Dreams of Death

Dreams of Death is the ninth studio album by Flotsam and Jetsam, released on July 26th, 2005 via Crash Music. It’s a concept album revolving around the theme of death-related nightmares.

Four years after the band’s last recorded output, down still another notch in the record label food chain, and firmly in “they’re still around?” territory, Flotsam and Jetsam re-emerged with, of all things, a concept album. The guitar-work in particular is quite impressive, showcasing a pent-up aggression and desire to stay relevant and knock off four years of rust. Songwise, there are some gems here — the choruses are huge, there’s a lot of fluid lead work going on behind the main riffs and vocals, and there’s a cinematic flow to the whole thing, despite a short running time and a relative lack of those “ear candy” bits common to most concept albums.

Though Flotsam and Jetsam like to tease with thrashy openers, “Dreams of Death” maintains the band’s finesse and maturity, even as it bares its teeth for some surprisingly weighty moments. “Straight to Hell” and (especially) “Parapsychotic” are a vicious opening punch, while “Look In His Eyes” and “Childhood Hero” take a more anthemic, midtempo approach, giving temperamental vocalist Eric A.K. plenty of room to shine.

“Dreams Of Death” Album Artwork

TRACK LIST:

  1. Requiescal
  2. Straight to Hell
  3. Parasychic, Paranoid
  4. Bleed
  5. Look In His Eyes
  6. Childhood Hero
  7. Bathing in Red
  8. Nascentes Morimar
  9. Out of Mind

EDWARD CARLSON – GUITARS | CRAIG NIELSEN – DRUMS | ERIC A.K. – VOCALS | MARK SIMPSON – GUITARS | JASON WARD – BASS

Lyrics

REQUIESCAL

(Instrumental)

STRAIGHT TO HELL

Waking from another nightmare
It’s so hard to tell
Dreams are turning real and there’s a blood bath
Straight to hell

I can – see what’s happening
I know – almost everything
I can tell – when I’m imagining
Why can’t I – remember anything?

Waking from another nightmare
It’s so hard to tell
Dreams are turning real and there’s a blood bath
Straight to hell

I’m told – I’m a psycopath
? I’ll be in a paper ?
Killing – somehow clears my mind
Willing – to do a little more each time

Waking from another nightmare
It’s so hard to tell
Dreams are turning real and there’s a blood bath
Straight to hell

Never knowing if I’m really in reality
Never can tell if I am still asleep
Never knowing if I’m really in reality
Never can tell if I am still asleep

Never knowing if I need to – blame
Never to feel remorse or – shame
I never can remember what I do
I can’t stop coming after you

Waking from another nightmare
It’s so hard to tell
Dreams are turning real and there’s a blood bath
Straight to hell

Waking from another nightmare
It’s so hard to tell
Dreams are turning real and there’s a blood bath
Straight to hell

PARASYCHIC, PARANOID

I can see the writing in the sky
I can tell when someone’s going to die
I can see the end is flying
I can tell when death is near

Parapsychic Paranoid
Parapsychic Paranoid
Parapsychic Paranoid
Parapsychic Paranoid

When I see things how I know when death will come
How can I be sure it’s not just me?
Do I see a future or just a memory?
Do I see a future or just a memory?
It’s a curse
It’s a drug
A way of life a walk of shame
It’s a torture
It’s insane
And as I’m insane You’re all dead

Parapsychic Paranoid
Parapsychic Paranoid
Parapsychic Paranoid
Parapsychic Paranoid

When I see things how I know when death will come
How can I be sure it’s not just me?
Do I see a future or just a memory?
Do I see a future or just a memory?

BLEED

Knowledge alone is not what’s consuming me
No one at home, even when I’m not asleep

Demons are chasing me
Knowing that I can’t run
Teasing and taunting me
Round in my mind
Knowledge alone is not what’s consuming

Bleed the mind
Drain to see what’s inside
What will you find
Something you can’t explain
Bleed the mind
Empty the thoughts from there
Asleep inside
Brain activity rare

Demons are chasing me
Knowing that I can’t run
Teasing and taunting me
Round in my mind
Bleed the mind
Until the head is turned

Search the soul – can’t find morality
No one at home – lost deep inside my sleep
Search the soul – look past the hollow stare
Find my soul

Demons are chasing me
Knowing that I can’t run
Teasing and taunting me
Round in my mind
Bleed the mind
Until the head is
Until the head is turned

LOOK IN HIS EYES

My fast heart is beating
My soul cut and bleeding
My hells are too meeting
With the man inside my brain
I tell him the all as
I stand and I fall
And just to top it all
I pay him for the task

My guts I am spilling
I tell of the killings
With me at top billing
I take off the mask
His jaw starts a dropping
I say there’s no stopping
The blood I’ll be mopping
Right there on his couch

Another time he’ll ask me
What it is I’m thinking
And I will have to show him
I long to see him dead
The walls dripping red
From the axe in his head
And I’m sure now he’s dead
By the look in his eyes

Put me to sleep and hypnotize
See the dead stare in my eyes
Let your guard down when you try
To get inside my head
Dive in deep into my mind wonder
All the things you’ll find
A war is up your death is
Signed session over-dead

