Sabaton Unleash 'Hordes Of Khan' Video

06-06-2025

(SRO) Sabaton have unveiled their second single and cinematic video, "Hordes Of Khan" from their forthcoming 11th studio album which is due out later this year, marking their Better Noise Music debut.

"The story behind our new single 'Hordes Of Khan' was a great one to take a deep dive into," says singer Joakim Broden. "The song actually turned out to have way more depth than we expected. Genghis Khan wasn't just a conqueror; he was a complex figure who left behind a huge legacy. He built the largest contiguous empire in history, stretching far beyond Mongolia, and his influence only grew after his death. Honestly, we couldn't have picked a more suitable subject for the new direction SABATON is heading in! 'Hordes of Khan' hits hard, and it's heavy for good reason. We know our fans crave heavy music, and we're pumped to see how they react to this one. Hopefully, it's a track they'll be blasting on repeat!"

As bassist Par Sundstrom explains, "Joakim wanted to write a proper heavy metal song, and as we've seen from past releases, a lot of our fans appreciate pure f***ing heavy metal! That's what 'Hordes Of Khan' is, and when you listen to it and close your eyes, you can imagine Genghis Khan on his horse, galloping to battle. Joakim composed the music and I actually wrote the lyrics for this one. When I started to work on them, I realized the melody was pretty complicated. Honestly, they were some of the most difficult lyrics that I've ever written. All in all, I'm very happy with the result, especially as Joakim has said that parts of the lyrics are some of SABATON's best to date."

The music video for "Hordes of Khan" is based in the future, in the year 2045. It was filmed in London at two different locations, the Natural History Museum and at Harrow School, and follows the main character--a young girl--who plays in a heavy metal band and loves Sabaton, but she won't ever have the opportunity to see the band play because in 2039, all wars have miraculously ended. The world is now peaceful, and war is obsolete and therefore, so is Sabaton. The girl hears about a museum that's featuring a Sabaton exhibit with all of the band members' musical instruments. The girl and her band sneak into this museum to check it out. Once inside, they are greeted by a hologram telling the story about the musical instruments of SABATON that contain magic that brings history to life. The kids take no notice, pick up the instruments and begin to play.

Once the music begins, a ferocious Genghis Khan comes to life along with five other legendary soldiers played by the band members. Their mission is to stop Genghis before he escapes the museum to take over the world.

"When reflecting on all of the music videos we've ever created," says Par Sundstrom, "our 'Hordes of Khan' music video was the most exciting in a lot of ways, even though 'Christmas Truce' is a much more emotional topic and story. I think this one specifically contains much more depth and action, and in combination with the locations and the actors, I'm confident that it will resonate with everyone!"

The children acting in the music video had their work cut out for them. They didn't just want it to look like they were playing the instruments, they actually wanted the kids to really play the instruments and perform the song correctly. They thought it was going to be super challenging, but in this case they all learned the song by heart and performed it. "We were really proud of them all! What people see in the video is playback, but all of them know their parts and they can play 'Hordes Of Khan' for real," Sundstrom continues. "We loved seeing that happen! Our ex-drummer Daniel Mullback's son played the drums and acted in this music video as well, and he absolutely nailed it. Another amazing drummer in the making!"