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If you’re comparing Amber Pacific’s new album “Virtues” to their previous work there’s not going to be much of a contest. The band’s Hopeless Records’ work is better vocally and it’s not close. No offense to new vocalist Jesse Cottam, but compared to the band’s old lead singer Matt Young he doesn’t have as much power. Young’s voice was powerful and gave every Amber Pacific song a ton of power and emotion. Cottam’s voice is decent but it’s not the same. You can enjoy the music and the vocals but the vocals don’t dominate like they used to. The good in “Virtues” and this new incarnation of Amber Pacific is it still gives Will Nutter a solid outlet for his amazing song writing and it allows drummer Dango to be one of the best in the business. It’s disappointing that this band never made it to where it should have with its original members and it’s just as disappointing that Young is no longer in the band. But at least they’re still making music. Cottam isn’t what he’s replacing, but he does a nice job. If you’ve never been into Amber Pacific before, you’ll like this album. If you were a fan of the band’s last two albums there is a good chance that you’re not going to like the music nearly as much.