FLOTSAM AND JETSAM Blood in the Water | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by AFM Records on June 4th, 2021

Quick Background

Veteran Arizona thrashers Flotsam and Jetsam released their landmark debut album Doomsday for the Deceiver in 1986. It is their only album with Jason Newsted before his departure for Metallica. Flotsam and Jetsam went through several lineup changes over the years, leaving vocalist Eric "A.K" Knutson as the only constant member. Their current lineup also includes guitarists Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley, bassist Bill Bodily, and drummer Ken Mary.

Blood in the Water

Blood in the Water is their fourteenth studio album and the follow-up for 2019's The End of Chaos which is a good album. The new effort is a relatively long disc running for 53 min and containing 12 songs. All but one song ("Undone" with 3:30) are on the four minute mark. No intros, short instrumentals or anything like that. Just pure thrash metal from start to finish. That by the way was the same formula of the previous album. 

Flotsam and Jetsam makes a thrash metal heavily influenced by traditional heavy metal such as Judas Priest. It's very melodic and full of hooks. The vocals while featuring some drive are rather clean and yet powerful. With that said this album seems to show the band dialing up the aggression and sounding heavier than ever before. That can be heard with the opening title track already. While being one of the heaviest songs on the album, track 1 also features some catchy melodies and a big chorus. 

It was a good choice as title track as it summarizes the next 5 songs as well. The first half of the album is very good. I was hooked after a couple of spins. The guitars are heavy full of riffs, solos and crunchy power chords, the vocal melodies are really catchy and the choruses contagious. 

While subtle the band did improve the album variability and dynamic when compared to the previous record. Track number 6 "Cry for the Dead" has some slower tempo moments and that worked well. But don't get me wrong, it's not a ballad, it does go up and down, so the heaviness is still there, kind of "Beyond the Reals of Death" but also with a Iron Maiden flavor. 

Now we get to the second half of the album to me it feels a but of a hit and miss situation. The highlight on this half are "Too Many Lives" and the short and sweet NWOBHM inspired "Undone". 

 

The Picky Guy

The album suffers from the same problem as the predecessor, too many songs which leads to the album being frontloaded due to some fillers on side B.  While "Reaggression" brings also some dynamic to the album, I personally don't like the execution as it sounds uninspired, specially the chorus is kind of irritating. I also can't stand the 'oh oh oh oh' on "Grey Dragon". Other than that, nothing really to complain here. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

Overall a good album, (mostly) well written, executed and produced, it ticks like a clock and never looses the energy. Despite extending its welcome, it's a good addition to their catalog and notch better than the previous record. So I am giving it 81/100, good album, so check it out. 

SCORE: 81/100

Genre: Thrash Metal

Released by AFM Records on June 4th, 2021

Rating System

99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

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