By Lisa Burke
November 5th 2016, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: Lately I’ve been exposing myself to quite a few different flavors of thrash metal bands that bring their brand of chaos together in a multitude of different ways, and they’ve started to compete for first prize in my head. I have to say the Bay area has excellent taste in thrash with the likes of Death Angel, Exodus and Hatchet being top examples. While old-school straight thrash is utterly appealing, there is something to be said about mixing it with other genres of metal, however subtlety, to create the perfect outcome. On Saturday November 5th 2016, I visited the Whisky for thrash maniacs Flotsam And Jetsam who came through on a US headline tour with Hatchet (Helstar slated to join the tour from the next show onwards), and local openers for this particular gig by Sweet Eve and Circle Of Punishment, among others.
I arrived to catch local hardcore groove metal band Circle Of Punishment and found their heavy grooves and honest vocals to be a decent start to the night. These five dudes mixed some old school hardcore with some heavy groove metal reminiscent of Biohazard with a hint of Pantera. They were far from generic, and the humble honesty that came across in the lyrics and tunes was an appealing trait as well. This evening seemed to be lagging in an overwhelming abundance of attendees until around the time of Hatchet’s set but the turnout was not too weak either.
Next up was rock n’ roll/heavy metal band Sweet Eve who honestly were really interesting and refreshing as they weaved in and out of alternative rock, classic rock, into classic metal, and back again. The drummer was key in making this happen successfully as he switched styles from rock to metal with ease, and as he set the pace for a very memorable set. The vocalist’s range was plentiful and the somber sweet tones rang throughout the house touching the audience in the heart. There was a tribute and acknowledging moment given to fallen drummer Nick Menza whom they had previously jammed with and who was a significant figure in setting their career. The whole set had plenty of taste and well planned out structure. Despite being the slowest paced band mixed in a world of thrash, they were not out of place as they might be a great addition to any line up with their diversity in songs and within songs.
All of a sudden the tables were knocked over as Hatchet came racing out with their very impressive thrash attack. The vocalist possesses such charismatic energy that it really can’t be ignored, though this weak audience tried at first as they denied him a mosh pit until he asked if they had to go to church in the morning and maybe that’s why they weren’t moshing. Finally the pit broke out and all was right with the world of thrash again. I just recently saw these Bay area bad boys on their last trip to Los Angeles when they played before Chris Broderick’s band Act Of Defiance and this set was as good as that one, and if anything, more energetic because they had more room to run around. I have no idea why people don’t seem to get excited enough about this band because they are really amazing at thrash with evil undertones and shred like no one’s business.
The crowd snuck in to almost double the volume as Arizona based quintet Flotsam And Jetsam was about to play an astoundingly enjoyable set. There are those few fans who only cared when Jason Newsted was in the band, which seems slightly silly since he was only in the band for less than half a decade and they are still doing wonderful without him. The singer is fantastic and while this thrash is progressive at times, it also has those classic heavy metal elements that really define the task at hand with grace, power, and attitude. The set list was diverse and full of new life with the blending in of their latest album titled simply ‘Flotsam And Jetsam’ and features a fun jam called simply ‘Iron Maiden’. Other highlights were ‘Life Is A Mess’, ‘I Live You Die’ and ‘No Place For Disgrace’. The energy was so high and the crowd loved the set so much that three fights broke out and security had their work cut out for them, dragging one asshole after another out the door. Good times at thrash high were had by all, and the unique shred tactics were jaw dropping at moments while the many stringed bass added the caviar to the cracker. The drumming was so good it went unnoticed which means the tempos fit in accurately with the rhythms. After all was said and done, this band may also be classified in modern day times as more exciting than new Metallica, but you’ll never hear me say it. There are still many elements of Metallica thrash in some songs but the progression strays away from anything ordinary or common and soars them up to another magical plain.
This was actually my first Flotsam And Jetsam experience and it hit high above any preconceived expectations, and it definitely won’t be the last time I see them if I have anything to say about it. I’m unusually happy to be able to write four positive reviews as this is usually not the case with lineups at the Whisky and the mixing of locals versus tour package deals. You’d be a fool not to catch these badass thrashers in action so get out there before it’s too late.
Flotsam And Jetsam set list:
01. Seventh Seal
02. Dreams of Death
03. Hammerhead
04. Monkey Wrench
05. Desecrator
06. Me
07. Life Is a Mess
08. She Took an Axe
09. Hard on You
10. I Live You Die
11. Smoked Out
12. Iron Maiden
13. No Place for Disgrace
14. Doomsday for the Deceiver
Encore:
15. Empty Air
Flotsam & Jetsam + Helstar + Hatchet remaining tour dates:
11/09/2016 – Omaha, NE @ Lookout Lounge
11/10/2016 – Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s
11/12/2016 – Cudahy, WI @ The Metal Grill
11/13/2016 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Headquarters
11/15/2016 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
11/16/2016 – Chesterfield, MI @ Club Diesel
11/17/2016 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel
11/18/2016 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
11/19/2016 – Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Club
11/20/2016 – Baltimore, MD @ Holiday House
11/22/2016 – Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus
12/02/2016 – Ft Worth, TX @ Tomcats West
12/03/2016 – San Leon, TX @ 18th St. Pier
12/04/2016 – Austin, TX @ Dirty Dog
12/09/2016 – Phoenix @ Club Red