Quick, name the greatest thrash metal band of all time. No, not Anthrax. Nope, not Overkill or Testament. Slayer, you say? Close, I say. While those four bands certainly have created some of the best speed and thrash metal of all time, I contend that Flotsam and Jetsam is up there with the giants and in a class by itself.
Don’t believe me? Go back and listen to their debut album Doomsday for the Deceiver at maximum volume. You’ll come back changed. While most people only credit the band as being the launching pad for eventual Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, Flotsam and Jetsam is so much more. I say, pound for pound, nobody does it better.
HUSTLERMagazine.com caught up with longtime Flotsam and Jetsam guitarist Michael Gilbert to discuss the band’s storied past, the legend of a groupie called One-Eyed Emily, losing Newsted and the band’s brilliant new album, Blood in the Water.
HUSTLERMagazine.com: Do you remember the first time you ever saw HUSTLER?
Michael Gilbert: Of course, who doesn’t? (Laughs.) We came across a few issues at my friend’s house. I think his dad had a subscription. We would sneak a couple copies and check ’em out, but we always made sure we put them back as we found them so we wouldn’t get caught. (Laughs.)
Were you really 17 when you joined the band?
