Review: Flotsam and Jetsam, "Ugly Noise"

After 1995′s Drift, Flotsam and Jetsam seemed to do just that — drift off the musical map — with a series of disappointing records and a couple of long hiatuses between records. Then came 2010′s The Cold. Though it didn’t grab metal headlines or vault the band back to popularity, it was most definitely a return to form and the best material they’d released in 15 years.

If the band’s latest release, Ugly Noise, doesn’t put them back on the radar, there are a lot of metal fans out there who need their ears cleaned out.

The album, which was released to fans who helped fund it in December and got an official release on Metal Blade Records last month, finds the band refocused and re-energized.

Review: Newsted, "Metal"

Since leaving Metallica, Jason Newsted’s record hasn’t exactly backed up statements that he was into heavier music and how things might have changed during the dark period of Load and Re-Load if the bassist had more input.

First we had the lightweight alternative act Echobrain, which I tried to block out of my memory until a friend reminded me of it when I wrote a sneak peek on the first track from this EP a while back. Then there was Rock Star Supernova, a band that also featured Tommy Lee (Motley Crue) and Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and was created for a reality show. Not a sterling track record for a more-metal-than-thou guy.