REVIEWS

Ambassador 21
Akcija

Invasion Wreck Chords

Posted: Wednesday, March 15, 2006
By: Stephen Sodergren

Ambassador 21 hail From Belarus's very own Invasion Wreck Chords, a label that is new to me, but if the sound of Ambassador 21 is any clue to what they put out, then you could easily call this label Digital Hardcore Records' pissed off sister. Ambassador 21's sound on their new album Akcija is harsh electronic gabber noise that reminds me of other greats in the genre such as Atari Teenage Riot and Punish Yourself. A21 is the duo of Natasha and Alexey (who also goes by the name DJ J. Christ), who complement each other very well as they take turns screaming their lyrics. The vocals are almost heard as a backdrop to the loud ear-splitting distortion of guitars, bass, and breakcore beats, and just all around noise that provide the fuel that create the pure energy of each track. It is hard to describe the pure cacophony heard on this disc; all I can say is if you've heard an Atari Teenage Riot album or a band similar, then you know what I am talking about. You would also have to agree that this is a sound that you either love or hate; there is no in between where you think it is just okay. This music is most certainly emotionally and politically driven as Ambassador 21, like ATR before them, seem to be pissed off at the world and at today's governments. A lot of their songs focus on revolution. Ambassador 21 is also a member of the organization M.A.C.O.S. (Musicians Against Copyrighting of Samples) and their tracks contain heavy doses of sampling. One stand-out example of this is the track "Ambassador," which contains a sample of the classic Ministry track "Stigmata." I can't think of one album that hasn't used it at least a little. If there were no more sampling, then you could kiss goodbye all movie and video clips that make so many songs all the more interesting. Every band should be a member of this organization! Anyway, Akcija is loud, hard, and brain-smashing with its death metal sound that has been given a shot of electronic adrenaline and then bashed around by a noise-infused drum machine. This album is not for the faint of heart as it is a rollercoaster of aggression that is unparalleled by many other bands.