"Metal family, we have an important announcement to make about Sabaton Open Air," begins an update from Sabaton. "It has almost been one and a half decades since SOA began, and we have had so many fantastic editions of it since then, but we have decided it is time for the festival to take a hiatus.

We can confidently state that the 2022 edition was our biggest and best to date, so we understand why you may think this decision is a little out of the blue. Multiple factors have contributed to our choice to not go ahead with a 2023 edition of the festival, but we are looking forward to seeing it shine again in the future.

Going back to the very beginning, we had a wild dream of introducing something special to Falun - something that our hometown had never witnessed before - and we are proud that we managed to achieve that very dream. SOA has been uniting metalheads since 2008, not only from Sweden, but from all over the world. This festival has evolved from a one-day, indoor event with one stage to a gargantuan celebration of metal - a four-day open air festival with several stages bursting with brilliant musical acts.

Over the years, SOA has welcomed thousands of visitors from over 50 countries, and over 200 concerts have taken place in our hometown thanks to its existence. This festival would not have been possible without the tremendous number of workers, volunteers and fan clubs who gave up their precious time to make it a reality. They have put their blood, sweat and tears into building and running the festival, only to tear it all down again once the event is over, year after year.

We would like to express our heartfelt THANK YOUS to all of the people who have helped us over the years, as well as our loyal fans from across the globe who have travelled to Falun each year to attend the festival. Thank you for showing your best side. The local authorities have praised you for being an amazing group of humans and showing the citizens of Falun that metalheads are the best type of people. We are proud of what great ambassadors of metal you all are.

We would also like to thank our hometown, Falun, for being open to the idea of the festival and embracing all of the attendees with open arms and smiling faces. We have had great support from the municipality and the majority of politicians, as well as many local companies and service providers.

This festival is like no other festival in the world.

Stay tuned. This isn’t the last of Sabaton Open Air! In the meantime, check out this great recap of Sabaton Open Air 2022."

Sabaton revealed more big news earlier this week. The band announced that for the last two years, they have been busy working on an exciting, large-scale project.

In 2023, Sabaton will release The War To End All Wars movie, a full-length musical motion picture featuring songs from the band’s 10th studio album, The War To End All Wars. This movie vividly tells the stories of World War I by way of animation and live action. It will give the viewer a better understanding of what the band’s songs on the album are about - it is a musical and historical adventure.

Currently in post-production, the movie is being made in collaboration with Yarnhub Animation Studio. Sabaton previously worked with them on other projects, including their most recent animated story video for “The Red Baron.”

The War To End All Wars movie is on a completely different scale that neither the band nor Yarnhub have ever attempted before. As the band has said, you’re going to want to see this!

“We premiered an early version of this movie to journalists during a preview session for our latest album, The War To End All Wars, at the Royal Military Museum in Brussels. Witnessing their reaction to it was priceless - they were speechless - so we decided to take it to the next level and push the boundaries even further for a global audience.” - Pär Sundström

"When Sabaton asked us to go beyond anything we had produced before and jointly create a film for their new album, we were filled with excitement and trepidation. It was a massive undertaking that required new people, technology, and skills. But we couldn't miss the opportunity. We often say our mission is to harvest goosebumps, and our work with Sabaton has always been the most successful in that regard. It's been two years in the making, but after spending many late nights and weekends in meetings with the band, the end result is something unique. A new way to listen to the album; a deeper understanding that helps the viewer experience the bravery and tragedy that was the inspiration for Sabaton's latest masterwork." - David Webb, Yarnhub

The War To End All Wars movie is a cohesive, thought-provoking and emotionally charged piece with a heavy focus on storytelling. It features members of the band, both in real life and animated, and a lot of research and effort has been put into it to ensure it depicts history in the most accurate way possible - this is something that the band is very passionate about.

Sabaton had a dream of creating something that’s entertaining but with great educational value, and that dream has become a reality after two years of hard work. There is so much more to tell you about this movie, and Sabaton will reveal more in time, but know that they are very excited to present this to you next year. Watch this space. In the meantime, enjoy this teaser.

Sabaton is currently on its The Tour To End All Tours North American 2022 run.

(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)