Artist: Flotsam & Jetsam
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: 5/22/01
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Title: My God Artist: Flotsam & Jetsam Label: Metal Blade Release Date: 5/22/01 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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3 | ||
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5 | ||
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5 | ||
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Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
Yeah, here they are, what’s his face’s former band. God, I bet they hate reading that. Anyway, the thrash masters return with a new CD, and I have no doubt that old time fans won’t be disappointed. There have been a few old thrash bands that have kept the faith and delivered the goods without sounding dated (Overkill and Testament come to mind), and I’d have to lump this release in with those bands.
"I think it’s safe to say that this album won’t really get any new fans into the fold, but keeping the ones they have is probably what’s most important to this band, and they should have no problem in that arena." The guitars are all eighties, with perhaps only the production values keeping the sound in modern times. The whining solos bring me back to the ’88 Bay area sound that exploded and imploded in, what seemed like, record time, and the vocals are definitely not the type found that often in modern metal, giving the whole album a certain center. Unlike the aforementioned Testament, Flotsam & Jetsam keep their thrash interesting by expanding on the base they’ve always had, rather than just meshing old and new sounds together. This album seems completely uninterested in the metal that’s made the headlines the past ten years. Nowhere on this album is there a death growl or black scream or gothic keyboards added to keep “hip”. And I’m so glad, because it would ruin the nostalgia of this album.
Of course, the album isn’t completely void of modern music either. The intro to “Weather to Do” sounds like it would belong on a Jane’s Addiction album, and the song “Trash” has a slight Dirt-era Alice in Chains feel to it, but at no time do you forget that this is Flotsam & Jetsam, which shows me they are growing even as they stay true to their roots.
I think it’s safe to say that this album won’t really get any new fans into the fold, but keeping the ones they have is probably what’s most important to this band, and they should have no problem in that arena. One word review: Solid.
Death's Review:
"It doesn’t take a scientist, to really comprehend the gist.
That everyday we all decide
To slowly commit suicide.
And there is no hotline to call.
No saviour coming to get us all.
I can’t fathom how it happened so fast.
How bad we were beaten, floored and harassed.""Why is it everywhere I stand is a foot shorter than the space next to me?
I can’t see the action due to the crowd.
There is never a horizon in my view."Flotsam and Jetsam are legends of heavy metal. And they’ve had a fascinating career. Musically, each record has been a new adventure, some better than others. But for old school eighties thrashers like me, having grown up with Flotsam and Jetsam, it’s nice to still have them around and making great records.
It doesn’t appear to have been easy, but Flotsam and Jetsam has always refused to die. When Newstead left, when they came so close to breaking through with MCA’s Cuatro and "Wading Through the Darkness" after they for some reason lost favor with the underrated When the Storm Comes Down record, when they split with Eric Braverman and Kelly Smith, when people were really down on Unnatural Selection. This band has been knocked to the mat more than once before.
"A record that sounds fresh and aggressive and hungry and honest and true." It’s awesome to hear My God - a record that sounds fresh and aggressive and hungry and honest and true. I’ve always loved Flotsam because they combined my love of eighties thrash songwriting styles with the wonderful voice of Eric A.K. A.K. has as much character to his voice as anyone in metal, and the music on My God is finally, for the first time since Drift, the dark, brooding stuff that A.K. is best suited for. To my understanding, we owe it all to Mark Simpson, the new, younger guitarist who has brought a new metallic hunger to Flotsam and Jetsam and who is writing all of this excellent music. Drummer Craig Neilsen and bassist Jason Ward display considerable musical skill as well, but it is this renewed songwriting presence combined with an extraordinarily strong performance from A.K. which makes this record one of the best I’ve heard in 2001.
Lyrically, the all-A.K. penned material seems quite self- reflective, and fantastic lines can be found throughout (a favorite of mine: "They say that mental deficiency is wind in your mind. And if that’s true, then I'm brewin' hurricanes all of the time."). Their tone can be summed up succinctly: bitter and angry. "Weather to Do" is a nice example :
"One of the best I’ve heard in 2001." "When I come into the picture
There ain’t nothin’ else you see.
Just fear, anger and jealousy
‘cause you can’t be me.
Well I’m not quite right
In the head
and if you fuck with me
You’ll wind up dead.
There is no weathervayne
To tell when I’m comin’ down.
If you feel the calm
You’d better just start runnin’."Yet the lyrics are also wistful, accepting of life as one endless struggle yet opening yearning for better while not expecting it. Understanding this direct metaphor between Flotsam and Jetsam the band and the lyrical themes of My God - whether conscious or unconscious on the part of A.K. - help to illustrate the honesty of the record and elevate it above the norm. Combine this understanding with an appreciation of the way these lyrics are delivered and you will understand why I give My God five skulls and why I think it is one of the best albums of 2001 so far.
The vocal melodies are also sung in such a charismatic fashion that they alone deliver enough to appreciate My God as a significant recorded achievement. Each track maintains a unique character yet the record as a whole still sounds balanced and continuious. Some of you will have heard the opener, "Dig Me Up to Bury Me" as a pre- release MP3. It is a cool track, and a good opener, but it is not what I’m talking about when I’m raving about this record. In fact, the faster, thrashier My God material ("Dig Me Up", "Nothing to Say", "Camera Eye" - coincidentally, the odd-numbered tracks (1, 3, 5)) is for the most part less interesting to me than the more dynamic, introspective and musically adventurous feel of songs like "Keep Breathing", "Weather to Do", "Trash" and "My God" (tracks 2, 4, 6 and 8). "Trash" is one of the catchiest tracks I have heard this year yet it is also one of the most subtly (or overtly, if you read the lyrics) somber. This is the type of thing rock radio should be playing. Let the last track of the CD play a bit and you’ll be treated to a cool acoustic version that emphasizes the simple core power of the song. "Weather to Do" and "Keep Breathing" will both also burrow deep inside your head after about three or four listens and cause you to return to them time and again as you sing them aloud and don’t even realize you’re doing it.
"Let’s give this band some positive reinforcement for - after 17+ years of faithful service - going out and nailing another kickass record." In short, My God smokes. If you were ever a fan of this band, particularly if you were ever a fan of A.K.’s voice (or even if you just like the sound of a LaBrie/Tate/Alder type voice mixed with a Blitz/Sean Killean from Violence thrash sense with some dirt under the fingernails and a few miles on the tires to give the words and music a little soul), you need to get behind Flotsam and Jetsam. Go out and buy My God May 22 - let’s give this band some positive reinforcement for - after 17+ years of faithful service - going out and nailing another kickass record.
Hel's Review:
Favorite tracks: "Dig Me Up To Bury Me", "Nothing To Say", & the hidden track…
There are a handful of bands that I been a huge fan of for many years. These are bands that have proven reliable in always putting out music with talent, heart, and spirit. I confess, when a band is included in this company, it's a pretty good bet that I will adore nearly anything they release. There is a reason for this, and that is they must first produce high quality product consistently for a period of time sufficient to convince me they are worthy of inclusion. So these bands are sort of pre-screened. Flotsam is one of these elite, and they do not falter for a moment in delivering the quality music I expect them to.
"From the first moments of the album, they make one thing quite clear: they are here to rip your face off as only Flotsam and Jetsam can." From the first moments of the album, they make one thing quite clear: they are here to rip your face off as only Flotsam and Jetsam can. Featuring the amazing combination of the skill and talent of everyone in the band, with the lyrical imagery and golden vocals of Eric A.K., My God is a dynamic work of artistry. Well balanced, with enough balls-out metallic glory, melodic groove, and virtuoso musicianship infused into the various tracks to make just about every metalhead happy. It may well be the strength, rhythm, and precision Eric A.K. delivers which drives this straight over the top from incredible to astounding, but the intricately woven foundation the rest of the band lays down is essential. Every member of the Flotsam and Jetsam team turned in a fantastic effort, and I am finding it endlessly entertaining.
I think I've listened to My God at least 20 times by now. I know that when I become as obsessed with an album as I have been with this one for the last month, it is unquestionably great. There is a space in my heart that only this band can fill, it's true, and I wouldn't imagine telling you otherwise. However, what I am attempting to explain is that you don't have to be a die-hard Flotsam and Jetsam fan to love this album. I believe that anyone who truly loves all that is metal is going to become hooked on this disc, just as I have. So where does it fall on the continuum of Flotsam releases? Who the hell cares? Camp out on your record store's doorstep May 22!
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