Cypriot minister thanks heavy metal band

Heavy metal band Sabaton got high praise from Cypriot Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos this week over the Swedish group’s running their merchandise operations on the island, with the group saying they had some tips to speed up deliveries.

Karousos visited on Thursday the warehouses of the Swedish metal group in Limassol, where they keep fan merch for online sales.

Founded in 1999 in Sweden, Sabaton’s power metal songs are about historical events such as war and heroism, while their Limassol facility stores merchandise, such as T-shirts and albums, for their fans all over the world.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, Karousos told reporters that more international companies and organizations were declaring their trust to Cyprus Post Office services, adding that he had an opportunity to take into consideration the band’s suggestions on how to improve services and make online trading easier.

According to Sabaton’s website, DHL express shipping can take between 2 to 5 days, while the Standard Shipping by Cyprus Post are delivered either within 4-6-weeks or 8-10 weeks. Fans took to online forums to report delays but it was not clear whether delays were due to COVID policies, shipping options, or both. 

CNA reported that Par Sundstrom, the band’s founding member, song writer, and bass player, told Karousos his band trusted and utilized the services provided by Cyprus Post, shipping thousands of items overseas to fans abroad.

“For more than two years, we have been sending products from Cyprus and I am proud of the team I have on the island. It is noteworthy that even during the coronavirus pandemic we were able to send more Sabaton merch than in previous years. We achieved this as the team members worked in parallel from both the office and the warehouse," Sundstrom said.

Sabaton’ website notes that in the nearly two decades since their launch, Sabaton have carved out a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in the business, gaining a legion of loyal fans across the globe, delivering highly-rated studio albums, and scoring multiple industry award wins and nominations.

“I am glad that the local authorities appreciate our presence on the island and we are very honored by your visit to talk about how we can further improve our service,” Sundstrom reportedly told the minister.