Swedish power metal band Sabaton announced their decision to part ways with their guitarist of seven years, Tommy Johansson. Johansson had joined the band in 2016 to replace Thobbe Englund.
Johansson has a band of his own to focus on, his symphonic power metal band Majestica, formerly ReinXeed, that he’s fronted since back in the days when it was basically just Johansson alone playing all the instruments. One example of the conflict in Johansson’s schedule came in 2022 when Majestica was forced to cancel their Christmas Carol tour, citing Johansson’s touring schedule with Sabaton. Seemingly tired of having to split his time between two families like a divorced dad, Johansson chose to leave Sabaton to focus on his own projects.
The band and Johansson posted statements on their Facebook page, and the parting seems to be an amicable one. The band state:
“After 7 amazing years in the band, our guitarist, Tommy, has decided to leave Sabaton to pursue his own path. 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.”
Similarly, Johansson made his own statement about the parting. Johansson says:
“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.”
There’s no word yet on who that replacement will be, but the band said that Johansson will not leave immediately so as to make it a smooth transition to whoever does take over for him.
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