Flotsam and Jetsam ~ USA ~ Phoenix, Arizona

No Place For Disgrace (1988)

I figured it wouldn't be too long before I became reacquainted with No Place For Disgrace, and that day has finally arrived. I talk about this album in the Doomsday For the Deceiver review as being the only real time exposure I had to Phoenix's finest Flotsam and Jetsam.

This was the era that was transitioning from straight up thrash to more progressive realms, in particular the technical metal movement, sometimes known as progressive thrash. I remember being pleased with the album upon first listen, but as time went by, I began to hear it as more ordinary thrash. Today the phrase "ordinary thrash", especially from the late 80s, is a much welcomed guest. I was rather certain I would enjoy this album far more than my contemporary rating suggested. And that prophesy has held true.

The opener packs a wallop, and I think even when I was at my lowest point with the album, I would concede it was the highlight here. No Place For Disgrace catches the band at the professional Metallica level, perhaps two years too late to truly cash in, but certainly a great addition to the second wave of bands coming through like Testament and Death Angel. It's definitely heavier than their debut, and arguably more technical. The songwriting isn't quite at the Metal Church level, but it's certainly thought through. Listen to 'Escape From Within' as but one example. This isn't bonehead metal in the slightest. I think a few more curveballs per track would have placed them at the vanguard with the more proggy thrash bands of 1988. Regardless, still an excellent representative of 80s thrash.

Ownership: 1988 Elektra (LP). First acquired in 1988. Reacquired in 2026.

1988 (first listen); 2/5/26 (review)
 

High (1997) 

As noted below: "These are the type of albums I hope to find in a thrift bin CD pile." And here we go! I only knew the first two F & J albums, and I documented Doomsday for the Deceiver below. High is their 6th album released at a time when thrash was completely out of vogue. As such there are some trendy groove metal insertions. Eric AK isn't screaming anymore, sounding more like Hetfield during this era. Plenty of wah wah pedal bluesy solos and stoner rock moves. Back cover shows song titles using famous band logo fonts (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Van Halen, etc...), but it doesn't appear the music matches the style of these bands. In any case High is fairly ordinary heavy metal, an all too common problem for the late 90s. It's good, but nothing more.

Source: 1997 Metal Blade (CD)

8/29/23 (review)

Doomsday For The Deceiver (1986)

My only exposure to Flotsam and Jetsam real time was No Place For Disgrace (1988), an album I picked up and enjoyed but it never bowled me over. I kept it for a long time before ultimately letting it go. I wouldn't have done that today, but it's not a big deal. Only in the last few years did I finally obtain a CD of their debut. Of course I knew who the band were back in the day. If you were a thrash metal fan, who didn't? As any dedicated fan knows, this is the album that bassist Jason Newsted debuted on. Within that same year he would famously replace Cliff Burton in Metallica after he died in a tragic accident. But when this debut album was released, it was a rather obscure and typical Metal Blade thrash release, of which one a week were coming out back then. Doomsday For The Deceiver is meat and potatoes thrash. It's not particularly heavy for 1986, certainly nowhere near Master of Puppets. The dual guitar lines are crisp and melodic, and Eric A.K. breaks glass with the best of them. Newsted does show his massive bass chops here, and at times it seems he's the lead instrument. The guitar solos are a slight cut above, as Flotsam and Jetsam always had an ear for melody. As the years roll by, I do get a nostalgia pull out of this era of thrash, so I enjoyed a +1 listen.

This along with No Place are still the only two albums I've heard by the group, and they are still around to this day. These are the type of albums I hope to find in a thrift bin CD pile. Or vinyl in some cases, but of course they are now price prohibitive if paying retail.

Ownership: 1986 Metal Blade (LP). Lyric inner bag. Acquired in 2022.

First copy and since sold: 1994 Metal Blade (CD). Acquired in 2016.

9/1/16 (first listen); 12/23/22 (review)

Flotsam and Jetsam continues to this day with 15 original studio albums under their belt. As noted above, I'd be up for hearing any that have yet to cross my stereo.

12/23/22 (new entry)