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Blood In The Water (Digipak)
"After setting the bar high with The End Of Chaos, Flotsam And Jetsam quickly returned to the studio for the next installment. While it’s debatable whether they surpassed the catchy hooks and riffs from their last album, Blood In The Water proves they haven’t lost their edge in two short years.
Compared to Overkill, these two bands have a similar trajectory as they both launched two albums within the same time span.
Despite the impeccable drumming, riffs, and satisfying range of Erick Knutson, it’s worth noting how much time passed since the last album. If Blood In The Water has any flaws, it’s trying to outcompete with The End Of Chaos which is still fresh in public memory. As The Wings Of War sounded a little repetitive sounding right after The Grinding Wheel, Flotsam And Jetsam have already outdone the competition in the 2010s and hearing more content is just a bonus for the fans.
Overall, Flotsam And Jetsam seem to rein in their best effort when the songs are built around Knutson stretching the verse instead of the fast talking style found on most of the opening tracks and that’s prevalent on this album especially. Blood In The Water has an Act I and Act II in that regard, divided by the speed metal in the former and melodic leanings in the latter.
Act I begins with the thunderous intro by Ken K Mary, who is among the best performers on the album. “A Place To Die” and “Walls” summarize the main takeaway listeners might have at first. It’s great and everything we want from the remnants of the thrash/speed metal bands, yet hard to rank above their extensive, 21st-century catalog. At best, fans can enjoy adding more songs to their playlists and depend on the band to never get distracted in the studio.
The title track draws the most distinction from the previous opening track, “Prisoner Of Time.” While Blood In The Water is faster and heavier than the latter, it never reaches the melodic depth that The End Of Chaos thrives in. Whereas they used bassist Michael Spencer to tone down the tempo after the intro, the band is interested in keeping those fast tempos and revolving most of the songs around that formula. Speed and aggression is the strongest trait of the band now, after excelling in everything else.
Act II is where the pace starts to change. “Cry For The Dead” offers the first break from the thrash theme found all throughout the first 20 minutes of the album before going right back to standout tracks like “Dragon.”
“Undone” is somewhat of a throwback to their late-’90s roots with the alternative-centered songwriting making a surprising return. They even had time to have a brief symphonic moment towards the end of their intense closing track, “7 seconds.”
The duo between Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley cannot be overstated since the most epic solos and shredding should be credited to them.
Continuing the modern thrash sound distinct from the 80’s and 90’s material, Flotsam And Jetsam are retaining their legacy as one of the few bands that kept the multiple riffs in one song rule and matured with time while staying relevant." - New Noise