Ambassador Gun

Minneapolis, MN's Ambassador Gun aren't really a grindcore band in the strictest definition of the term, but they certainly perform their invariably concise jabs of sonic Armageddon at blinding speeds and rampant violence — even the songs that, if slowed down to "normal" tempos, might qualify as straightforward rock & roll. Beginning in 2002, the trio composed of Luke Olson (vocals, guitar, bass), Tim Sieler (vocals, guitar, bass), and Patrick (drums) has established a singularly subversive musical reputation with deep, deep underground releases through Pangea Recordings like A Second from the Surface (2004), Bison (2006), and The Streets Have Eyes (2008). And with 2009's suggestively named When in Hell, Ambassador Gun produced perhaps their most accomplished racket yet, by combining the intensity of Anaal Nathrakh, the musicianship of Mastodon, the unpredictability of Job for a Cowboy, and the crustcore dementia of Harlots — all capped with the world-destroying attitude of grinders like Nasum, Brutal Truth, and Pig Destroyer.