Customer Reviews

High

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I discovered F&J in '92 when rock radio actually played "Never To Reveal" for a couple of times before it was finally shelved forever. The band sounded great and unlike any other metal act. There is a relentlessness in Flotsam's musical approach which gets the point across in no uncertain terms. "High" is no exception. From the hauntingly simple opening acoustic guitar on "Final Step" to the last sound of a breaking string on "Everything," this album pounds you into submission. The word "vicious" comes to mind. The band's performance is of the highest caliber and the recording captures it quite convincingly. My favorite song is "High Noon" which Megadeth would kill to write these days (Crush 'em, indeed). And just to show that these guys have a sense of humor, the lettering of the song titles on the back cover captures the logo styles of bands as diverse as Maiden, Priest and Van Halen, among others. Very highly recommended...

Flotsam & Jetsam have returned to their original sound overall and this album High is awesome. They were dropped from MCA records and returned back to Metal Blade records. On High they brought back that original more raw/organic sound that showed off the band during the later part of the 80's. This was the last album to feature the underrated drummer Kelly Smith and the talented guitarist of Michael Gilbert. All songs on here are the Flotsam that fans know and love. The last song Fork Boy which is an instrumental written by LARD...aka the awesome talented Al Jourgensen(his band LARD from the 90's) is the (sad to say) only song that is just average. The rest of the songs on High are incredible like Final Step,Hallucinational,It's On Me,High Noon and all the rest of them!!! I remember getting this album in July '97 and immediately bringing this album over to my friend's house and looking at the titles written in forms of other bands. Example of this High Noon is written to the Misfits logo,Monster = Metallica,Toast = Kiss,Everything = Yes, and so on ....which awesome. I like that the album's CD is an astray, which is I like a lot. Bottomline, High is a great album and worth owning.Get it now!!!

From Cuarto to Drift to High. Floatsam delivers no nonsense power. From the soothing acoustic guitar intro of "FINAL STEP" to the Bone crushing ending of "EVERYTHING". This last effort will not disappoint. "If the fire can't be put out let it burn,let it burn!!!!!!!

Looks to be F&J's sixth lp.After releasing three albums on the MCA label,the guys return to Metal Blade.Good move!'High' is decent trash metal.With cuts like "Hallucinational","Everything","It's On Me" and "Toast",one knows that Flotsam means business.I wasn't even sure what this band had been up to until here recently.Keep in mind that with 'High',some old fans may be let down.Obviously F&J draws at least some influences from Priest and Diamond Head.Should appeal to fans of Metal Church,Overkill,Exodus and Megadeth.A good catalog release.

Flotsam and Jetsam, for having all the noteriety of being Jason Newsted's first band, have surprisingly NOT taken off in their genre. And if any album deserved to get noteriety by F'nJ, it's this one. High takes all of the elements that they had tried in all of their previous albums into one that can simply be put as one Hell of a metal album. The opener, albeit a long and slow intro, is one of F'nJ's best songs they've written. I can't say enough about these guys, they're so underrated it's criminal. Buy this CD if you love the thrash movement of the 80s, C.O.C., Maiden, Priest, BLS, Sabbath, Ozzy, etc. Oh and by the way, THE FORK!!!

But I did this time. Sure there are bands that are BETTER than Flotsam & Jetsam, but very few that I LIKE as much (Only Tool, Monster Magnet, and Moonspell come close). If you took Megadeth's best music, added a better singer, and made it a little heavier, you'd have F&J. I wasn't a fan of early Flotsam, but in recent albums they've matured greatly. High is flawless. There is literally not a bad song on it. Plus, It has Fork Boy! Pick it up today!

High Noon and It's on Me.....thats it. Plus a cover from a good band Forkboy (Lard). Yet another below average album from this below average band.

I apologize for the somewhat off topic review, but since I was unable to leave feedback for a recent purchase from the seller "super-fly-books" I feel compelled to put this warning. Although I did buy this CD used, I feel somewhat ripped off as both the inlay and back tray cards were destroyed by a spill of fluid of some sort. Knowing this to be the case I would have bought the disc from a different seller, but to my knowledge it was not mentioned in the product display. I can't imagine that there is a replacement option so I'm really at a loss as to what to do. Be wary of this seller.

However, the rating I gave is both a comment on my purchase as well as the Flotsam & Jetsam album High itself. While the band tries to return to their thrash metal roots, I can't help but get the feeling that this album was rushed out the door with a hand written apology no less (on the part of the inlay card that I could read) saying "Lesson learned: It's ok to be metal". The songs just aren't very memorable at the end of the day, which is disappointing coming from such a talented band such as this (and their last with Drummer Kelly Smith and Mike Gilbert, who has just returned). I do understand that the 90s were not kind to thrash metal bands as I was there, but that's no excuse not to spend more time making great songs.

There are diehard fans F&J fans who will defend their Metal Blade albums (as well as their early 90s experiments) with piss and vinegar... but I think if you really want Flotsam and Jetsam at their most thrashy yet melodic, try picking up their newer albums The Cold and Dreams of Death, or their first 3 albums Doomsday for the Deceiver, No Place for Disgrace & When the Storm Comes Down. If you're a fan of new thrash metal like Evile, Warbringer or Lazarus AD, or even of metal core like Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage or Lamb of God, the aforementioned albums by Flotsam and Jetsam will not let you down, and they are readily available! Go get them, but if you do find that you love them... save this and the other Metal Blade F&J albums for a time when you have a little extra money.

I have seen Flotsam & Jetsam several times at Mason Jar in Phoenix, AZ - their hometown. I really appreciate that F&J play at Mason Jar (a small club) for their fans and not for the money. High is one of their best album. If you like speedy & thrashing Metal with lot of melodic guitar riffs , this one is for you. Get this CD not only because you'll like it but also to support a dedicated & die-hard Metal band.

An awesome album by an awesome band.
I have been a fan and supporter of this awesome Metal band since the late 80's and all through the 90's and post 2K.
It is a shame that such a classic, creative Metal band doesn't get air play and garbage from Nu Metal, rap metal, emo and other mediocre human cest does.

I have seen these guys live on many occasions and they always deliver. From Doomsday for the Deceiver to High, Flotsam and Jetsam has been one of my favorite metal acts and this album blew me away. I took a chance because I never heard it on the air but I am glad my gamble paid off as I have just added another superb piece of Metallic creativity to my collection. You owe it to yourself to own "High"!