Flotsam and Jetsam is a thrash metal band formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1983. They are
famous for being the band in which Jason Newsted played before joining Metallica.
Band history
1981-1986: the beginning
The band's original name was Gangster, until drummer Kelly Smith and guitarists Mark Vasquez and LL Cool Kevin Horton changed
the name to Dogz. Bassist Jason Newsted and guitarist Mike Gilbert joined in 1982 and singer Erik A.K. arrived in 1983. The band
renamed itself Flotsam and Jetsam after a chapter of J. R. R. Tolkien's
The Two Towers.
The band made its live debuts in local clubs which would allow them eventually to play with bands such as Megadeth, Armored Saint, Alcatrazz,
Malice, and Autograph. Flotsam and Jetsam released two demo tapes in 1985,
Iron Tears and Metal Shock.
1986-1988: Doomsday for the Deceiver
After they contributed to the Speed Metal Hell II and Metal Massacre IV
compilations, they got a deal with Metal Blade Records. Then they released their
first album Doomsday for the Deceiver which was produced by
Brian Slagel. Many considered this album as a milestone in the history of thrash metal.
Bassist Jason Newsted, who was also the band's main songwriter on their first album (Mike Gilbert then replaced him as the
band's main songwriter), left the band soon after to join Metallica, replacing their late
bassist Cliff Burton. Flotsam and Jetsam found Sentinal Beast bassist Mike Spencer to fill
in Jason's place for a short time. The band signed with Metallica's label Elektra Records before touring Europe with Megadeth in 1987.
1988-1992: No Place for Disgrace and When the Storm Comes Down
Mike Spencer lost his position to Troy Gregory in 1988, and in the same year the band's
second album No Place for Disgrace was released. It is considered as a
strong metal effort by many metal fans. It includes a cover of Elton John's hit Saturday
Night's Allright for Fighting. The band opened for King Diamond in America.
Fifteen months later, they got a deal with MCA and began to work on
their third album When the Storm Comes Down, which was released in 1990. The
band expected to gain recognition with this album, but it suffered from a poor production a weaker songwriting compared to their
first two albums. Many fans lost interest in the band at that time.
1992-1995: Cuatro
Troy Gregory left the band shortly after for Prong and the band had to find a new bassist once again, eventually hiring Jason
Ward to fill the role. MCA told the band to change their style and explore
new grounds, because they thought they would never achieve success with thrash metal. And
so their fourth album Cuatro saw the band change their style mixing
thrash metal with grunge sound. The album was rather
successful, nevertheless. Flotsam and Jetsam made some efforts concerning the promotion: four singles were released and a video
was shot for the songs Swatting at Flies and "Wading Through the Darkness".
1995-1999: Drift and High
Their fifth album Drift was released in 1995, with three singles released off of
the record. A long break followed the release of the album.
They returned to their former label Metal Blade Records in order to play thrash
metal again. Their 1997 album High (which features a sped-up version of Lard's
Fork Boy) made a good impression on fans but did not match their early work.
Mike Gilbert and Kelly Smith left the band after High and were replaced by guitarist Mark T. Simpson and drummer Craig
Nielsen.
1999-2004: Unnatural Selection and My God
Unnatural Selection was released in 1999 and Mark T. Simpson left the band soon after. He joined the band again in 2000 to
record a new album, My God, considered as their most aggressive work. At that time Erik A.K. had founded a country band,
the A.K. Corral. He then left the band, demotivated after spending fifteen years waiting for success. Though Flotsam and Jetsam
did not disband, there was a long break at that time. They found a new singer in James Rivera who took over vocal duties live.
Later the band felt anyone other than Erik A.K. could be their singer and Rivera left the band soon after.
2004-present: Live In Phoenix and Dreams of Death
The live DVD Live in Phoenix was released in 2004, containing thirteen songs with Eric A.K.. Not long after, he joined
the band again officially and they planned a come-back album. The lyrics for the album were moslty inspired by Eric A.K.'s
nightmares. This resulted into a concept album entitled Dreams of Death like track 2 of No Place for Disgrace. The album was released on the Crash
Music label. The live DVD Live in Japan was released in February 2006. Doomsday for the Deceiver was re-released in November 2006, including their two demos, to
celebrate the album's twentieth anniversary.
Members
Current members
- Eric A. Knudtsen - vocals (1983 - )
- Ed Carlson - guitar (1983 - )
- Jason Ward - Bass (1990 -)
- Mark Simpson - guitar (1999 -)
- Craig Nielsen - drums (1999 -)
Former members
- Jason Newsted - bass (1983 - 1986)
- Kelly David-Smith - drums (1983 - 1999)
- Michael Gilbert - guitar (1983 - 1999)
- Troy Gregory - Bass (1986 - 1990)
Discography
Albums
- Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986,
Metal Blade)
- No Place for Disgrace (1988,
Elektra Records)
- When the Storm Comes Down (1990,
MCA Records)
- Cuatro (1992, MCA Records)
- Drift (1995, MCA Records)
- High (1997, Metal Blade)
- Unnatural Selection (January
26, 1999, Metal Blade)
- My God (May 22, 2001, Metal Blade)
- Dreams of Death (2005, Crash Music)
Singles/EPs
- Flotzilla (1987)
- Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (1988)
- Suffer The Masses (1990)
- The Master Sleeps (1990)
- Never To Reveal (1992)
- Swatting At Flies (1992)
- Wading Through The Darkness (1992)
- Cradle Me Now (1992)
- Smoked Out (1995)
- Blindside (1995)
- Destructive Signs (1995)
DVDs
- Live in Phoenix (2004)
- Live in Japan (2006)
External links
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