Band Line Up 2025
In an increasingly fast-paced world that appears to be interested only in the latest innovations, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM continue to be the proverbial rock in turbulent waters. For almost forty years, the thrash metal act from Phoenix, Arizona hasreleased new albums on a regular basis and toured successfully around the globe. The band has never shown any loss of form or weaknesses to speak of, on the contrary: Since the arrival of their 1986 debut "Doomsday For The Receiver", FLOTSAM AND JETSAM have delivered an impressive number of awesome offerings. Friday 13th, September 2024 will see the release of their 15th studio album "I Am The Weapon" on AFM/Believe,a recording that more than deserves its self-confident title. "I Am The Weapon" not only takes up seamlessly where its two outstanding predecessors "The End Of Chaos" (2019) and "Blood In The Water" (2021) left off, but also goes one step further in terms of musical skill andcomposition. “We`re very excited to unleash this album onto the metal community,“ states singer Erik AK Knutson. „We took our time, and crafted an album that everyone of us in the band is happy with. We went through a ton of songs and ideas to end up with the final choices for this record.” To ease the wait for all Flotsam And Jetsam fans, four lead singles will bereleased before the album arrives at the physical and digital stores: the title track (including lyric video) has been available online since the end of April, the official clip for the second single "Primal" will follow on 31 May 2024, "Burned My Bridges" will be out on 5 July, and the official "A New Kind Of Hero" video is scheduled to be launched on 2 August 2024.
To be honest, we were somewhat nervous making this record, just like we had been on ‚The End of Chaos’ and ‘Blood in the Water’,” reveals guitarist Steve Conley. „Those two records we were very happy with, and yet we always feel the pressure to top what we did on our last album. After finishing this record, we feel that we came forward with some amazing and at times unusual music. Hopefully the fans agree.” Conley references typical FLOTSAM AND JETSAM numbers such as "Black Wings", "I Am The Weapon" and "A New Kind of Hero": aggressive, fast-paced songs that also hold a number of surprises in store. Guitarist Michael Gilbert adds: “’Black Wings’ has an unusual breakdown section and intro, "I Am The Weapon" has almost a death metal intro and outro, and "A New Kind Of Hero" has an unusual arrangement and still retains a great sense of melody. We really strive to create music that stays heavy, but retains an element of melody as well.“ The atmospheric but not super-fast "Burned My Bridges" somewhat unusual Flotsam And Jetsam material. The same applies to "The Head Of The Snake", which is based on aggressive vocals and drop-tuned guitars, and the catchy "Beneath The Shadows" featuring a groove that’s a little uncharacteristic of this band.
"I Am The Weapon" was composed and produced by the whole band and the eleven songs were recorded at SonicPhish Productions, Gnome Lord Studios, Wayne Manor Studios, and Seventh Spike Studios. The superb cover artwork was again created by Andy Pilkington.
There’s every sign of a storm brewing and a hot festival summer in the offing. Drummer Ken Mary states: “We did just complete almost a month of touring through the US, Canada, and ending in Brazil. This summer we are scheduled at Grasspop, Dynamo and Wacken, and we will also be doing some shows between those festivals as well. We are looking forward to seeing all our friends across the pond!“
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM’s countless European fans join them in their anticipation
