Ambassador - Care Vale

Angry Metal Guy 70

Interesting, the grey area between rock and metal. It takes a lot of different shapes, from the classic hard rock proto-metal to the commercialized tough guy semi-nu-metal that still wanted to have radio play.¹ It’s an area that, in one of its many incarnations, has been elemental to most of us in our journey into the depths of our favorite depravity, as a bridge between the socially acceptable and commercially viable on the one end, and metal on the other. Ambassador, a four-piece from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have a different approach to this uncertain spectrum from those I’ve mentioned, but can Care Vale function as a new bridge to help those on the brink to join our manifold folds?

Well, that remains to be seen, but it’s not going to be for lack of quality. Ambassador fit along the lines of Katatonia and Ghost Brigade: sadboi rock with a light prog metal slant. But they set themselves apart with influences from both grunge and post-metal, and by being excellent at what they do, they make it work beautifully. The grunge comes through loud and clear thanks to lead vocalist Gabe Vicknair, whose voice is warm, inviting and coated with a thin layer of gruff. He channels the emotion inherent in the music perfectly, recalling the heyday of grunge greats. His range is not as extensive as a Cornell, but his tone is dead-on and I’m here for it. The music is largely held at a steady rolling waves midpace (though “Subterfuge” drops into outright doom territory) punctuated by heavy, thudding drums, while the guitars reverberate in shimmering post-metal style.

Care Vale by AMBASSADOR

This combo works gorgeously. Between the vocal hooks and the plodding riffs, Ambassador moves like a unit of despondency, slinging music that catches on the heart as well as the head. Opener “Colonial” focuses on the chorus the most, and though the lyrics are a bit on the cliché side, the emotion behind them does pierce through. The first highlight is the aforementioned “Subterfuge,” which uses the changes in pacing to their maximum and tops it off with a beautiful emotional crescendo garnished liberally with shimmering post-metal guitars. Closer “Spasma” is the crowning achievement of the record, though. Serrated guitars wind their way through the ruins of an old friendship, leading into the most earnest lyrical performance of the album. It’s a worthy closer that combines the best elements of grunge and post-metal to their maximum effect.

At a scant 6 tracks and 31 minutes, it’s a very slim album. Perhaps a little too slim; the heavy guitars, warm vocals, thumping drums and posty reverb beg for a good drowning session, but the end is in sight before I can really immerse myself in the heavy hearted hooks. When the tracklist is that short, every one of them need to be bangers, and penultimate track “Severant” doesn’t quite hit that level with some odd, off-beat vocal melodies that throw off the flow. It’s a decent track, but a clear dip from the others. It’s a small disappointment, but not a significant one, particularly since the production cushions the fall with a warm and thick sound you can sink into like a mattress that costs 4 months salary, even if it is a tad loud.

Ambassador impressed me greatly despite its unfortunate milquetoast bandname. Care Vale is short but sweet, an album with a clear identity and whose components fit together like clockwork. It sits comfortably in the grey no man’s land between rock and metal, using the heavy roiling atmosphere of post metal and the emotional anchor of grunge expertly. If it had a bit more body and the quality was consistent all the way through, we’d be looking at a higher outcome, but as it stands, Care Vale is a lovely little record that shows these four know exactly what they’re doing, and I have full confidence we’ll be hearing more excellent heartbreak from them in the future.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-release
Websites: ambassadortheband.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ambassadortheband
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2020

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