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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM “Rats in the Temple”
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM “Rats in the Temple”
By Colonel Angus
Back in 1986, when FLOTSAM AND JETSAM released “Doomsday for the Deceiver”, I thought that they were going to be one of the biggest thrash bands around. Losing Jason Newsted to METALLICA didn’t seem to slow them down as “No Place for Disgrace” was a more than worthy follow up. But then the 90s happened and many bands tried to continue but it was just not the same. Starting with “When the Storm Comes Down”, the band seemed to falter with release after release not living up to the high-bar they have set for themselves. Sure, there was some really good material sprinkled in those releases but they didn’t have the same spark that the initial two records had.
But like many bands of the 80s, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM is enjoying a creative high-mark in the latter stages of their career. Ever since 2019’s “The End of Chaos”, the band has been firing on all cylinders with this latest album being the best of the bunch. Throwing in some epic sounding (even a bit EVERGREYy-ish) here and there gives this a well-rounded thrash feel that hits all the right marks. They waste no time in pummeling us listeners with “Harvesting the Hate”. Right from the beginning, the production is full yet captures each instrument with the type of precision needed for these technical-thrash tunes. Eric AK Knutson may not have that same banshee wail that he once had but his vocal performance on these last few disks has been phenomenal.
And quite honestly, things only get better as the record continues. Tracks like “Last Rites,” “Absolution,” and “The Edge of Nowhere” complement the opener nicely, maintaining the album’s momentum with a series of quality, hard-hitting thrashers. But where I feel the beauty in this album lies in the roller coaster ride in tempo yet still maintaining a forward momentum. Grab a listen to the ferociously heavy “First on the Spike” and put that against the almost tribal war-like “A Taste for War” that has a great 80s vibe. There are even some MAIDEN-ish moments and none more prevalent than on closing track “Going Down that Way”.
Other quality tunes are the pounding “Blame the Knife” and power metal meets thrash workout of “Anthem for the Broken”. I know I mentioned almost all of the track but the result is that “Rats in the Temple” is worthy of being enjoyed from start to finish. There is not a dull moment on the whole disk and at 56 minutes, that is quite a feat. I would be hard pressed to trim even a minute off the record which goes to the quality of the whole damn thing.
The band has been stable since “Blood in the Water” and it seems to be paying off with this third release. Everyone has put in a great performance with Ken Mary putting in one of his finest performances. Bassist William Bodily, the other part of this tight rhythm section keeps the low end steady throughout. I also feel that Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley continue to come up with riffs that are both powerful and melodic. The whole band seems to be operating at the top of their game giving these songs the best possible performances. I have no doubt that given time “Rats in the Temple” will be held in the same high esteem as their debut.
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