In what might be the strangest crossover between geopolitics and heavy metal since someone accidentally blasted MANOWAR at a NATO training exercise, Swedish power metal juggernauts SABATON have reportedly been featured on Iranian state television — and not exactly in the way the band probably expected.
According to a bizarre clip circulating online, a segment on Iranian TV discussing modern naval warfare suddenly cut to the band’s brand new music video for the track “Yamato.” The video — filmed for the band’s collaboration with World of Warships — shows SABATON performing aboard the legendary Japanese battleship as it sinks into the ocean in cinematic slow motion.
Apparently the producers thought they were showing historical naval footage.
Things only got weirder from there.
During the broadcast, the segment allegedly framed the dramatic visuals as an example of “Western psychological warfare media,” with commentators suggesting the music could be used to “motivate enemy naval forces through aggressive rhythmic propaganda.”
Which, if you’ve ever heard a SABATON chorus, is not entirely wrong.
For those unfamiliar with the clip in question, the band’s new single “Yamato” celebrates the infamous Japanese super-battleship that launched in 1941 and ultimately went down in spectacular fashion during its final mission in 1945. The video recreates the doomed vessel’s last stand, with vocalist Joakim Brodén and the band performing while the ship floods and sinks beneath them.
In reality, the shoot was about as metal as it gets. The band filmed in freezing conditions in Serbia while being blasted with ice-cold water and literally wearing weights under their clothes to simulate sinking. Divers were on standby while the musicians kept playing as the deck disappeared beneath the waves.
Somehow, this turned into prime-time naval analysis in Iran. One commentator in the broadcast allegedly described the video as “evidence of Western morale-boosting cultural weaponry designed to glorify naval warfare.”
To be fair, that is also a pretty accurate description of SABATON’s entire discography.
The band’s partnership with World Of Warships continues a long relationship between the historically obsessed metallers and the naval combat game developer Wargaming. Their previous collaboration, the thunderous anthem “Bismarck,” became one of the band’s most successful tracks, racking up over 100 million views and streams while turning one very specific WWII battleship into a global heavy metal meme.
Now “Yamato” continues that tradition — though no one predicted it might also end up being interpreted as strategic maritime propaganda on state television.
Fans online have already begun joking that SABATON might soon be classified somewhere between a metal band and a NATO naval asset.
As of now the band hasn’t commented on the unexpected broadcast, but given SABATON’s long-standing love of military history, it’s probably safe to assume they’d find the situation hilarious.
After all, if your entire career is built on turning obscure war stories into stadium-sized power metal… accidentally becoming a “secret weapon” on international television is basically just the next logical step.
