Ambush – Evil in All Dimensions

The previous album by Swedish band Ambush came just a bare week before the pandemic triggered a global lockdown – talk about unlucky timing. More than five years have passed since, and the band is finally ready with the follow-up. In the meantime, they’ve also welcomed a couple of new members: guitarist Karl Dotzek and bassist Oskar Andersson.

The band’s fourth full-length album, Evil in All Dimensions, is very much an Ambush record – meaning the band continues down the path established at the very beginning of their career. They’re not here to reinvent the genre but rather to pay homage and do their part in keeping the heavy metal flag flying high.

Ambush are heavily inspired by NWOBHM as well as the German wave of heavy metal, with influences from Judas Priest and Helloween popping up all over the place.

Their previous album, Infidel, marked a notable improvement production-wise, and Evil in All Dimensions sees the band refining their sound even further. It offers a more rounded and polished production. The raw quality of their earlier material is harder to spot here, so to experience that side of Ambush, you’ll need to spin some of their early releases or catch them live.

One of Infidel‘s major strengths was its strong songwriting core. While the songwriting on Evil in All Dimensions is solid, it doesn’t quite reach the same heights as its predecessor.

That being said, the new album is an enjoyable experience, and tracks like the title track, “The Reaper,” and “Iron Sign” really hit the sweet spot. And let’s not forget the ballad “I Fear the Blood,” which stands out as one of the most beautiful pieces of music the band has recorded so far.

On the other hand, songs like “Bending the Steel,” “Come Angel of the Night,” and “The Night I Took Your Life Away” come across as well-executed fillers.

There’s also a definite “grower” quality to the album – give it time, and it will grow on you almost as much as Infidel did. Multiple listens reveal some tasty details, such as melodic arrangmenets and rock solid, yet playfull rhythm section.

Overall, the Swedes deliver a strong album once again, further cementing their position as one of the go-to bands in the new wave of classic heavy metal.

www.ambushsweden.com