Making another major move and breaking down walls once again, Swedish heavy metal giants Sabaton have joined forces with historically accurate naval multiplayer game World of Warships to release a brand-new single and music video titled “Yamato.”
The track arrives on the heels of the band’s 2025 release Legends and is available now across all digital streaming platforms as well as inside the game itself.
“Yamato” marks the second collaboration between Sabaton and game developer Wargaming, following the hugely successful 2019 track “Bismarck.” As part of the new partnership, a Sabaton-branded Yamato battleship is now available in World of Warships, featuring in-game voice lines from vocalist Joakim Brodén and bassist Pär Sundström.
Players can also unlock a range of bespoke in-game items, while Brodén himself can take command of the vessel. The standard battle soundtrack can even be replaced by “Yamato” or “Bismarck,” turning every naval engagement into a full-scale metal soundtrack.
Stream “Yamato”
The song tells the story of the legendary Japanese battleship Yamato, constructed in secret and unveiled in 1941 as the most powerful battleship ever built at the time. Designed to dominate naval warfare, the ship became a floating symbol of military strength.
In 1945, Yamato embarked on a desperate mission to defend Okinawa. Facing relentless aerial attacks and overwhelming naval opposition, the crew continued fighting until the very end. Ultimately, a massive explosion delivered the fatal blow, sending the battleship to the bottom of the ocean in a blaze of glory.
Music Video Shot in Serbia
To bring the story to life, Sabaton filmed the accompanying music video in Belgrade, Serbia, last October. The cinematic clip depicts the band performing aboard the legendary ship during its final moments as it sinks beneath the unforgiving ocean.
As waves crash across the deck, each member continues playing their instrument while chaos engulfs them one by one.
The shoot was as intense as the storyline itself. Band members endured brutally cold conditions, standing under continuous blasts of ice-cold water throughout filming. They were partially submerged in freezing water while using ventilators to breathe, and even wore hidden weights beneath their stage clothes to realistically recreate the sensation of sinking.
Professional divers were on hand throughout the shoot to ensure the highest level of safety.
Sabaton on the Story Behind the Song
Frontman Joakim Brodén explained the band’s connection to the subject matter:
“Battleships are interesting, and naval stories have, from time to time, been part of Sabaton lore. ‘Bismarck’ was an exciting story for us to share and became a fan favourite, and ‘Yamato’ is sort of a follow-up to that song. Our former guitarist Tommy wrote the song while he was still in the band, and we later ‘Thobbefied’ it after guitar duties were returned to Thobbe.”
Bassist Pär Sundström added:
“‘Bismarck’ was such an exciting song but it was never part of an album, and it always felt like the story wasn’t complete. Over the years countless fans asked us to write about Yamato, and it felt like the natural continuation. We wanted the song to have a totally different sound, and when Tommy presented the music we knew it was perfect for this story.”
Sabaton first teamed up with World of Warships and Wargaming in 2019 for “Bismarck,” one of the most popular tracks in the band’s catalogue. The song has since amassed over 116 million Spotify streams, while its music video has surpassed 107 million views on YouTube.
Given the shared love of military history and attention to detail between the band and the game developers, the partnership continues to feel like a perfect match.
As one collaborator summed it up: Sabaton have built their career writing explosive songs about specific moments in military history—and when combined with Wargaming’s dedication to historical accuracy, the result is a collaboration made in metal heaven.
