As much as the mainstream media tries to tell us that heavy metal is dead, it simply refuses to die and with bands such as Ambush on the scene, that’s really no surprise. Formed in Växjö, Sweden in 2013, this quintet have been on a mission to save the world from the evil forces of pop music and along the way they’ve released a trail of critically-acclaimed albums that have sealed their place in heavy metal Valhalla. However, the band seem to be striving for new heights and their fourth long player, Evil In All Dimensions, is a nine track affair that’s certain to shoot the band towards metal’s top tier.
If there was any doubt that Ambush are on an upward trajectory, then their signing with Napalm Records should put such ideas to rest. Metal’s most exciting record label, Napalm have their finger on the scene’s steely pulse and it sounds as if the faith they’ve placed in Ambush has been amply rewarded and the band arrive bristling with confidence and immediately throw down the gauntlet with the opening (and title) track. There’s no time to waste on elongated introductions and rambling preambles, just twin guitars swirling towards the heavens and singer Oskar Jakobsson’s following close behind. This is unashamedly heavy metal and contains everything you want from the genre; neo-classical guitars, a pounding rhythm section, along with operatic vocals that tell a sci-fi tale. When the song erupts at the two-and-a-half minute mark it recalls classic Iron Maiden at their blistering best (i.e., The Number Of The Beast era) and is a foot-on-the-monitor, horns-held-high celebration of all that makes the genre great.
Ambush are kind enough to wear their influences on their collective sleeve and fans of Judas Priest, Accept, Helloween and the aforementioned Iron Maiden will find a spiritual home in tracks such as ‘Iron Sign’. Yet, don’t write the band off as some kind of retro act because they have an energy that places them firmly in the present. Mankan Sedenberg has done a great job in the producer’s chair and places all the instruments on an even keel which means that the likes of ‘The Night I Took Your Life’ pack a hefty punch. It makes this an album that simultaneously looks back to metal’s illustrious past whilst also signposting a bright future, so if you have a penchant for mullets and moustaches, the NWOBHM, denim cut offs and patchouli oil, you’ll find a spiritual home here.
‘Heavy Metal Brethren’ is an epic closer and one that caps a near-perfect album. Full of vim, vigour and vitriol, Ambush have come to claim the heavy metal crown.
- Ambush is released via Napalm Records on 5th September 2025.
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Track List:
- Evil In All Dimensions
- Maskirovka
- Iron Sign
- The Night I Took Your Life
- I Fear The Blood
- Come Angel Of Night
- The Reaper
- Bending The Steel
- Heavy Metal Brethren
