ELUSIVE GOD is back. Formed in 2018, the band has come around with their second full-length album, Ambis. To be released on May 9, 2025 via Personal Records, Ambis, is the first we’ve heard from the Croatian Doom Metal trio since 2023 when they issued their live, “Doom in Bohemia.”

‘Ambis’ is a Serbo-Croatian word that loosely translates to ‘abyss’ and each of the seven tracks on Ambis relate back to that general theme. From “Kob” (trans: doom) to “Vrata vjecnosti” (gates of eternity) to “Iz tame i pepela” (from darkness and ashes), every track invokes a sense of majestic terror. The band notes “There's an underlying story that connects all the lyrics on Ambis together: a seriously dark aspect of personal transformation offering a great sense of grandiosity and epicness towards the end.”

One of the things I love about Ambis is all the lyrics are sung in Croatian, which for me, as an English speaker, seems both exotic and striking. For all I know they could be reciting bakery recipes but to me they sound like ensorcelled invocations of death and damnation. The doom riffs also help to capture that mystique as well.

I also appreciate Shadow’s vocals. The metal scene is pretty much split between clean and harsh. Personally, I like them both. With ELUSIVE GOD’s particular fusion of Doom and Traditional, the clean vocals work especially well . . . and Shadow clearly has a fuckton of talent.

As far as standout tracks, track 4, “Ples Demona,” (trans, dance of demons) is simply stunning with Devil (drums) delivering a killer performance. To be fair, he consistently delivers great performances, but “Ples Demona” is especially diabolic. Other standout tracks: “Kob” for its foreboding nature and primal boots of lead. “Iz tame i pepela” for its grandiose epic presence. Great closing track.

I should also note the striking cover art by Bojan Koštić. Grayscale depiction of the fall with an eclipsed sun in the background and a blackened sky cracked with lightning. The photograph used for artwork design is "Partial view of the Fountain of the Fallen Angel in Madrid (Spain)." The author of the original photograph is Felipe Gabaldon.

All in all, Ambis is a solid return for the ELUSIVE GOD who, with three original albums plus a live recording in seven years aren’t exactly elusive. Still, I could use more ELUSIVE GOD in my life.