Nearly forty years after Doomsday for the Deceiver first tore its way into the metal world, Flotsam and Jetsam are not interested in surviving on history alone. Their sixteenth studio album, Rats in the Temple, arrives on August 28 through Napalm Records, carrying the precision, melody and fire of a band Michael Gilbert considers to be entering another distinct era.
For Australian fans, that new chapter comes with something we have waited far too bloody long to see. Flotsam and Jetsam will finally make their first trip to Australia, joining Mortal Sin, Hidden Intent and Livewire for four nights of pure thrash across Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
I caught up with guitarist Michael Gilbert to dig into the unusual beginnings of the new title track, the way he and Steve Conley build their twin guitar attack, Ken Mary’s influence on the band’s modern sound, learning when not to play and the challenge of balancing four decades of music for their first Australian audiences.
From “Conquistador” to Rats in the Temple
The story behind the title track reveals just how open the modern Flotsam and Jetsam writing process has become.
Michael and Steve bring Eric A.K. Knutson and Ken Mary a huge supply of new songs and riffs. Eric and Ken then help choose which ideas are right for the album and where something is still missing. During that process, Michael offered material he had originally been developing for a solo record.
One of those pieces was a Spanish flavoured composition called “Conquistador.” Ken heard something inside it that belonged to Flotsam and Jetsam.
“Rats in the Temple at the time was called Conquistador,” Michael explained. After Ken made adjustments and the complete band took hold of it, the song moved far beyond Michael’s original vision.
“It’s blossomed into something completely different than what I thought it was gonna be, but it’s much better.”
That transformation gave the album its title and produced one of the songs Michael is most eager to bring onto the stage.
There Are Always Rats Somewhere
The title initially suggests corruption inside a religious, political or institutional structure. The deeper you move into the lyrics, however, the more personal and psychological that image becomes. The temple can also be the human mind, while the rats become fear, anger, trauma and destructive thoughts feeding from within.
Michael did not restrict the idea to one meaning. He saw it applying to churches, corporations, bands and the relationships inside almost any environment.
“There’s always some rats in there somewhere.”
That flexibility gives Rats in the Temple room to move between internal conflict and the damage people inflict upon one another. Songs including “Harvesting the Hate” and “A Taste for War” confront abuse, cycles of hatred and humanity’s continuing appetite for violence without softening their impact.
Eric remains the voice carrying those themes, but Michael was just as quick to point toward the person behind that voice. He described Eric as an iron character whose vocals become stronger as a tour progresses, even if his bandmates must also survive an increasingly dangerous supply of dad jokes.
Two Guitar Voices Built for Precision
Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley have become one of the defining partnerships in the current Flotsam and Jetsam sound. Their styles are recognisably different, with Michael bringing a sharper picked attack and Steve often working with a more fluid approach.
Their recording method is not built around both guitarists automatically doubling every part. Michael revealed that they rarely record the same song together. If Steve writes the song, he will almost always perform its solo, which means listeners who recognise the difference between their lead styles can often trace where the original riffs came from.
The separation is deliberate. It allows one guitarist to lock the recorded rhythm parts down with maximum consistency while preserving a distinct identity between the songs each player brings into the band.
Onstage, those separate voices come together. In the studio, tightness takes priority.
Learning When Not to Play
For a guitarist capable of filling every available space, restraint can become its own form of evolution.
Michael sees a clear difference between the relentless attack of Doomsday for the Deceiver and No Place for Disgrace and the more spacious writing that began emerging around Cuatro and Drift.
“There wasn’t a lot of breathing room in those records. We were just on fire, let’s play as fast as we can.”
As the band matured, they began removing guitar parts and creating more room for Eric’s melodies and choruses. The arrival of Ken Mary pushed that understanding even further. His ears as a drummer and producer helped the band keep its technical edge while building the larger choruses that have become central to modern Flotsam and Jetsam.
Those spaces are not empty. They are where Eric’s voice can land, where a chorus can grow and where an audience can become part of the song.
A Modern Band Carrying Forty Years of History
Building a setlist for Australia presents an unusual challenge. This is Flotsam and Jetsam’s first opportunity to play here, meaning generations of fans have waited to hear the foundational material. At the same time, Michael does not view the present band as a legacy act going through old motions.
“We’re pretty much a new band,” he said, explaining that the group began evolving into something different several records ago and has now refined exactly what it wants to do.
That makes the Australian set a balancing act. The band wants more of its recent music represented, but Michael knows the classics must be there for people who have never had the chance to experience them live. He even invited Australian fans to send in their requests so he could throw their choices onto the list.
The first visit will also bring its own logistical adventure. Michael has prepared a compact fly rig for his guitar because the band will travel between Australian cities by air. Away from the stage, he wants to experience as much of the country as the schedule allows, although our spiders may prove a greater concern than any technical problem.
“I can’t wait to meet the fans,” he said. “It’s like a vacation to me, man. I wish we were staying longer.”
The Fire Is Still There
Almost four decades separate Doomsday for the Deceiver and Rats in the Temple, but Michael’s reason for continuing is beautifully uncomplicated.
“Even if the band didn’t exist anymore, I’d still be playing. I just love playing guitar.”
He also loves the group of people surrounding him. He described the current band as professional, funny and free from the egos and destructive habits that can make life on the road miserable. Their connection reaches beyond albums and tours. When Michael married recently, the entire band came to his reception.
At home, one wall holds the physical history of Flotsam and Jetsam, including the albums and special vinyl editions Michael has saved for his children and family. He jokingly dismissed them as regular records. For those of us who have carried this band through cassettes, CDs, vinyl and every era in between, there is nothing regular about them.
Rats in the Temple does not ask Flotsam and Jetsam to choose between their past and present. It shows a band using everything learned across forty years to create with greater control, sharper instincts and the same underlying need to play.
Australia has waited long enough. In September, the temple doors finally open.
Preorder Rats in the Temple
Rats in the Temple arrives on August 28, 2026, through Napalm Records.
Monsters of Thrash Australian Tour
Flotsam and Jetsam with Mortal Sin, Hidden Intent and Livewire:
- Wednesday, September 30: Crowbar, Brisbane
- Thursday, October 1: Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
- Friday, October 2: Max Watt’s, Melbourne
- Saturday, October 3: Crowbar, Sydney
