symphonic Version)
Collectors are going to want to get their hands on this special release as the record itself features a camo pattern on Side A and a festive design with a very prominent Sabaton logo on Side B. But the real magic lies in the gatefold packaging. A unique display of a vibrant Christmas Tree surrounded by soldiers of opposing sides standing united pops up when opening the vinyl.
Bassist Pär Sundström commented: “We really hold our song 'Christmas Truce' close to our hearts as it’s a great story. We see arenas shine when we play it at our shows, and it really brings people together. This is a song about peace, and we felt that it needed a special design. We hope our fans enjoy it and that our song Christmas Truce becomes part of the Sabaton live set for a long time to come.”
Explaining the story behind the song, Sundström said: “During the first Christmas of the First World War, unofficial ceasefires were enforced across the Western Front that saw soldiers who should have been mortal enemies unite. The soldiers socialised, played games, sang Christmas carols in unison and even exchanged gifts like any normal group of people would – the only difference was that they were supposed to be fighting each other. It was a short but sweet respite from the horrors and stress that they endured daily on the battlefield. It ended abruptly but meant so much to these men.”
The perfect addition to any Sabaton fan’s collection, the "Christmas Truce" Popup Vinyl can be pre-ordered here.
Spring 2023 will see Sabaton touring across Europe on the eagerly awaited re-scheduled tour: The Tour To End All Tours.
Starting in Leeds on April 14, the tour will bring Sabaton to 21 cities in 14 countries. They will present their biggest and most spectacular show to date in Europe's largest arenas. Fans can be assured that the band will write history with the ground-breaking live shows on The Tour To End All Tours.
The band has now confirmed that Japanese dance metal sensation Babymetal will appear as very special guests, marking their first international shows in over three years. Finnish Eurovision winners Lordi will open all shows.
"We are extremely happy to welcome Babymetal to our already much anticipated tour in Europe 2023,” says bass player Pär Sundström. “The energy and power of this band will for sure make each night something special."
“If there ever was a band that would break all the rules, it’s Babymetal with the power and precision to deliver a full on heavy metal show!” echoes frontman Joakim Brodén. “It’s not our first rodeo together, expect nothing but excellence from Babymetal!”
Joakim participated as a guest on “Oh! Majinai (feat. Joakim Brodén)" on Babymetal’s third album, Metal Galaxy, released on October 11th, 2018. He also made a guest appearance at Babymetal’s headline show in October 2018, Babymetal World Tour 2018 in Japan Extra Show Dark Night Carnival.
Tickets for European shows are available here. Tickets for the UK shows on sale here.
Tour dates:
April
14 - Leeds, UK - First Direct Arena
15 - London, UK - OVO Arena Wembley
16 - Cardiff, UK - Motorpoint Arena
18 - Glasgow, UK - The OVO Hydro
21 - Paris, France - Zenith
24 - Hamburg, Germany - Barclays Arena
25 - Esch / Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
28 - Stockholm, Sweden - Avicii Arena
29 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
30 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena
May
2 - Hannover, Germany - ZAG Arena
3 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
5 - Berlin, Germany - Mercedes Benz Arena
6 - Leipzig, Germany - Quarterback Immobilien Arena
7 - Vienna, Austria - Stadthalle
12 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena
13 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis
15 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahall
18 - Tallinn, Estonia - Saku Arena
19 - Helsinki, Finland - Ice Hall
20 - Kuopio, Finland - Kuopio Hall
(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)
