Knutson sounds genuinely fired up about the single. “We’re super excited to release the first single from the album, which is very fittingly the title track, ‘Rats In The Temple’! This song has a lot to say, and we hope the fans love the song as much as we do. This is possibly one of the most technically challenging songs Flotsam has ever recorded, and we look forward to delivering this song live as well!”

The Arizona outfit built their name on a trailblazing blend of blistering thrash and soaring power metal, established on breakthrough records like Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986), No Place for Disgrace (1988) and Cuatro (1992). Their current run has been just as fierce, with the German chart-climbing The End of Chaos (2019), Blood in the Water (2021) and I Am the Weapon (2024). With appearances at Wacken, Graspop, Bloodstock, Alcatraz and Rockhard behind them, they have honed their sound to a fine point of earth-shattering blast beats, scorching guitars and epic string arrangements.

Rats In The Temple marks their Napalm Records debut, and Knutson is not shy about where it sits in the catalogue. “This record is a BEAST, truly our best effort to date!! Do yourself a favor. Dim the lights, grab a drink, put the headphones on, and crank this up. You will not be sorry you did!!!”

On the strength of that title track, we are inclined to take him at his word.

The post Flotsam And Jetsam Unleash Title Track ‘Rats In The Temple’ From New Album appeared first on RAMzine.

The Arizona legends have been a fixture of the metal scene for the better part of four decades. With modern renaissance records like The End of Chaos (2019) and I Am the Weapon (2024) capturing the glory of their inceptional material, and the Kerrang!-championed classics Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986) and No Place for Disgrace (1988) still raising hell on festival circuits internationally, Flotsam and Jetsam arrive at their Napalm debut on a serious run of form.

Rats In The Temple lunges out across thirteen tracks of ornate guitarmonies, pummelling double bass kicks, hypnotic bass grooves, and frontman Eric A.K. Knutson‘s unmistakably haunting wail. As the temple is besieged by vermin, Flotsam and Jetsam line the walls with grim tales of death, abuse, betrayal, and war.

The album opens strong with the stadium-ready hooks of ‘Harvesting The Hate’ and ‘Damnation’, before delving into thrash virtuosity on ‘Absolution’. The iconic guitar duo of Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley paint vividly ghoulish images on tracks like ‘Blame The Knife’ and the title track ‘Rats In The Temple’, then flex their metal muscle on ‘The Ghost Behind My Door’ and ‘First On The Spike’, invoking pure first-wave excellence with a pummelling modern menace. The legendary rhythm duo of drummer Ken Mary and bassist Bill Bodily take centre stage on the anti-war anthem ‘A Taste For War’, their methodical syncopation invoking images of tanks and boots on the ground.

Eric A.K. Knutson said: “This record is a BEAST, truly our best effort to date! Do yourself a favour. Dim the lights, grab a drink, put the headphones on, and crank this up. You will not be sorry you did!”

We’ve always had a soft spot for Flotsam and Jetsam at RAMzine, a band who quietly weathered the lean years of thrash and emerged in the back half of the 2010s with a renewed sense of purpose. Few veteran acts of this vintage are still operating with this much fire in them.

Rats In The Temple is out 28th August via Napalm Records on 2-LP gatefold (in black, splattered and Napalm Mailorder-exclusive white label editions), 1-CD digisleeve and digital.

The post Flotsam and Jetsam announce Rats In The Temple appeared first on RAMzine.