Most of the famous USA metal bands are very predictable. This can be understood: when you see that some scheme brings profit, there is a great temptation to use it again and again (sometimes only by changing some shades). Initially, I thought about Flotsam & Jetsam in the same way - what can a band that has existed for 38 years show what's new?
My Rating: 68/100 Best song: Prepare for Chaos
Unfortunately, I was not mistaken - nothing new can be seen here. The general idea of madness, chaos, strong personality has been exploited by Western metal band for more than 40 years. Needless to say, this has already have a dry mouth? However, this is a rhetorical question. Here you can hear patterns characteristic of thrash metal: triplets on guitar, skank beat on drums. Also here you can see patterns characteristic of power metal, which are not limited to some inserts of something melodic. I can't say that this combination is very common: I can only remember two bands that I constantly listen (Lujaneeza and 1/3 of Aldious songs). Well, this is a nice detail.
Composer's work is also enjoyable. There is a lot of experience here. But composer's experience is used rather trivially: only patterns without attention to shades. That is, the sound is very powerful, but the public has heard similar patterns many times.
Vocalist's job is also good. It's noticeable that vocalist also has good abilities. But the main part of vocalist’s work is aimed at maximum compatibility with the overall structure. Here the vocalist is not a separate person, but just another element of the overall structure. Such shade spoils the impression of his work.
Instrumental parts - everything is very predictable here. Here composer is trying to portray diversity. Keyword is “trying”. Guitar riffs are not very complex. Even during the audition, I realized how it's played (although I am not a professional). But in general, guitar riffs look very powerful. Rhythm section is also very powerful. It's noticeable that bass was given a lot of attention. Unfortunately, not the composer paid much attention to the bass, but the sound designer - only reamping is good here. However, drums are incredible. Here is a high intensity drum patterns. The main part of the impression is drums.
Yes it's beautiful. Yes, it's powerful. But this is just another repetition of successful model. This is one of the reasons why I don’t like famous Western bands - not enough just to drive at full speed, sometimes road can be bumpy. Those who miss the NWOBHM or some mallcore kid can listen to it. But for aesthetic person it will be just another release from the West. Guys did everything right, but the absence of many shades significantly spoils the impression of the album. Album was not even helped by a hint of conceptuality. Well, the review is generally neutral, but I feel sorry for the time spent.
