Cuatro (album)
Cuatro (meaning "four" in Spanish) is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Flotsam and Jetsam, released on October 13, 1992 via MCA Records. This was the band's first album with bassist Jason Ward, who had replaced Troy Gregory the year before.
| Cuatro | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 13, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Studio | Dodge City Sound, Glendale, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:53 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Neil Kernon | |||
| Flotsam and Jetsam chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Rock Hard | [3] |
While Cuatro continued the experimentation with a progressive/technical sound that began on Flotsam and Jetsam's previous album, When the Storm Comes Down, it saw them move away from thrash metal to a rather slower, slightly more melodic approach. Similar to its predecessor, Cuatro's lyrical themes are more about politics and society as opposed to the occult and evil themes that were used on the band's first two albums, Doomsday for the Deceiver and No Place for Disgrace.
The album was re-released on May 13, 2008 by Metal Mind Productions, remastered with five bonus tracks and limited to 2,000 copies. The re-release also contains new packaging and liner notes from band members Eric A.K., Jason Ward and Ed Carlson.
Chris Cornell of Soundgarden co-wrote "The Message" and is credited as Christopher Cornell.
Track listing
All songs written by Edward Carlson, Eric A. Knutson, Jason Ward, Kelly Smith, Michael Gilbert and Eric Braverman, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Natural Enemies" | 3:35 | |
| 2. | "Swatting at Flies" | 4:03 | |
| 3. | "The Message" | Carlson, Knutson, Ward, Smith, Gilbert, Cornell | 4:32 |
| 4. | "Cradle Me Now" | Carlson, Knutson, Ward, Smith, Gilbert | 4:04 |
| 5. | "Wading Through the Darkness" | 6:06 | |
| 6. | "Double Zero" | 3:43 | |
| 7. | "Never to Reveal" | 4:16 | |
| 8. | "Forget About Heaven" | 4:47 | |
| 9. | "Secret Square" | 5:21 | |
| 10. | "Hypodermic Midnight Snack" | 3:46 | |
| 11. | "Are You Willing" | 4:00 | |
| 12. | "(Ain't Nothing Gonna) Save This World" | 3:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Date with Hate" | Carlson, Knutson, Ward, Smith, Gilbert, Ellefson | 4:14 |
| 14. | "Wading Through the Darkness" (radio edit) | 5:50 | |
| 15. | "Wading Through the Darkness" (industrial mix) | 4:39 | |
| 16. | "Cradle Me Now" (edited version) | 3:48 | |
| 17. | "Wading Through the Darkness" (video) | 5:49 |
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes.
- Eric A.K. – lead, background vocals
- Edward Carlson – guitars, background vocals
- Michael Gilbert – guitars, background vocals
- Jason B. Ward – bass, background vocals
- Kelly David-Smith – drums, background vocals
Other
- Orchestration on "Forget About Heaven" by Michael Gilbert; performed by Neil Kernon
Production
- Produced by Neil Kernon
- Eric Braverman – co-producer, production co-ordinator and the sixth Flotsam
- mixed at Pakaderm Studios, Los Alamitos, California
- recorded, engineered and mixed by Neil Kernon. Assistant engineers: Michelle Schindler, A.J. Justico
- Doug Beiden, J.R. McNeely – mixing assistants
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
References
- "Review: Flotsam and Jetsam – Ugly Noise | Sputnikmusic".
- Eduardo Rivadavia. "Flotsam and Jetsam – Cuatro". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- "Flotsam and Jetsam – Cuatro" (in German). Rock Hard. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.