Band:	Flotsam And Jetsam
Album:	The End Of Chaos
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	January 18, 2019
A review by:	nikarg

01. Prisoner Of Time
02. Control
03. Recover
04. Prepare For Chaos
05. Slowly Insane
06. Architects Of Hate
07. Demolition Man
08. Unwelcome Surprise
09. Snake Eye
10. Survive
11. Good Or Bad
12. The End

Life can sometimes be unfair.

Flotsam And Jetsam generally have the respect of metal fans, partly because "Jason Newsted was there, dude" and partly because of their first two classic releases, but they have remained stuck in this not-so-prestigious position that lies below the Big Four, the Big Teutonic Four, the groove thrash giants Pantera and Machine Head or even the second-tier U.S. thrashers, such as Testament, Exodus or Overkill and I am strictly talking in terms of popularity here.

Having said that, this band now sounds clearly rejuvenated and more confident than ever. It takes a lot of courage to release a self-titled album 30 years after your debut but it was totally justified because Flotsam And Jetsam was their best offering since No Place For Disgrace. And using Flotzilla for the first time since Doomsday For The Deceiver and thus unleashing another artwork abomination upon the world is very risky because it creates ridiculous expectations and you really have to deliver.

But Flotsam And Jetsam do so much more than just deliver with The End Of Chaos.

The opening track, "Prisoner Of Time" gives you a glimpse of the all the traits that make this album addicting. The thundering rhythm section, the blazing guitar work, the soaring vocals, I have to warn you that I am going to run out of clichés to praise this record but it is worth every single one of those.

There is no respite during its runtime, as its 12 completely fat-free tracks press the gas pedal to the floor and feature every single ingredient necessary to beat you senseless. The End Of Chaos is full of insanely lethal riffs all over and powerful melodic touches, undoubtedly influenced by classic heavy metal, that make it as groovy and catchy as they come. Drummer Ken Mary, who replaced the incredibly talented Jason Bittner after the latter joined Overkill, is doing wonders behind the kit and gives a maniacal, as well as inventive, masterclass as to how drums should be played. Michael Spencer's bass is loud and badass and adds volume to the already massive riffs. But the absolute star in the album is Erik Knutson. A.K.'s voice has aged and matured beautifully, he sounds like the perfect mix of John Bush, Geoff Tate and Warrel Dane and it is so great and rare to hear someone who can actually sing in a thrash metal band. His sing-along choruses stick to your brain forever and are meant to be repeated together with thousands of people in live settings; I confess that I can't wait to see Flotsam And Jetsam perform this entire beast live.

Any effort to single out tracks is futile because The End Of Chaos is all killer, plain and simple. For those of us who forged our eardrums in the 1980s listening to the thrash pioneers it brings pure joy and a big smile on our faces; for the younger metalheads, it will push your neck muscles to their limit and, to borrow a line from the lyrics, you "will never recover from this."

Fucking hell, what an absolute fucking banger.