I think I’m starting to go
Crazy over wanting to kill
I think I’ll never stop the
Craving to see blood start to spill
I see the outcome when your heart
Stops beating and I start to sweat
I love the moment when you’re
Dead but haven’t taken your last breath

The cops busting in
In the middle of my sin
I stop and start to grin
As I see the bodies fly
In my mind I kill them all
Heads will roll and bodies fall
Blood and guts and that is
All that you can recognize
I come back from a daydream
Open eyes and start to scream
What does all this gore mean
Is it really real or not
Splash my face and rub my eyes
Maybe no one really dies
Open up to realize
It’s all inside my head

I think I’m starting to go
Crazy over wanting to kill
I think I’ll never stop the
Craving to see blood start to spill
I see the outcome when your heart
Stops beating and I start to sweat
I love the moment when you’re dead
But haven’t taken your last breath

I think I’m starting to go
Crazy over wanting to kill
I think I’ll never stop the
Craving to see blood start to spill

I think I’m starting to go
Crazy over wanting to kill
I think I’ll never stop the
Craving to see blood start to spill
I see the outcome when your heart
Stops beating and I start to sweat
I love the moment when you’re dead
But haven’t taken your last breath yet

CHILDHOOD HERO

When I couldn’t sleep
When I saw shadows moving
When I had to cry
I was afraid of the unknown
When I wasn’t sure
of where my next footstep would fall
He was always there

When I did some things out of my mind
When I let my life stray out of line
When I put myself in danger
When I just didn’t care
He was my knight in shining gear
He was my strength to face the fear
My booming voice of reason
Now my childhood hero down

I don’t even know who’s there anymore
He came walking right on in through my door
Through my door
All I remember is a demons attack
I had to protect myself from coming back
Coming back

Felt the pain of evil wrapping hands around my throat
Couldn’t run away cause both my legs had been broke
Grab a gun and shoot into the dark to save my life
Didn’t know what I had done till I turned on the light

Childhood hero down
Oh my God what have I done
Childhood hero down
It’s just a dream that’s in my head

Not just your father figure lifeless on the floor
He never should have just come walking through my door
I have to battle all the demons in my sleep
This is the company I keep that I keep

Felt the pain of evil wrapping hands around my throat
Couldn’t run away cause both my legs had been broke
Grab a gun and shoot into the dark to save my life
Didn’t know what I had done till I turned on the light

Childhood hero down
Oh my God what have I done
Childhood hero down
It’s just a dream that’s in my head
Childhood hero down
Memories and brains upon the wall
Childhood hero down
It’s just a dream that’s in my head
Why are all my loved ones dead

Childhood hero down
Oh my God what have I done
A shot in the dark has killed the one I love
Childhood hero down
Daddy what were you doing in my room
When I was dreaming death and doom
Childhood hero down
Memories and brains upon the wall
Watching my childhood evil fall
Childhood hero down
It’s just a dream that’s in my head
Why are all my loved ones dead…

BATHING IN RED

If you come to close while I’m
Sleeping or host of a nightmare
Don’t feed me the blame

You’re there every night in my head
Right in my sight as I cut the skin
And lead you to shame

As we hold and make love
I slip on a glove
So I won’t stain my hands
As I take you away

When I focus my brain
I see you in vain
I see you bathing in red

And I can’t believe
Your killer is me
And I hit my knees
And start to cry

I keep running and hiding and crying
And falling and trying to get away
Screaming and yelling and calling for help
As you die in my arms once again

As I wake in a sweat
Thank God it hasn’t happened yet
And I run to you
But you got too close

When I focus my brain
I see you in pain
I see you bathing in red

And I can’t believe
Your killer is me
And I hit my knees
And start to cry

I keep running and hiding and crying
And falling and trying to get away
Screaming and yelling and calling for help
As you die in my arms once again

I keep running and hiding and crying
And falling and trying to get away
Screaming and yelling and calling for help
As you’re running and hiding and trying to get away
Screaming and yelling and calling for help
As you die in my arms once again

NASCENTES MORIMAR

(Instrumental)

OUT OF MIND

I can see pieces of memory spitting
Like sparks from a gun that’s been fired and hitting
The skull of the soul who was so unsuspecting
And the look in his eye as he’s feeling the burn
I can hear flesh as it’s being infected
From hot burning lead that’s been flying so fast
The sound of the sting as it melts through the skin
And the intake of air that just may be his last
It’s happening again
The sleep in my eye is dry blood
It’s happening again
I can’t hold it back

Hold me
Hold me closer
Tell me
That everything will be fine
Hold me
Hold me closer
Tell me
That I’m not outta my mind

Went to a priest to see what he could tell me
Bout all of the evil that swims in my head
Well I think that his voice had been very relaxing
Cause I fell asleep – now the Father is dead
I started to worry bout what’s up ahead
Will I knock on the door of Heaven when I’m dead
Will they know it’s not me that I’m not a killer
I don’t even know what I did while I’m out
It’s happening again
The sleep in my eye is dry blood
It’s happening again
I can’t hold it back

Show me
Show me reasons
Tell me
Why it’s wrong to take lives
Show me
Show me more
Tell me
Why I’m not outta my mind

Show me
Show me reasons
Tell me
Why it’s wrong to take lives
Show me
Show me more
Tell me
Why I’m not outta my mind