Friday, October 27: Flotsam and Jetsam, “Empty Air”
Drift was the right album at the wrong time: although the interesting cover art suggested something more progressive, Flotsam and Jetsam’s final major label album was a relatively straightforward metal record that nonetheless found the band moving beyond its Jason Newsted-powered thrash origins. At the same time, “Empty Air” sounded perfectly of its time and place without sounding either opportunistic or dated. Eric A.K.’s snarl retained some of its old thrashiness, but also felt like a natural progression from the old days, while Michael Gilbert and Ed Carlson’s riffs reflected the simplicity of mid ‘90s metal but had a strong sense of craftsmanship and hooks. Certainly, Kelly David-Smith’s drumming had nothing to do with thrash, but “Empty Air” was still fully metallic at a time when such a thing was not at all appreciated by most listeners. In actuality, Drift represented one final gasp as far as major labels financing and releasing heavy metal, at least for the next 10 years, and while MCA’s complete apathy rendered the album a commercial non-starter, tunes like “Empty Air” found Flotsam and Jetsam evolving with integrity and a surprising amount of grace.
