One of the most underrated bands in the US metal scene, Flotsam And Jetsam are constantly overlooked, despite releasing legendary records and spawning one of the most famous bass players ever. With a sound that has consistently been at the cleaner edge of the speed/thrash pool, they never got the cred their contemporaries in Metallica, Anthrax, and Testament acquired over the years. Hell, it’s been almost 40 years since Flotsam And Jetsam formed in Phoenix, Arizona and released their landmark debut, ‘Doomsday for the Deceiver’, the only album to ever receive a 6K rating from the legendary Kerrang! And that’s no small feat! Bassist Jason Newsted would jump ship to Metallica while the band released the unstoppable ‘No Place for Disgrace’ in 1988, another stone cold classic of melodic metal gusto. ‘Cuatro’ (1992), ‘Drift’ (1995), ‘High’ (1997), and ‘My God’ (2001) all still rank extremely high in underground heavy metal circles. But it was the first part of this unofficial trilogy in 2016’s self-titled ‘Flotsam and Jetsam’ that a certain rejuvenation and reset was clearly felt.
Fast-forward five years to a planet that was forced to its knees and you had one of the hardest working bands in the US still cracking at it. While spending most of the pandemic in a holding pattern like the rest of the world, this US metal horde made the best of a struggling situation and just let those creative juices and angst flow. What emerged was the much-acclaimed ‘Blood in the Water’, released in 2021 via AFM Records. Now they are back with the savage ‘I Am The Weapon’, and if the first single is anything to go by, it’s gonna be a rager!
About their new single ‘Primal’, the band writes: “We’re very excited to once again unleash Flotzilla onto the metal community! This time, he’ll take the form of our newest single, ‘Primal’. With ‘Primal’ we tried to capture the ‘punch in the face’ energy that Flotsam and Jetsam is known for, and blend it with a melody that sticks in your head for days… we hope our fans will embrace it, as we are very pleased with how this song and the new record has turned out, and we look forward to seeing you all very soon!”
‘I Am The Weapon’ will be released by AFM records on September 13th.
Watch the video for ‘Primal’ right here: