Dreams of Death

When I bought the band’s album “Unnatural Selection” in 1999, I didn’t like it at all, and I swore that I would never purchase a product of the band, also having in mind the dubious quality their 90’s works had been churning profusely. Besides, I had a friend who was a maniacal follower of the band; he would buy even a collection of Mariah Carey covers-only performed by them… why waste my precious cash as it was clear, time and again, that the Arizona once-hopefuls were up to no good in their inauspicious 90’s crusade.

I was given “My God” by this friend of mine when it came out, an album I liked more but not to the extent to run and buy it immediately. It was obvious that the band were intent on reminiscing as much as possible from their glorious classic thrashy past, but that was a gradual process, one that might eventually crystallize even more on subsequent efforts. Said crystallization process hits a high on the album reviewed here, an intriguing combination of intense thrashisms and atmospheric balladisms, a strangely alluring conglomerate that doesn’t quite repeat the band’s past efforts.

It’s a pity that the guys didn’t think of this, disparate at first sight/listen, blend; it would have spared them a couple of embarrassing groovy shenanigans… first, because it comes served with an audible modern flair, if that’s what the band wanted to achieve all along; and second, it doesn’t sound like a drastic compromise with their initial thrashclad credo. On the other hand, it perhaps makes more sense for an outing of the kind to arrive after a string of weaklings, not only in order to sound more convincing but also to show that the guys still have it, and are by no means strangers to the still relevant at the time old school resurrection campaign. Pouring fuel into the very heart of said campaign with the intimidating on-the-verge-of-death thrasher “Straight to Hell”, the first verse from it a nice summation of the guys’ intentions (“waking from another nightmare…”), to shake off all the detrimental influences, and to embark on a trip down memory lane, with all the thrashy vigour the band can summon.

Expect boosted modern production all over, though, this is by no means a full surrender to the classic values, but one couldn’t care less about that ingredient, busy headbanging to oblivion on the short ripping “Parasychotic, Paranoid”, which on top of all that mosh also provides arresting melodic leads, the guys putting an end to the fever-pitch madness with the excellent dark ballad “Bleed”, arguably their finest achievement in this current. Sounds like a pretty handsome deal so far, the band throwing another fast-paced shredder (“Look in His Eyes”) to keep the pogo going, but it’s a different agenda they start pursuing before long, when they decide to pay tribute to their childhood heroes with the dramatic brooding Nevermore-sque “Childhood Hero”, the tenebrous setting requiring another ballad (“Bathing in Red”) to pacify the spirits, and by all means a spacey psychedelic instrumental like “NascentesMorimar” to add more to the introspective mood, with great surreal lead sections, tranquil acoustic guitars, and elusive ambient atmosphere. A masterpiece of eloquent atmospheric, not necessarily metal-related, song-writing that still has to be exorcised with a more aggressive finale, “Out of Mind” serving the exorcism with stomping ship-sinking riffs, a few more elaborate strokes, and a really cool memorable chorus… but don’t go, please, cause after a gap of silence comes a somewhat dubious continuation of quiet acoustics and Eric toiling over them with a dramatic semi-wail, the entire enterprise stretching to 12-min, the silent gap included.

Mentioning the chorus, there are quite a few of those offered, not that the nice chorus is something brand new in the band’s repertoire, but there are moments when the listener gets the feeling that there’s someone else helping Eric A.K. behind the mike, a not as attached, semi-clean timbre that kind of lacks depth and can’t really pass for able assistance. Could it be Eric himself, playing the Jekyll and Hyde metamorphosis for a bigger challenge? Possible, but if so, he probably shouldn’t try this on very regular bases as the intended dramatic effect is only partly achieved if at all. Otherwise, the man doesn’t disappoint although his levelled clean baritone epitomized since “Quatro” would certainly benefit from a couple of higher-strung tirades, those amply served earlier. Elsewhere the band don’t falter, serving their finest opus since “Quatro” again, a near-seamless combination of the afore-mentioned approaches, a both restless and composed entity that shows its wilder side before it gets tamed to an extent, its suppressed vigour always ready to pop up on the surface. “No Place for Disgrace II” this isn’t, first cause the band are not exactly in a full-on old school reminiscence mode yet; and second cause there’s simply no more place for disgrace left in their repertoire… the numetal flirtations are a thing of the past.

