He was a member of the group for seven years
Sabaton and guitarist Tommy Johansson are mutually parting ways. The group announce Saturday that after seven years, Johansson has decided to leave the group and “pursue his own path.” The split comes just a few months before the band returns to North America for another tour with metal legends Judas Priest.
“After 7 amazing years in the band, our guitarist, Tommy, has decided to leave Sabaton to pursue his own path,” the band said in a statement. “We wish him nothing but the best on his journey. We have been a close family and we will continue to support him in the adventures that await him in the future. Tommy joined the band in 2016 but he has been a close friend of Sabaton ever since our first meeting at the end of a concert in 2005. As a valued member of the band, he has contributed to countless immortal memories. Tommy’s departure from Sabaton will not be effective immediately. He will stay on to ensure that all goes smoothly with the handover to our next guitarist. While a small part of his large heart will always remain within Sabaton, we all know that he must follow his dreams. Even though we will not wake up daily in the tour bus next to him, we are sure that our paths will cross again many times in the future, both on and off the stage. Fly on your wings and strings brother!”
Johansson also released a statement, which Sabaton shared on their official social media.
My dear friends!
After 7 glorious years of Heavy Metal, I have decided to step down as the guitarist of Sabaton. This has been the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my entire life. As many of you may know, I do a lot of things outside of Sabaton. I play with another band, perform with various artists, and have a career as a singer that I’ve put aside for years to focus on Sabaton. After doing this for seven years, I feel it’s time to start following my heart. This means I will no longer tour with my brothers in Sabaton and will not meet all you lovely Sabaton supporters on the upcoming tours with the band. I will never quit playing music. I’ll still be touring with Majestica and other projects, but not on the same level as Sabaton of course. I am sure I will meet you lovely fans on the road again in the future. My brothers in Sabaton and the best crew in the world will forever be my second family and I will miss spending time with all these wonderful people. We had so much fun together every day. I’ve come to learn so much about life, about music and about touring that I wouldn’t have learned anywhere else. A massive thank you to all you lovely Sabaton fans for accepting me as the new guitarist in 2016. I am certain you will accept the person who takes over after me. All the best to you all and I’ll see you again soon!
Cheers,
– Tommy
In April, Sabaton will accompany Judas Priest on their North American tour. They previously served as special guests for Priest in 2021 on their 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour. Sabaton released their tenth studio album, The War to End All Wars, last year. It performed well, topping the Swedish Albums Chart and peaking at No. 2 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums chart and No. 9 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart. The record serves as a sequel to their 2019 outing, The Great War.
The post Sabaton Guitarist Tommy Johansson Leaves the Band first appeared on The Rock Revival.