by Matman
With the buzz of amplified chaos still ringing in my brain and ears, I thought this would be a great time to write my review of last nights Flotsam and Jetsam set. Opening for Hammerfall at the Worcester Palladium, the band had a big task ahead of them... and they not only delivered but made a huge fan of me. My history with Flotsam and Jetsam was one more of curiosity. When they first arrived on the scene with the brilliant DOOMSDAY FOR THE DECEIVER in 1986, I thought they were a solid band who was a more aggressive and heavier Iron Maiden, but my hard rock/heavy metal musical tastes back then were more aligned with Iron Maiden, UFO, Dokken and Stryper so I never gave them a chance to have a lasting impact on me. That was stupid!!!!!! Since they were opening the show, the fans were witness to a nine song attack that never let you breathe! Opening with The Incantation and diving right into the thundering Monkey Wrench, Flotsam And Jetsam proved a few things to me; they are an amazing band live and play a style of music that is built for the live stage. Musically, they are not just a 'thrash' band; they are heavy, fast and loud but they also have a lot of personality and talent in their songs and playing. Sure their classic stuff like Hammerhead, Dreams Of Death and No Place For Disgrace completes with anything that Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax were doing at the time and still hold up today, their legacy is NOT in the past. Their last album FLOTSAM AND JETSAM from 2014 was the most solid and complete album of their career and a few songs thankfully made it into the set. One of the real treats in the set was the song, Iron Maiden! Lyrically the song is about the infamous torture device but musically is a nice tribute to a band that had a big influence on their sound. This song is so cool for me because I always thought Flotsam And Jetsam sounded like early Iron Maiden (the first album and KILLERS era) if Bruce Dickinson sang on them. On stage Flotsam And Jetsam is as solid and professional as you can get. Vocalist Eric A.K. Knutson has got a powerful voice and a ton of charisma that brought the audience closer. Guitarists Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley traded off riffs and leads with precision and excitement and compliment each other very nicely. Bassist Michael Spencer was the unsung hero here, holding it all down as it exploded on both sides and behind him. Behind the drums was the 'new guy' Ken Mary who adds a lot of show and flair into the show. In a future episode of Power Chords you will hear an interview I did with Ken Mary where we talk about House Of Lords, his style and what he was gonna do following the show! Flotsam and Jetsam are amazing and won me over 20 seconds into the show!!! In the past two weeks I was able to witness live the majesty of Stryper, the spectacle of Ghost and now... the awesomeness of Flotsam And Jetsam. The band will be on the road until late June! Four tour dates you can go to their site by clicking here On November 9th, the band will release their latest album, THE END OF CHAOS of AFM Records. (SET LIST) The Incantation / Monkey Wrench Dreams of Death Hammerhead She Took an Axe I Live You Die Iron Maiden Desecrator No Place for Disgrace
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Let's Rock!The Power Chords Podcast is a twice-monthly podcast celebrating rock and metal music of the '70s, '80s, '90s and beyond. The show is co-hosted by Matt Herring and Brian LeTendre. Archives
June 2020
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