Well, not quite as some remnants from the 90’s could still be heard on the next two outings which did anything but to follow up on the loftier trajectory started by the album here. The Flotsams were still floating more or less aimlessly around the metal ocean, with coherence again dropped as the closest synonym to their endeavours. The re-release of their magnum opus in 2014 did little to capture the lost again ground, but surprises were to be served soon… pleasant surprises which put their name on the forefront once again. Will it stay there, with a potential to be carved on it for good? It’s hard to tell… it’s flotsams… jetsams… they have to float; they don’t believe in static, dust-gathering immobility.

Dreams of Death, Flotsam and Jetsam's 9th album, seems to be yet another attempt by the band to reassure their fans of their metallic creed, and while it's more successful than the album that preceeded it, it still feels underwhelming a tiny bit even in light of even the pedestrian Cuatro or Drift. More ambitious than High, like a slightly more metallic Drift or Cuatro, more focused than the disappointing My God, this is perhaps the point where Flotsam and Jetsam finally admitted that being an actual metal band worth their salt was something worth pursuing. Of course, it would take the next album or few for Flotsam to fully realize the potential in the sound they hint at here, and hints of My God and High are scattered here and there. Of course, Knutsen's lyrics range from amusing to inane, but his delivery is still strong enough to make them at the worst irrelevant and at the best good co-pilots of the melody along with the leads which are pleasantly abundant on this album.

Dreams of Death is a short album, but in the same breath I say that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'd rather a band release a short album of decent quality than a long album of intermittent quality. Dreams of Death has one good quality in that every song has at least something to like about it, and many have good riffs and good ideas. However, this still has the feeling of unfulfilled potential. The production, for one, is a hair worse than When the Storm Comes Down. On that album, it was forgivable because they were still relatively new in their career, but they had made 8 albums before this that sounded better. It's quiet and muffled sounding, and the rhythm guitar has no guts, nor does the bass. Truly a sin, because I'm sure this album would have shined with a more pristine production ala Drift or Cuatro, as it seems to be a darker and more metallic Drift, but with the same cleaner passages. I don't know who got the final say, or if they were on a deadline, because the production here is pretty lacking, especially after the albums that preceded it, High even included.

The rushed feeling applies to the songwriting, as well. There's a frustration I feel on the part of the band to come up with a convincing set of songs to put on an album and in their set. Don't expect thrashing the likes of even When the Storm Comes Down, let alone No Place For Disgrace. That era is long gone for Flotsam and Jetsam. However, they can turn out a decent thrasher if they tried, but too often they get mucked down in groove territory that saps all the energy out of their music. What makes Dreams of Death more enjoyable than its two immediate predecessors is that when it gets mired down in groove territory it still manages to carve out some atmosphere for it. No instrument is truly impressive yet the vibe they generate is enough to power a good powerchug of a six pack of drinkers choice and a salud of the horns every so often and a good feel as the sun sets down and the alcohol sets in. I wouldn't go see them do something like this live though, for what it's worth.

While I admire Flotsam and Jetsam their longevity amidst the constant turning of the wheel that is metal music, I can't say that I've been excited for or looking towards anything they've put out since When the Storm Comes Down, which in itself was a disappointing followup to the band's magnum opus No Place for Disgrace. Dreams of Death is just another case of the band falling short of its untapped potential, and it's not the phoenix we all hoped would rise from these undying ashes, but hell if it doesn't at least start out with a bang, and it proceeds to outclass My God in just about every department other than its production quality.

The Travis Smith cover art is admittedly trendy, but along with the simplified font of the band's moniker, it lends the album a mature character that had been absent for a great many years. Hell, with the exception of the similarly dressed 2010 effort The Cold (also by Smith), it's the best cover in their whole canon, No Place... included. But what's more, there was a simultaneous sense that Flotsam and Jetsam had fully returned to the hybrid power/thrash which spawned them, and executed a fluid grace in the first few songs here that were easily better than anything the band had put out in 17 years prior. Unfortunately, like the album before it, Dreams of Death treats us with the better material up front, and then sort of fades off into the backdrop with the ensuing songwriting. But this time, at least the first few tracks have a semblance of enduring quality to them.

"Straight to Hell" is one such piece, opening with a straight surge of energy that includes some clinical tremolo riffing that one would never really expect from the Arizonans, and then a lush dual melody sequence flowing alongside the verse. The tune seamlessly shifts between eloquence and power, and while it wasn't perfect thanks to the pretty mundane mid-paced palm muted guitars used to transition the better bits. "Parasychic, Paranoid" is likewise strong, a brief and controlled burst of surgical thrash that seems like a tag-team between late 80s Flotsam and Denmark's Artillery from the same period. Love the little melodies, once again woven through the verse, though they are almost done a disservice by the low volume. Again, they belt out this tremolo riff akin to old school thrash/death metal that takes one by surprise as it lurches into the playful leads, and by this point I had every hope that Dreams of Death was really the album I had been waiting for...

