Metal Army caught up with FLOTSAM AND JETSAM singer ERIC A.K. recently for a one to one interview. The band is out on the road supporting their self-released new album Ugly Noise, which is going to get a world wide distributed re-release from Metal Blade Recordson April 16th. Eric chatted with us about a great many topics such as touring the US for the first time in ages, recording their new album, the state of the music industry, and other topics.
ERIC A.K. took some time to chat with us on before their ripping set at the Worcester Palladium.
Easily my favorite album of early 2013 is the new album by FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. The anticipation was high for this release and with good reason. The bands’ amazing groundswell of fans making their PledgeMusic campaign was one. The reunion of the Cuatro lineup of the band was another reason to get stoked. When we interviewed guitarist MICHAEL GILBERT last summer about the contributions ofearly member JASON NEWSTED to the new album, marking his return to heavy music, that was yet another. 2010′s “The Cold” wasn’t a bad album, but perhaps it lacked some of the fire the band had. With so many of the classic 1980s Thrash Metal bands turning out excellent records, I was just excited to hear what these guys, reunited and hungry were gonna do with their chance. They certainly did not disappoint. The finished album, self-produced by the band, is totally killer.
“Ugly Noise” kicks off the album in dramatic style with sweeping piano and movie quality, thematic guitar riffs. It has the feeling of the royal the pronouncement of a battle about to take place. After about a minute of this intro, the main beat and riff chime in and just crush it. Such a classic sound of Thrash, one that is both old-school and modern all at once. Then there is singer ERIC A.K. and his performance which pretty much sets the table for the entire album. He teases you with one haunting line at the start of the song. However, it is the swelling verses that increase in passion and anguish each time through the track that really captivate you. Eric has always had one of the preeminent voices in metal, and he announces his return with grand style. His range is outstanding and he carries enough grit to keep things tough. There is also a stellar guitar solo, and a some cool backing vocals by Gilbert there as well. A perfect track to start things off with.
“Giddy Up” is not just a cool song title, but also the galloping tempo of this guitar heavy track. In shape contrast to the epic feel of the first song, this cut hits you quick, has another slick solo and a great chorus too. It’s almost over too quick, but that is not a bad thing. “Run and Hide” changes the pace, by slowing things down and introducing atmospheric keyboards and Eric’s brooding voice. Returning bassist Jason Ward chips in some deep toned-bass lines as well. Flotz was never solely a meat and potatoes-type of Thrash band. Even early in their career, they had a musical depth and maturity their peers didn’t display. This song is an amazing hard rock/classic Prog metal type song that I wish QUEENSRŸCHE could get back to writing. “Carry On” flips the switch again, ratcheting up the beat and the fury. The area where a lot of the early thrash bands have trouble translating to today’s’ sound is in the drums. Luckily for these guys, band founder Kelly David-Smith slams behind the kit, always matching the perfect part with the track. “Rabbit’s Foot” is the only track even close to a ballad, but even when they go down this road, the song still rocks with a heaviness.
“Play Your Part” is flat out amazing and should be considered for a single release. Heavy chopping chords, more lead guitars and yet another cool performance for the ageless pipes of Eric A.K. I believe the melodies and lyrics of this album alone are going to be talked about for many years. “Rage” and “Cross The Sky” are both rough and nasty. Two different kinds of tough songs that fans new and old should love. “Motherfuckery” not only has a badass title, but is my favorite song on the album. Most bands that try to marry some kind of electronic programming with thrash riffs, usually come up short unless you are MINISTRY. This song makes it work in spades! The lyrics will hit home for anyone who’s ever been betrayed by someone of the fairer sex. You also have to give it up to mainstay guitarist Ed Carlson’s guitar work throughout the album too. He really contributes some great parts. The album closes out with the trifecta of “I Believe”, “To Be Free” and “Machine Gun”. Each is a short slab of rock and metal goodness with the band letting everything hang out. They have also managed the difficult trick that ANTHRAX did on Worship Music or FORBIDDEN did on The Omega Wave. Which is to say they made an album that is brutal when it should be, but goes beyond the confines of the style to become something even more: timeless and genre changing.
You can buy Ugly Noise from the bands’ website or when you catch them on tour.
Metal Army America spent some time chatting with Michael Gilbert, guitarist and songwriter for American thrash metal legends FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. The band is hard at work on their forthcoming album, Ugly Noise due out later this year. They are using a unique platform to produce and deliver their new album, using the social media crowd-sourcing channel Pledge Music to bring their music directly to their fans. Michael shared with us the thought process of using this means to make an album, the state of the music industry in 2012, the progress of making new music as well as a few surprises sure to raise some eyebrows and open some ears.
I’m not certain that the average metal fan realizes the sheer number and variety of bands in 2010 that are a playing a throwback style of thrash metal, not to mention traditional metal. Regardless of whether the band in question is made up of newbies, journeymen, or bandwagon jumpers, the fact is that there is more to thrash metal than EXODUS, METALLICA, KREATOR, and SLAYER. How about bands like TOXIC, AGENT STEEL, and HEATHEN? One listen to Atheist Crusade and you’ll not only understand the difference, but also figure out what Sweden’s IMMACULATE already knew; that there is more than one way to skin a (thrash metal) cat.
The short of it is that Atheist Crusade is an outstanding amalgam of progressive thrash and speed metal working on a multitude of levels. In terms of tempo, the rip roaring and off the rails pace at which IMMACULATE perform most of these songs is what folks in the 80s referred to as speed metal. God help those stuck in a crowded pit during live renditions of “Thrashark” and “Gutterthrash!” Then add to the barreling mania Mika Eronen’s high-pitched vocals, as well as his locked-in patterns and staccato bursts that somehow rides right along with – and occasionally dance circles around – the stuttering chainsaw riffs, fret-melting lunacy and supersonic kit workouts. The perfectly placed backing shouts provide even more oomph. Then there are the iron clanging and propulsive bass lines of Daniel Kallin that are a big reason why some cuts are mildly reminiscent of early FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, both for the furiousness and the musicality involved.
As if the neck wrecking and nerve fraying delivery weren’t enough, it is the “progressive” part of the equation that moves Atheist Crusade beyond tightly played and hammering thrash into a far more dynamic beast; and I do mean beast. Even the more straight forward speedsters come with twists that bend up and break down to varying degrees what might otherwise be termed linear. But it is on songs like the eight-title track where the madly scientific arrangement fuses up-tempo slamming, nutty vocal patterns, unhinged gallops, and superbly maniacal thrashing with an elegant middle section of guitar harmonies and something approaching 70s progressive rock (it’s not quite that “out there”) before breakneck intensity resumes with a vengeance. “Sanity’s Eclipse/Steel of the Missionary” is damn near as engrossing from a compositional standpoint and arguably nuttier from a fruitcake point of view. (more…)
