Arizona's veteran thrashers Flotsam & Jetsam are back with another live DVD, this show recorded at 2008's MetalMania festival in Katowice, Poland, in front of a feverish crowd. Once in a Deathtime is just over an hour of Flotsam favorites, a tight set featuring classics from their early days and more recent tunes, showing a band that still has plenty of thrash metal to give, and lots of gas left in the tank. Despite some line-up changes over the last few years, the band seems solidified now and playing better than ever. Expect some familiar favorites here, like "No Place For Disgrace", "Hammerhead", "Hard On You", "Doomsday For the Deceiver", and "I Live You Die", all late 80's thrash classics that still hold up well today, mixing crunchy riffage, lots of twin guitar interplay, tight rhythms, and Erik A.K.'s mix of high pitched wailings & a more gruff approach. In fact, the singer's Geoff Tate styled passages and the rest of the band's more melodic, technical approach on "Escape From Within" takes that song very near early Queensryche territory. Other tracks from their post early 90's material, like "Smoked Out", "Never To Reveal", "Me", and "Swatting at Flies", reveal solid songwriting and excellent musical chops. Hop on over to the special features section, and you have a great, revealing interview with guitarist Ed Carlson & drummer Craig Nielson, as the two talk about the career of the band, the ups and downs (and you'll hear plenty of commentary on how a record label can almost break a young band) of a group that was touted for the big leagues but just didn't quite make it.
Solid stuff here, from an always dependable, solid band. Add in the fact that Flotsam played a full show the previous evening in another country, drove with no sleep to Poland for this festival, and pulled off such a strong performance, makes this even more compelling.
Track Listing
1) Hammerhead
2) Me
3) The Master Sleeps
4) Swatting at Flies
5) No Place For Disgrace
6) Doomsday for the Deceiver
7) Hard On You
8) Fork Boy
9) Never to Reveal
10) Escape From Within
11) I Live You Die
12) Smoked Out
Bonus Features-Interview with Craig Nielsen and Ed Carlson/Biography/Discography/Phot Gallery
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