ERIC 'A.K.' KNUTSON Explains Why It's 'So Hard' For FLOTSAM AND JETSAM To Tour In U.S.: 'We Do So Much Better In Europe'

In a new interview with Dimitris Kontogeorgakos of Metal Kaoz, vocalist Eric "A.K." Knutson of veteran Arizona metallers FLOTSAM AND JETSAM was asked about the possibility of him and his bandmates embarking on a U.S. tour in support of their upcoming album, "Rats In The Temple", which is due on August 28, 2026 via Napalm Records. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "U.S. is so hard to tour in. I mean, if you're not with a good package deal, it's just not worth it money-wise. But we're talking to some people, and we'll get something going eventually.

"We just don't get out in the U.S. very often," Eric continued. "We do so much better in Europe that it makes more financial sense to play Europe, if we have the chance, rather than the States. I hate to do that to our U.S. fans, but bottom lines are bottom lines, and we get twice as many fans at the shows, and we make twice as much money over in Europe. So it's just a hard thing to do.

"When we go on a U.S. tour, I drive because we can't afford a driver," Eric explained. "We can't afford a bus. We can't afford crew except for maybe a sound guy. Once we start taking all that stuff out of the budget, we go home, and we've got $5 in our pocket. We're, like, 'Well, I should have stayed home and just went to work.' So it's really hard to balance what you can take out, what you can't take out. We're not quite a band like TESTAMENT who can have huge guarantees and pay for everything and still make money at it. Our merch does pretty good, so that helps a lot. But the U.S. is just really tough, and it's not fair to our American fans."

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's current lineup is arguably its strongest ever. Knutson continues bringing the magic, steadily improving his craft with every album and tour. He's backed by the incredibly talented, exceptionally brilliant guitar duo of co-founder Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley, the powerful, precise and lightning fast magic of drummer Ken Mary (ALICE COOPER, ACCEPT) and the "fresh blood", extraordinary technical skills and prowess of bassist Bill Bodily.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's new album will mark 40 years since the band's groundbreaking debut, "Doomsday For The Deceiver" — one of the only albums to ever receive a 6K rating from Kerrang! magazine. Though bassist Jason Newsted departed to join METALLICA, the band pushed forward, following up with 1988's unstoppable "No Place For Disgrace". Since then, they have continued to evolve, showcasing some of their best work to date with recent releases "Flotsam And Jetsam", "The End Of Chaos", "Blood In The Water" and "I Am The Weapon".