Posted on: January 10, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Five songs of unbridled fury, Amber Pacific mix the sheer power of Billy Talent and Yellowcard along with the musicianship of A Wilhelm Scream and The Movielife. “Fading Days” starts off with “Thoughts Before Me”, a track fueled on by a chord progression on the guitar and Matt’s vocals, which provide a third way between the screeching guitars and the splashy high hat of the drums. In a track that has more the level of catchiness of a Senses Fail track, Amber Pacific show that they can do no wrong. The recording level is perfect, and Martin’s mastering allow for the slightest bit of weakness to show on Matt and Will’s vocals. Slowly opening the pivot track, “The Last Time”, Amber Pacific makes their impassioned plea to the masses of their listeners, all while still pleasing those individuals who are listening for the arrangement. While “The Last Time” is not as radio-friendly as the previous tracks, Amber Pacific change up the general sound while still keeping a common thread which thrives in “The Last Time”.

The bass, played by Greg, makes its first true entry on “The Last Time”, with its previous lack of presence being practically the only weakness to be found on the EP. “Letters of Regret” is another track that is not immediately able to have a singalong with, but showcases the same musical ability that the rest of the tracks on “Fading Days” has. The disc ends with the extremely emotive “Here We Stand”, opening up with a guitar and Matt’s impassioned pleas. “Here We Stand” is a sit around the campfire, clap and sing type of song that simultaneously reaches everyone in the audience while causing them to unconsciously mouth the words.

Amber Pacific is finally getting the recognition that they deserve, being tapped to be on the Burnout 3 game soundtrack, and this EP is a perfect showcase for their extreme talent. Expect Amber Pacific to be the new buzzword of late 2004 and 2005, maybe even crossing over to a larger degree than Yellowcard did last year. The strains of the acoustic guitar on the final track of “Fading Days” is the perfect cap to a summer that saw Amber Pacific gain legions of new fans on the Warped Tour, and “Fading Days” itself is one of the best EPs out this year, only being surpassed by the Descendent’s “Merican” EP.

Top Track: Thoughts Before Me

Rating: 8.0/10

Amber Pacific – Fading Days / 2004 Hopeless Records / 5 Tracks / http://www.amberpacific.com / http://www.hopelessrecords.com /

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