Amaranthe guitarist / co-founder Olof Mörck and vocalist Elze Ryd are featured in a new interview with Plekvetica, conducted on June 15th at the Greenfield Festival in Interlaken, Switzerland. They discuss the band's creative process, touring, and working with three vocalists in the line-up.

Swedish heavy metal heroes Sabaton are set to release their new album The Great War on July 19th. Today the band is proud to announce their European tour dates for The Great Tour, with fellow Swedes Amaranthe and Finnish cello rockers Apocalyptica supporting.

"It is with great anticipation that we can finally reveal that The Great Tour is also coming to arenas in Europe. I wish it was already January the 17th and we entered the stage at Hallenstadion in Zürich, but time will pass quickly," announces Pär Sundstöm and adds: "You know by now how much we care about the bands we choose to bring with us on tour, this is no exception. Amaranthe is a rising star on the metal sky bringing such energy and passion rarely seen on stage and will open the evening. After that comes the big surprise for a lot of people who are not familiar with the cello rock band Apocalyptica, but trust us that their emotional show will definitively create magic in the arenas.

Finally, what we are bringing, except for our biggest touring production we ever did… is a promise to deliver a show that you never could imagine and the biggest announcement regarding this tour is still to come."

Amaranthe currently released their fifth album, Helix, and are more than happy to open up the battle:

"It is with absolutely massive levels of excitement that we announce our part in Sabaton's monster of a European tour next year! We have proudly watched as Sabaton has risen through the metal ranks, and with honor we finally join our Swedish brothers in this Cyclopean campaign set to steamroll across the continent. Although Amaranthe will open these night you can expect a more energetic and mesmerizing show than ever before, that will fill the arenas with pure modern metal madness! Do not miss this infernal machine of a tour, as lightning might not strike twice!"

Apocalyptica are currently working on their follow-up album to the successful Shadowmaker record. The Finnish cello rockers surprised by releasing their own version of the Sabaton single "Fields Of Verdun". Eicca Toppinnen states:

"As people may know we love to collaborate with other artists. We love the energy developing out of this and we embrace the learning from other professionals. Doing this incredible tour with Sabaton is something special for us. It is not only about writing and producing new music together, but also about the energy on stage. We are super excited and very much looking forward to this tour!‘

Tour dates are as follows:

January
17 - Zürich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
18 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyer-Halle
19 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
21 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
22 - Budapest, Hungary - Arena
24 - Warsaw, Poland - Arena COS Torwar
25 - Berlin, Germany - Max-Schmeling-Halle
26 - Prague, Czech Republic - O2 Arena
28 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
31 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle

February
1 - Oberhausen, Germany - König-Pilsener-ARENA
2 - Antwerp, Belgium - Lotto Arena
4 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
5 - Madrid, Spain - Vistalegre
7 - Paris, France - Zénith
8 - London, UK - Wembley Arena
9 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live
11 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle
12 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Forum Black Box
14 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Scandinavium
15 - Stockholm, Sweden - Hovet
16 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum