Flotsam and Jetsam - I am the Weapon (2024)

Country: USA
Style: Heavy/Thrash Metal
Rating: 8/10
Release Date: 13 Sep 2024
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I bought Flotsam and Jetsam's debut album on original release in 1986 but I hadn't moved to their home town of Phoenix by then; I was on the other side of the pond listening in my bedroom in rural Yorkshire. Given that I've been in Phoenix for twenty years now, it's about time I caught them live and I finally did so earlier this year. They were as good as I'd hoped they would be, given that they were touring on the back of two of the best albums of their career, The End of Chaos and Blood in the Water. This is probably the least of the three, but it's still a damn good album worthy of being on my Highly Recommended List for the year. I've played it a lot today and it's as fresh as it was on a first listen.

My primary note is that it's less thrashy than usual, continuing in the vein of Blood on the Water in combining thrash with power metal and good old fashioned heavy metal. Gates of Hell blisters out of the, well, gate, courtesy of some frantic drumming from Ken Mary, but it doesn't show up until seven tracks in and, when it does, it makes us realise a lot of what came before it wasn't remotely as fast. Cold Steel Lights blisters early too, so the band are still willing to get fast, but they tend to slow down a little to bolster the melodies and hooks.

As I pointed out in my review of Blood on the Water, the obvious influences here are to bands like Iron Maiden and Queensrÿche, with occasional nods to bands a generation further back. There's a lot of seventies on Beneath the Shadows, where the bluesy bounce of the riffs reminds of ZZ Top's La Grange and the chorus builds like Deep Purple. Sure, it finds some Pantera guitar moments late but it's a look further back than usual for the Flots. By comparison, Maiden are everywhere here, most effectively on Burned My Bridges and Beneath the Shadows.

Those two are among my highlights this time out, along with Cold Steel Lights and it probably isn't a coincidence that these three have the most successful hooks. The verses are memorably melodic and the choruses are even catchier. They all build emphatically well too, reaching powerful grooves that take them home, usually with impressive use of backing vocals to deepen them further. Back in April, my highlight from their live set was The Walls, from Blood in the Water, even above all the classics I've been wanting to hear live for almost four decades. These unfold in the same vein.

That means that, while I'm an old school speed metal nut and prefer my thrash metal to be as fast as possible, I apparently appreciate the hooks that Eric A.K. hurls out even more and he has plenty of those here. It might seem like a gimme, but he dominates this album. Usually, I'm just as caught up in the guitarwork on Flots albums, but I found myself focusing on the vocals more this time out. And that's even though Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley deliver the goods yet again. They do just as much that's worthy on Cold Steel Lights as Eric A.K. but it's that melodic vocal line that's what I keep following. He channels some Ronnie James Dio on this one and that's no bad thing.

Given that I'm raving about yet another Flots album, I should explain why I think this is a little less than its two predecessors. One reason is that a couple of songs feel a little weaker this time out, a problem that didn't manifest on either The End of Chaos or Blood in the Water. I'm not as fond of Primal or Running Through the Fire. I'm not as sold on the bounciness of Kings of the Underworld either, with Eric A.K. spitting out words rhythmically on the beat, almost like an old school rapper, even if he sings rather than raps.

Another reason is that I kept hearing moments of other songs, which was occasionally distracting. It probably doesn't help that it started on the opener, A New Kind of Hero. Was that a nod to a riff in Anthrax's Madhouse? Was that a vocal progression from Whitesnake's Still of the Night? It's still a powerhouse of a song, exactly the sort of thing that should open a Flots album, and it closes wonderfully too. They always knew how to end songs, which many bonds never quite figure out. But those moments are there every time I repeat. There are similar moments on Primal and the title track that sound eerily familiar, even if I can't place them yet.

With acknowledgement to The Head of the Snake and Black Wings, which continue to grow on me with repeat listens, I'd call this another strong album from the Flots. It's a bit slower than The End of Chaos but just as melodic as Blood in the Water. It's a little less consistent than either, but even the worst songs aren't bad; they're just not up to the admirably high standard they're working to these days. It's an 8/10 release for sure and I'm looking forward to hearing a few of these songs in a live environment. However, I gave Blood in the Water one of my rare 9/10s and I find I can't do that this time.