Album Review: Flotsam & Jetsam - I Am The Weapon

Considered the most under-rated metal band on the planet, Arizona thrash legends Flotsam and Jetsam are set for world domination once again with their 15th studio album I Am The Weapon.

I Am The Weapon was written and produced by the band, and the album's recording was spread across four studios (SonicPhish Productions, Gnome Lord Studios, Wayne Manor Studios, and Seventh Spike Studio)

The album has spawned four singles to date, including the title track, 'Primal,' 'Burned My Bridges,' and 'A New Kind Of Hero.'

***Make sure to check out our interview with Flotsam and Jetsam at the end of this review***

The album opener is 'A New Kind of Hero.' The slow and glimmering intro quickly gives way to a positively pulverising pre-verse section that gives us a taste of the sonic devastation that we are leading our ears into. All the instrumentation is shark-tooth sharp, and when vocalist Eric "AK" Knutson screams, "Superman is gone," you can hear him quickly cascading from vulnerability to strength, and he pulls it off with ease, which is a true testament to his vocal capacity. It is a theme repeated all across the record. While the tail-end of the main riff has a slight resemblance to Metallica's Hardwired, don't let that distract you from one of the finest album openers across the Jetsam discography.

My favorite cut on the album is undeniably 'Gates of Hell.' I find the track to be the strongest on the record with its pulverizing pace and strong vocal performance from Knutson.  At one point, I had to check my player to make sure I hadn't skipped albums, and I was still listening to Jetsam and not K.K's Priest, because it sounded like Tim 'Ripper' Owens was handling the vocal duties on 'Gates.' The back half of the song features some deadly death metal riffage with some frenetic soloing on top of it. I wish it would have lasted longer, but with that being said, it does not overstay its welcome.

'Cold Steel Lights' is another great song on the record. The opening riff builds into an anxiety inducing section, and as the drums and guitar build up, it sounds a tad off-tempo, which creates an amazing ambience. The band continues this audio trickery into the middle of the track, and the result is nothing but sheer genius.

The only weakness on the album is that while the performances are consistent from track-to-track, the production is not as linear as it could be, providing some uneven moments spread across the songs. Also, the guitar solos, in my opinion, could have been higher in the mix, but that is probably just a question of taste.

To sum it up, I Am The Weapon follows perfectly in the steps of its predecessors The End Of Chaos and Blood In The Water, completing a solid trilogy of releases from the band.

With I Am The Weapon, the band crafted a record that demands the listener's full attention and undoubtedly will warrant multiple playthroughs just to be able to digest the full course of metal Jetsam cooked up for us.

After a career that spans nearly forty years, Flotsam and Jetsam have proven yet again why they are one of the most consistent metal bands out there, and I am the Weapon is no exception.

Rating: 9/10

Track List

1. A New Kind Of Hero
2. Primal
3. I Am The Weapon
4. Burned My Bridges
5. The Head Of The Snake
6. Beneath The Shadows
7. Gates Of Hell
8. Cold Steel Lights
9. Kings Of The Underworld
10. Running Through The Fire
11. Black Wings