Published: August 27, 2026 · 1:01 AM EDT
The veteran thrash metal band shares the final preview of its 13-track new album, arriving August 28 through Napalm Records, with 2026 tours planned for Australia and Europe
Flotsam and Jetsam have released “The Edge of Nowhere,” the third and final single ahead of their new album Rats in the Temple, due August 28, 2026 through Napalm Records.
The album marks the Arizona thrash veterans’ first release for Napalm Records and follows 2024’s I Am the Weapon. “The Edge of Nowhere” arrives with an official lyric video and, according to frontman Eric “A.K.” Knutson, centers on knowing when to stand firm even when speaking up appears unlikely to change anything.
Knutson explained that the band wanted the song to give listeners a sense of strength during difficult moments, adding that persistence can matter even when most attempts appear to lead nowhere.
Rats in the Temple contains 13 tracks and brings together Knutson with guitarists Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley, bassist Bill Bodily and drummer Ken Mary. The record continues a catalog that began with Doomsday for the Deceiver in 1986 and includes No Place for Disgrace (1988) and Cuatro (1992), alongside the band’s more recent run of The End of Chaos (2019), Blood in the Water (2021) and I Am the Weapon (2024).
Rockum first covered the new album when Flotsam and Jetsam announced Rats in the Temple as their Napalm Records debut in May.
Read: Flotsam and Jetsam Announce 'Rats In The Temple' as Napalm Records Debut Album
The campaign continued in July with “Harvesting the Hate,” another preview from the record.
Read: Flotsam And Jetsam Release 'Harvesting The Hate' Video Ahead Of Rats In The Temple Album
RATS IN THE TEMPLE - TRACKLIST
01. Harvesting the Hate
02. Damnation
03. Absolution
04. Blame the Knife
05. Rats in the Temple
06. The Ghost Behind My Door
07. First on the Spike
08. The Edge of Nowhere
09. Last Rites
10. A Taste for War
11. Her Blood Your Pain
12. Anthem for the Broken
13. Not Going Down That Way
Napalm Records will release Rats in the Temple digitally and on CD and double vinyl. Physical configurations include a standard black 2LP and several Napalm Shop exclusives, including splatter and solid-red editions with LP-sized booklets. Napalm’s official store additionally lists its transparent orange/black splatter 2LP as limited to 300 copies. A White Label Edition is also available through the label’s store. All currently list August 28, 2026 as the release date.
Rockum spoke with guitarist Michael Gilbert in 2021 around the release of Blood in the Water, documenting another stage of the band’s later career.
Read: Flotsam and Jetsam - Michael Gilbert Interview: Blood in the Water with Gino Alache
Following the release of Rats in the Temple, Flotsam and Jetsam are scheduled to tour Australia in September and October before beginning a European run in November and December.
Rats in the Temple arrives August 28 through Napalm Records.
Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist
IMAGE CREDIT: Shane Eckart
Watch Flotsam and Jetsam’s “The Edge of Nowhere” lyric video below:
