Swedish rock’n’roll force Åskväder return on August 28 with Aim High, the third single from their forthcoming album Wax, due October 2 via Icons Creating Evil Art.

Following Farewell and Salt, Aim High pushes further into the sound of the new Åskväder: thunderous riffs, infectious melodies and classic hard rock muscle delivered with the urgency and energy that have always been at the heart of the band. More than simply another step towards the album, Aim High is one of the songs that best captures what Wax has become.

“It’s a defining track that sums up a lot of what the album is about, and one that’s worth listening to more than once. As ICEA keeps telling us – it’s a grower.” – Åskväder

There is certainly plenty beneath the immediate rock’n’roll punch. Aim High turns its attention towards ambition, deception and self-interest – to people who keep climbing regardless of what or whom they leave behind. Its recurring “great white lie” and “eye for an eye” frame a world where conviction can become a convenient disguise and success comes with an increasingly uncomfortable price tag.

But Åskväder never allow the message to overpower the song. At its core, Aim High is built to move: a driving hard rock track powered by riffs, hooks and the commanding presence of new vocalist and guitarist Saga Flygare Täll.

Her arrival marks a significant new chapter for the Gothenburg band. Rather than simply replacing a voice, Åskväder have used the change to push forward, retaining the raw, riff-driven foundation of their previous records while opening up a broader melodic side.

That evolution runs throughout Wax. The band's third full-length album finds Åskväder entering new territory with renewed confidence. Across eleven tracks, the band draw from classic hard rock, heavy metal and high-energy Scandinavian rock’n’roll, balancing weight and swagger with increasingly prominent melodies.

The album’s title reflects many of the questions running beneath its surface: ambition, uncertainty, belief and what happens when we keep reaching higher even as the ground beneath us becomes less certain. Like wings made of wax, there is always a point where flying too close to the sun comes with consequences.

With Aim High, Åskväder reveal another essential piece of that picture – and one of the tracks that perhaps best connects the different sides of the forthcoming record. Sometimes the songs that hit hardest aren't necessarily the ones that reveal everything on the first listen.
Give it one more. It grows on you.