Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to Flotsam and Jetsam‘s guitarist Michael Gilbert and lead vocalist Eric ‘A.K.’ Knutson at club Foufounes Electrique in Montreal, Quebec Canada on May 26 2019.
Watch the interview here:
When asked about status of a new studio album, timeline and musical direction
“The guys wrote like 40 something songs for the last record, so we’ve got a lot of bits and pieces we can steal from for a new record. We’ve already got two or three songs that are good and solid that we’re working on, there’s no lack of music for a new record, so it should together come pretty quickly. In terms of timeline I don’t think it will be longer than a year or close to that but it all depends on how stupid I am when it comes to writing lyrics or how many times I have to rewrite a song you know? Like I said we’ve got so much music to choose from already that it should go pretty quick,” A.K.
“In terms of musical direction the Chaos album kind of bled over into the power metal thing, I don’t know how we did that being a speed metal band a thrash band? I think the next album it’s gonna get much heavier. The new stuff that Steve and I are writing and what he’s putting on is gonna be fucking heavy as shit.” Michael Gilbert
When asked about memories pros and cons of recording their classic debut album Doomsday for the Deceiver
I was 17 years old so it was the summer time so I left high school to join the band. Most of the music kind of was pre-written and ready, that’s the thing back in those days when you would go into a two-inch tape studio session you had all your shit together, you did it all and you were out. You had a certain allotted time, we don’t have to do that these days you know we have home studios we have four Studios between all of us so it’s really on our time instead of the record labels time. Super tough timeline and very stressful when you’re doing the guitar parts between 1:30 and 3:30am ” Michael Gilbert
I was Superman back then, I could do everything in one take vocal wise. I remember having a lot of fun. I remember that Jason Newsted ended up in jail at the time but I don’t even remember why? Jason was in West Hollywood jail and we had to get him out. First time in a big recording studio so we were all kind of kind of star dazed and like oh we’re gonna make it you know we’re gonna be a big thing. ” A.K.
When asked about their touring memories in the early days with Mercyful fate and King Diamond
First time I met King he was in his hotel room cross-legged on the floor with candles burning around and doing some kind of you know meditation thing, and he says come on in. He was really wasn’t doing what I thought he was doing like praying to Satan or something I don’t know what I thought he was doing but he’s just super sweet guy super cool to work with. Later on we did the whole Them tour with King Diamond, it was that was a crazy tour. I remember a lot of that one, we did 90 shows with them I think something like that, it was ridiculous.” A.K.
When asked what it was like touring with Megadeth on the Peace Sells tour
It’s weird walking out onto a stage in front of 9,000 people like it was early on in our career , that’s a lot of people you know it’s pretty surreal and then to see Dave Mustaine walking around stage you know it’s like it was just fucking cool man. ” Michael Gilbert
“Dave Mustaine is a good guy but a hit and miss. I remember we opened up for them in our hometown and I was messing with Dave backstage before the show and to get me back he got up on stage and gave everyone my address and told them that’s where the party is after the show. So there was 3,000 people at my house and Dave and are locked in my bedroom and there’s people pounding on the doors. 3,000 people tearing my house apart because of Dave. Thanks Dave.” A.K.
