{"id":103912,"date":"2024-09-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=103912"},"modified":"2024-09-17T11:25:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T10:25:29","slug":"album-review-flotsam-and-jetsam-i-am-the-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-flotsam-and-jetsam-i-am-the-weapon\/","title":{"rendered":"FLOTSAM AND JETSAM – I Am The Weapon (2024) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM
I Am The Weapon<\/strong><\/span>
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\nAFM (2024)<\/span>
Rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I should be angry with myself for not being loyal to these veteran Phoenix, Arizona-based metallers who have just issued another solid record, the 15th full-length studio offering in their long career. However, the truth is that my relationship with Flotsam And Jetsam is very much a like \/ hate one. I\u2019ve never loved an album by the band, although I did really like the first three \u2013 Doomsday For The Deceiver<\/em> (1986), No Place For Disgrace<\/em> (1988) and When The Storm Comes Down<\/em> (1990). After that my interest waned while occasionally dipping back in, such as with The Cold<\/em> (2010).<\/p>\n

There has certainly been a more renewed energy since axeman Steve Conley (Fifth Angel) joined the ranks in 2014, because from 1992 until the awful 2014 reworking of No Place For Disgrace<\/em> the band were average at best. However, the 2016 self-titled opus alongside 2019 successor The End Of Chaos<\/em> and 2021\u2019s Blood In The Water<\/em> were strong records and the quality thankfully continues with this new 11 song affair.<\/p>\n

Of course, I still have a few issues with this record like I do with everything the Flots produce. Firstly, there are the dreadful lyrics such as on opening cut \u2018A New Kind Of Hero\u2019, although musically it\u2019s a powerhouse, and \u2018Running Through The Fire\u2019 suffers the same fate with its appalling wordage. The album also seems to be littered with a few dull and, dare I say it, filler tracks, namely the tedious \u2018Black Wings\u2019 which should be far better as a closer but it just plods with little effect.<\/p>\n

The album does boast plenty of high points too. \u2018Kings Of The Underworld\u2019, \u2018Cold Steel Lights\u2019 and \u2018The Head Of The Snake\u2019 are lethal examples, especially as they showcase the band\u2019s ability to mix balladic steel and balls-to-the-wall heavy metal with thrashy tinges led by ripping axe work and a sturdy bass. Vocalist Eric \u201cA.K.\u201d Knutson also remains a force with his clear style that captivates with potent aplomb. But in spite of this being a strong opus I just can\u2019t get excited by anything these guys do, although it\u2019s not for the want of trying.<\/p>\n

Like previous outings, I Am The Weapon<\/em> is worthy of attention, especially when the combo rips through \u2018Burned My Bridges\u2019, but at the other end of the spectrum \u2018Primal\u2019 just doesn\u2019t live up to its name. Still, Flotsam And Jetsam fans will enjoy this record, although my relationship with the band remains a bit frosty but with warmer echoes in the distance.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FLOTSAM AND JETSAMI Am The Weapon AFM (2024)Rating: 7\/10 I should be angry with myself for not being loyal to these veteran Phoenix, Arizona-based metallers who have just issued another solid record, the 15th full-length studio offering in their long career. However, the truth is that my relationship with Flotsam And Jetsam is very much […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-flotsam-and-jetsam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103913,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103912\/revisions\/103913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}