Grindcore is a pretty formulaic subgenre. Blindingly fast and ridiculously aggressive, with almost no room for solos or subtlety, it combines the rage of punk with the rage of metal and adds up to...well, more rage.
Ambassador Gun, from the frozen wasteland of Minneapolis, MN, have plenty to be angry about, it seems, because this 28-minute disc boils over with frustration. They're disciplined about their assaults, though, adding some almost melodic guitar lines to songs like "Ignorance Is This," while vocalists Luke Olson and Tim Sieler, one of whom sounds a lot like
Brutal Truth frontman Kevin Sharp, trade lines like a grind
Run-D.M.C. Drummer Patrick combines blastbeats with the "d-beat" of hardcore punk, and even throws some interesting fills in from time to time. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but
Ambassador Gun have made an impressive enough debut, within the strict sonic parameters of grind. Fans of the genre will be pleased. ~ Phil Freeman