SIDE-LINE
Ambassador21 has already collected an impressive number of releases over the past 10 years. The Belarus duo already strikes back and comes to hit you like a hard smack in the face. Natasha Protasova and Alexey Protasov are without a shadow of a doubt one of the most particular and extreme industrial bands from the new millennium. But the question is if they’re really an industrial band?! I think we can easily put them into this layer, but their music sounds more like a punk exposure of industrial music. Their latest CD “Riot Death” is one more good example exorcizing their multiple sources of inspiration. Ambassador21 is the merge of metal, crossover and rock music transposed into an industrial hardcore style leaning towards noise and other experimental fields. The common element is for sure the rage emerging from their songs. “Riot Death” is the newest exposure of their furor, which mainly resulted in the use of harsh guitar samplings. They here like to use aggressive guitar riffs, which are quite close to metal music and other crossover bands. They however also use a more rock and even rock-a-billie style on “(Rock-N-Roll) Always Crunk”. Like most of their songs the samplings have been overloaded by different noises, scratches, effects and enraged screams. It all ends in pure terror bringing a very explosive cocktail to your speakers and tympanas as well. Ambassador21 are pure sonic terrorists. Several songs might sound quite chaotic, but it’s a controlled chaos. I suspect they sometimes create songs from pure improvisation, but in the end we can find real structures running through the songs. The multiple and opposite influences coming together is still surprising, but it works quite efficiently on “(Phantom) Diewatch” and “(Prey And Recharge) Future Sound Off”, which for its guitar parts reminds me of NIN. Another great exposure of this noise-chaos is “(A La Guerre Comme A La Guerre) S Vs. M” where you can again find all the elements that make ambassador21 recognizable! Once you’ve heard the Belarus duo, you’ll never forget it! They have their very own sound and after all these years of commitment I think we can easily speak about a reference in the industrial universe.
by DP for Side-Line
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