Flotsam and Jetsam

Phoenix, AZ's Flotsam and Jetsam have been around well over 30 years and other than a few years of inactivity here and there have been steadily producing new music. Flotsam and Jetsam is the band's 13th studio album and comes on the 30th anniversary of their well-respected debut Doomsday for the Deceiver. Little has changed in the band's sound over the years and they are still cranking out melodic Thrash Metal like it was the late 80s. I always found their brand of Thrash to be less like the Bay Area sound and more like the Power/Thrash of Helstar or maybe a heavier Armored Saint. There are some great riffs on Flotsam and Jetsam and vocalist Erik A.K. can still belt it out with the best of them. The album lacks a true killer cut but songs like "Iron Maiden," "Monkey Wrench" and especially "Life is a Mess" should go over well live (the last track being about getting drawn into the mosh pit). The guitars have a great tone and drums drive the songs along nicely. This album isn't a revelation, but Flotsam and Jetsam have enough history and cred to warrant your attention.