This debut album was released in 1986 on metal blade records, it was recorded in just two weeks on a 16K budget, and even though it is (especially to today's standards) underproduced, this is still a personal favorite of mine.

Flotsam & Jetsam was a band from Phoenix, Arizona. They formed in 1981 under the name paradox, and after several line up and name changes Flotsam and Jetsam released two demo tapes Iron Tears and Metal Shock in 1985.

They created their first video "Hammerhead" from the Metal Shock demo: "We taped it in Jason and Ed's apartment living room. We also made a live video at the infamous Bootlegger in Phoenix", (owned by Gloria Cavalera, currently married to Max Cavalera) These videos and the band's demos made a good impression on record labels. After the band contributed to the Speed Metal Hell II and Metal Massacre VII compilations, they then signed a deal with Metal Blade Records.

One of the influential songwriters on this album was Jason Newsted (which joined metallica not long after this debut release to replace the deceased metallica bass player Cliff Burton). I wrote more about how i met jason and metallica in my previous mindfunk article

listen to the full album, it’s worth it

Trough the years (and hype) that followed after the release of doomsday, the band never really made it and pushed trough to worldwide fame, they kind of stayed in the underground periphery of the metal scene.

The band also went trough a whole lot of line up changes, but they somehow always returned with a new album. Some were flops, others critically acclaimed, but even in 2020, they still exist,

last year they released their 12th full lenght studio album ‘the end of chaos’ on the AFM label, and they have already announced a follow up.

It just shows that with hard work a lot of touring and dedication, you can still be there, almost 40 years later.