Flotsam And Jetsam are a thrash metal band from the USA formed in 1984 who released their debut album ‘Doomsday For The Deceiver’ in 1986. The band have always been a major force in the thrash metal arena, releasing twelve more albums (and I include 2014’s re-recorded ‘No Place For Disgrace’ in the count) over the next three decades. In 2019, the band released their fourteenth album ‘The End Of Chaos’, and a mere two years, released album number fifteen ‘Blood In The Water’.
Like many of the pioneering thrash metal bands from the eighties, Flotsam And Jetsam are as strong today as they have ever been – maybe even stronger! Their self titled album of 2016 signalled a progression in the bands sound.
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Still rooted in thrash, but progressing to incorporate elements of melodic and traditional heavy metal, 2019’s ‘The End Of Chaos’ continued this progression. And right now, ‘Blood In The Water’ completes the progression with twelve songs covering every aspect on the road between the genres of thrash, and traditional heavy metal. And with almost an hour of bone-breaking savagery, Flotsam And Jetsam still manage to spring a few surprises on the ears. So strap yourselves in and brace for impact…
…as the new album roars into life with the title song ‘Blood In The Water’ – with Flotsam And Jetsam thrashing very hard. Four decades haven’t dampened their ferocity, ‘Blood In The Water’ as aggressive as anything they’ve released previously. What an impact the first song makes! The second song ‘Burn The Sky’ makes an even bigger impact than the opener – faster and much more aggressive! The traditional barrage of savagery associated with thrash metal bands is fully evident, as ‘Burn The Sky’ scorches the Earth as it roars by. But in reality, the opening double jab has only served to brace you for the impact of the albums third song, the viciously savage ‘Brace For Impact’. Everything I love about the thrash metal genre is contained within this one song – pace, power, aggression, savagery, and an infectious yet melodic streak that sets the great thrash metal bands apart, and above, the good ones. Flotsam And Jetsam are one of the greats – and have been for four decades.
‘A Place To Die’ maintains the albums intense fierce and fiery nature, galloping forth like a stampeding herd of rhinos. And actually, ‘A Place To Die’ is the slowest song so far. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still quick, but of all the opening songs it is the slower of the four. And for the first time on the album, the band’s musical progression over the last couple of albums makes its presence known. ‘Walls’ has so much in common with the sound of traditional heavy metal and its classic galloping rhythm. If this is what a meld of thrash, and classic heavy metal sounds like – I like it! Flotsam And Jetsam have not compromised their identity with this progression though, enhancing it maybe, but definitely opening up their music to a wider audience. And now for the biggest surprise on offer, the haunting ballad-like ‘Cry For The Dead’. A much slower and darker journey of menace, there are tempo and pace changes aplenty, as ‘Cry For The Dead’ scores very high on the huge amount of emotion contained within. Definitely a standout moment on the album.
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Blistering pace comes roaring back to the album in the shape of the fiery ‘Wicked Hour’. With its devastating crescendo of fierce thrash, buildings are in danger of collapse, with massive craters appearing in the ground. ‘Wicked Hour’ is seriously that savage. Reaching out to the heavy metal genre once more, Flotsam And Jetsam take a leaf out of the Judas Priest playbook for ‘Too Many Lives’. The powerful stomp, stomp, stomping of the British icons is instantly recognisable, as Flotsam And Jetsam prove you’re never too old to learn new tricks. Not that they’ve actually learned a new trick, they’re just delivering their music in a new way. A way that opens the band’s soundscape to a whole new audience. Out and out thrash metal returns with a vengeance in the shape of the high velocity ‘Dragon’. A high-speed torrent of thrash, ‘Dragon’ is the epitome of the Flotsam And Jetsam signature sound.
Keeping the hammer down on the aggression laden style of thrash, Flotsam And Jetsam storm on with ‘Reaggression’. A barrage of fire and brimstone styled metal, there are touches of classic heavy metal thrown in there too – making this a most accessible album for a wide range of metal fans. Although I’d definitely still file ‘Blood In The Water’ (the album) under “thrash metal”. With intensity as high as its always been, ‘Undone’ steams in and reinforces the progression of the band over their last two albums. ‘Undone’ is a sublime mix of classic heavy metal and thrash – maybe leaning heavier on the thrash side! Bringing the album to a barnstorming close is the lightning-quick ‘7 Seconds’. A blistering and quite frankly rampant rage of aggression fuelled thrash, ‘7 Seconds’ is as fast as anything that the band have in their back catalogue.
Overall, a fast-paced and aggressive barrage of thrash from one of the genres greatest bands.
TRACKLIST
Blood In The Water
Burn The Sky
Brace For Impact
A Place To Die
Walls
Cry For The Dead
Wicked Hour
Too Many Lives
Dragon
Reaggression
Undone
7 Seconds
Flotsam And Jetsam: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: A.F.M
Category: Album
Country: USA
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, Metal Gods TV, and Metal-Roos.
