I always dread reviewing bands that I consider some of my favourites. What if they are delivering a monstrosity? What if the songs just don't gel with me? What if the production is really crap, like they had on “When The Storm Comes Down”. That just worries me beforehand. Let me tell you one thing: I needen't haved this time. FLOTSAM & JETSAM have delivered once again. That makes writing this review a whole lot easier.

One thing is for sure; when the first riffs of “A New Kind Of Hero” come through your speakers you will recognise this as being FLOTSAM & JETSAM. Once the vocals of Eric AK are added it only confirms this feat. “I Am The Weapon” is the sixteenth album by these Thrashers from Phoenix, Arizona, USA, and like I said, they have done it again. They have been able to produce an album that is another step up from their latest one “Blood In The Water”. If you ask me, I would class this one as pure quality, like “Doomsday For The Deceiver”, “No Place For Disgrace” and “The Cold”, which I class as their three top albums.

What “A New Kind Of Hero” brings is the enthusiasm and energy of the first two albums with some very impressive Thrash Metal songs, like the title track “I Am The Weapon”. But they also have some slower songs that are more like very high powered Heavy Metal. A good example of that one is “The Head Of The Snake”. And the real treasure is “Beneath The Shadows”, where FLOTSAM & JETSAM goes ZZ TOP (think “La Grange”). I am mentioning all this to emphasize that “I Am The Weapon” is full of variety and diversity. But most important of all, it is also full of proper high quality songs.

In their fourtieth year of existence, FLOTSAM & JETSAM have once again proven that they are a Thrash and Heavy Metal force to be reckoned with. In the forty seven minutes that the band is entertaining us on “I Am The Weapon” there is not one second that anything feels out of place, not one note is not where it is supposed to be. And all the songs make you smile and/or bang your head, tap your feet or try to mumble along. That in itself is quite an achievement for any band, but to still be able to enchant and pleasure your audience after four decades of playing is worth an Olympic Gold Medal. At least. Hail FLOTSAM & JETSAM!