Swedish warriors of studded leather and metal Ambush are currently bringing the Firestorm, ripping up stages and blowing peoples minds around Europe! Thenwothm were able to catch the band for an interview and this is what they had to say!

THE NWOTHM: Hey there, for our readers who are discovering you for the first time can you introduce yourself and the bands members?

Ambush: We’re five guys from Småland, Sweden, raised on potatoes and Heavy Metal.

THE NWOTHM: Ambush have been around for some time! Can you tell us about the formation of the band all those years ago and how you chose the bands name & sound?

Ambush: Well, it all started through our common interest of drinking beer and listening to Heavy Metal. We hung out every weekend and blasted our favourite records and at some point we just decided to pick up some instruments instead of another album. All of us were very in to the 80’s Heavy Metal sound and we missed that particular old school feel among the newer bands so we just went ahead to try and make our own contribution to the scene, not that we thought it would get us anywhere. We wanted a name that was simple, plain and aggressive to match our sound and just like that Ambush took form.

THE NWOTHM: As musicians who would you say your biggest influences have been both musically and outside of music?

Ambush: Well, I think that you’ll need to listen to an Ambush song for less than 10 seconds to hear that we are influenced by the likes of Accept, Judas Priest and Dio when it comes to the big picture sound. We were also, of course, influenced by our hometown heroes Bullet, they really helped pave the way for Smålands Heavy Metal bands.

THE NWOTHM: What is your go to instrument for creating music? Do you have any particular favourite brands?

Ambush: We all help with the songwriting and we do so wielding axes, preferably Gibson Flying V’s.

THE NWOTHM: I have interviewed a number of bands from Sweden all with different opinions of the scene. In your opinion, how would you describe the Swedish metal scene, especially for heavy metal?

Ambush: I’d say that there are many metal bands in Sweden but very few traditional Heavy Metal bands, the majority is more into modern stuff. When it comes to the audience for metal music in Sweden it’s quite extensive but very few actually attend shows or support younger bands.

THE NWOTHM: Are there any current nwothm/heavy metal bands you would tell people to look out for?

Ambush: I’ve got two Swedish bands in mind; Ström and Century!

THE NWOTHM: What are your thoughts on the state of the music industry and how it has affected performing and the creation of music?

Ambush: I think that the music industry mirrors the state of society in general in some aspects. Everyone is dependent on quick kicks and forget easily. You get served with stuff, like for instance a song, through playlists and social media. You then listen to it without caring about who’s written or performed it and when its “used up” it gets thrown away and forgotten. The concept of proper full length albums and support for artists feels like they’re a bit at stake. However, I don’t feel that this has affected the metal scene to the same extent, but amongst the general masses.

THE NWOTHM: What does traditional heavy metal mean to you and which bands do you feel have impacted the scene and the music that we know today?

Ambush: When it comes to my personal view of this I’d say that traditional heavy metal means everything, a tree could never grow without its roots you know. If we use Ambush as an example we wouldn’t be playing together if it weren’t for the inspiration we’ve gotten from Saxon, Accept, Maiden, Priest or Dio etc.

THE NWOTHM: What is the key to band longevity?

Ambush: A mutual goal and love for what you’re doing. Also, if you wanna stay together, really, as a band I think it’s important to have good personal relationships. We’ve all been friends for ages and were so long before Ambush. I wouldn’t see the point in doing what we do if I couldn’t share the experience with my buds.

THE NWOTHM: When you’re not creating thunderous heavy metal music or performing explosive shows, what do you all like to do in your spare time?

Ambush: It differs a bit! Oskar and Olof are really into golf and drinking whiskey, Karl and Linus spend a lot of their spare time arguing about which Thin Lizzy album is the best one, whilst drinking whiskey in the jar-o. When it comes to Burning Fire he spends all his free time playing truck simulator and drinking gasoline.

THE NWOTHM: Going back to 2013, you independently released the Demo Kasette. Do you remember that period well and how the production went for those first songs?

Ambush: It’s a time we’ll remember forever. Everything band related took place at a party with everyone we knew being there with us. So Ambush is born out of more than the five first members, it’s sprung out of the love for metal amongst a tight group of small city heavy metal-fans.

THE NWOTHM: ‘Desecrator’ and ‘Firestorm’ are killer albums! What tracks would you say are your favourites from those albums and why?

Ambush: Thanks! I’d say Hellbound, Master of Pain, Night of Defilers and Seventh Seal. The reason being that we never play those songs live anymore so we haven’t butchered them to the same extent hehe.

THE NWOTHM: Do you have any interesting stories from the writing sessions of‘Desecrator’ and ‘Firestorm?’

Ambush: Practically the same as during the making of the demo kasette. Every time we met it turned into a party. Not that it has changed very much though. In both cases we wrote the last songs for the albums the day before we started recording so we didn’t really know how the songs would turn out until we heard the finished recordings.

THE NWOTHM: Out of all the awesome music videos you have created like ‘Hellbiter’ and ‘Natural Born Killers,’ which did you enjoy creating the most?

Ambush: Probably Natural Born Killers since it was the first time we recorded a music video for real.

THE NWOTHM: ‘Infidel’ was your last album back in 2020! Can you tell us more about the back story of the record and how it came about?

Ambush: Well, it had been some years since we released anything so it felt like a good idea to release something.

THE NWOTHM: Who is the main lyricist in the band and where do you draw inspiration from for your lyrics?

Ambush: It’s Oskar who writes all the lyrics, and I haven’t got the slightest idea where he gets it all from. But wherever he gets it from I love that place, because he’s doing an amazing job!

THE NWOTHM: Each Ambush release has very awesome artwork? Who are the artists behind the artworks and are there any stories to them?

Ambush: The artwork is made by the great Alexander von Wieding. He always comes through when it’s time to decipher our weird cover art thoughts.

THE NWOTHM: What are your fondest memories from being on the road? Any bands you particularly enjoyed playing with?

Ambush: The fondest memory is not one single happening, but the fact that we’re doing it together. The touring itself is the fondest memory. However we’d lie if we didn’t lift the “Kings of the Underground” tour as one of the most fun experiences ever!

THE NWOTHM: The ‘Barabbas’ single was your last release in 2022! What is the story behind that single? Where did the 2 headed face idea for for the single cover come from?

Ambush: Both songs were actually written for the Infidel album but got left out of it because of that the amount of songs on that album would have been to high to make it physically possible to print. The idea with the Janus head came from the big differences between the songs but also from lyrics of the song Barabbas.

THE NWOTHM: You guys have been fortunate enough to play all over. But are there any countries you have never played before that you would like to play?

Ambush: We’d like to visit the other side of the Atlantic more, from north to south!

THE NWOTHM: Fans are thirsty to know the answer to one big question! Do you have plans to release new music in 2023? Maybe an album?

Ambush: Yes, we’re recording a new album at this very moment. And this is gonna be the best one yet!

THE NWOTHM: Where can fans purchase your music and merchandise? Do you have any new items on the way?

Ambush: All our merch can be found at our bigcartel, www.ambushsweden.bigcartel.com . Were about to do some re-stocking and release some new stuff a little ways down the road.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ambushsweden