Well, it doesn't really hold up, as much as the band tries. Later thrashers like "Childhood Hero" are rooted in banal, mediocre mosh riffing, and there are far too many slow spots on the album like "Bathing in Red" or "Bleed" that continue that wannabe progressive nature of the previous album. Also, the bloated closer "Out of Mind" is an unfortunate contrast of bland thrash guitars and more inspired spikes of melody that in no way fills out its 12 minute bulk with anything hinging on the level of attention holding required for such a feat. I also didn't care for the piece "Nascentes Morimar", an instrumental with generally clean guitars that seems like something Joe Satriani would have included with Flying in a Blue Dream...sans the catchy leads.

Eric A.K. sounds decent, but this is not one of his more memorable performances as most of the vocal lines are entirely throwaway. I also felt that the mix was a bit dry, lacking the depth of its predecessor and perhaps that went a long way to subduing some of the heavier riffs. So, really, Dreams of Death plays out like a massive swan dive, opening with some attitude, charisma and well purposed riffing and then quickly plummeting into more of the same mediocrity they had been releasing for years. The lyrics were still mediocre, though not so sorry as a few of the albums before it, and the riffing quality just not prevalent. Again, we're not talking an awful record by any means, but a sinking ship. A shame, really, but not the first or last for this band.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

In brevity, I love this album and recommend it to thrash, heavy and speed metal fans worldwide. It is full of awesome riffs, interesting stories/lyrics, and all out good metal.

For those of you who remain uninspired, however, I will continue this in more detail.

Dreams of Death is embarrassingly my first engagement with Flotsam and Jetsam, a band who tenure in at over 20 years. I picked it up from a closing music store and was pleasantly surprised with my find.

The music from this CD reminds me of old school innovative sound. It has everything a metalhead can ask for. There's technicality, melody and creativity in both the instruments and vocals. The music isn’t anything revolutionary in terms of ‘new’, but the content is written in an original style. It’s almost like the elite of 80’s heavy and thrash combined. Occasional tempo changes breach the speakers mid-song and are even more common from song to song sparking interest. Powerful melodies bounce around inside bystander’s heads, and the cadence of choruses, bridges and solos is far from disappointing.

F&J do not bore lyrically either, but I think they are not for the faint. Illustrations of schizophrenic attacks and out of body experiences captivate the listener in each song. Delivery of diction is clear, but not overly clean a la Rhapsody inspired style. A degree of rasp is present in the vocals, but the distortion is healthy and does not detract from audibility.

I cannot speak for the old school F&J fan, but for the rest of the thrash and 80’s lovers, this album evokes dreams of the good ole’ days.

I think it's a bit unfair that such an interesting band goes unnoticed after their first two albums which are absolute classics. Flotsam and Jetsam has shown many faces during all those years throughout 9 albums and on this little comeback album (as far as I remember, they split up for a while between "My God" and "Dreams Of Death") there is, let's say, some facelift done. They have never invented anything what hadn't been played before, but evertime I take their CDs I'm glad it's something new. This time is no different.

To be honest I expected something more in the venue of My God, nevertheless they didn't leave me dissappointed with this album. It's still some kind of original heavy metal (I can't think of any truly similar band) with recognizable voice of Eric A.K.. I always thought that he's the distinguishing mark of F&J, so it's good he returned and did some good job behind the mic. Anyway, it's hard for me to describe the music on this release because they have never played like that. I mean don't expect a milestone music or glam rock. This is Flotsam And Jetsam, so you will of course hear some good thrashing riffs (Straight To Hell or Parasychic, Paranoid) and great solo work of Ed Carlson. But there is also a lot of some dark, anxious vibe here, which fills the whole album. First it starts with schizophrenic intro and turns into two "paranoid" thrashy songs. Then it becomes more calmer... maybe "calmer" is wrong epithet, because the whole atmposhere is rather not peaceful. More like fearful and kind of paranoid. It makes the last track "Out of Mind" fit perfectly in the tune of album.

I'm not much into heavy metal, but as they were once great thrashing machine I started to appreciate more their 90s work. Maybe that's why I find this as a great peace of music. Highly recommended for those who are bored with current heavy metal. I hope it wasn't their last word.