#eric a.k.

When a long-running act decides to self-title their latest album, it usually signals a statement of purpose and an attempt at renewal (just ask Queensrÿche), and so it was with Flotsam and Jetsam when they put out their 12th record in 2016. For one, Flotsam and Jetsam found the band on a proper label (AFM) for the first time in 15 years, but more than that, it was an attempt to regain their footing after the pointless re-recording of No Place for Disgrace in 2014, as well as their first with Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner.  And so tracks like “Taser” bashed with purpose and bite, with Eric A.K.’s vocals sounding almost Nevermore-esque in their bellow, and far more intense than the thrashy snarling he employed in the late ‘80s, while Bittner’s tornado drumming pushed the rest of the band to up their game.  The song was more power metal than thrash, but it was a natural fit for the band and reflected their good-faith attempts at growth, and in fairness, was a significant step up for Flotsam after years of aimlessness: indeed, Flotsam and Jetsam was arguably the best thing they’d done since the underrated Drift back in 1994.  Of course, Bittner had to up and leave for Overkill a year later, but “Taser” made its mark and helped bring back the edge that had been lacking for so long.

2012

Drift was the right album at the wrong time: although the interesting cover art suggested something more progressive, Flotsam and Jetsam’s final major label album was a relatively straightforward metal record that nonetheless found the band moving beyond its Jason Newsted-powered thrash origins.  At the same time, “Empty Air” sounded perfectly of its time and place without sounding either opportunistic or dated.  Eric A.K.’s snarl retained some of its old thrashiness, but also felt like a natural progression from the old days, while Michael Gilbert and Ed Carlson’s riffs reflected the simplicity of mid ‘90s metal but had a strong sense of craftsmanship and hooks.  Certainly, Kelly David-Smith’s drumming had nothing to do with thrash, but “Empty Air” was still fully metallic at a time when such a thing was not at all appreciated by most listeners.  In actuality, Drift represented one final gasp as far as major labels financing and releasing heavy metal, at least for the next 10 years, and while MCA’s complete apathy rendered the album a commercial non-starter, tunes like “Empty Air” found Flotsam and Jetsam evolving with integrity and a surprising amount of grace.

2006

1992

1995

1990