Flotsam And Jetsam Reveals New Drummer, Ken Mary, New Album In The Works

As they prepare for a busy season of touring, the legendary Flotsam And Jetsam have officially welcomed Ken Mary (Alice Cooper, Accept) as their permanent drummer. Mary, who began touring with the group last year after Jason Bittner was invited to join Overkill, will join the band on all of their upcoming tour dates, including a short run of European shows that kicks off this weekend at Germany's Keep It True festival. He will also perform on the group's in-progress new album, due to be released via AFM Records later this year.

“It’s always awesome to play with the mighty Flotsam And Jetsam,” Mary says. “The music is super-challenging and at the same time a great deal of fun to play. With such great musicians in the band that are also great guys, it’s going to be a blast!”

"We're excited to announce that Ken will be our new drummer,” adds the band. “Ken has already tracked all the drums for our upcoming album slated for release later this year, and we're all looking forward to the fans experiencing a new chapter in the history of Flotsam And Jetsam.”

A handful of performances on Flotsam And Jetsam's European tour will see the group perform their groundbreaking 1986 debut, Doomsday For The Deceiver, in its entirety. A new 180-gram vinyl edition of the album will be reissued by the group's original record label, Metal Blade, this week.

“We're looking forward to a couple of special performances of the 'Doomsday' album played in its entirety, with Keep It True being the first time ever the band has taken on that task,” the band says. “With Metal Blade releasing 'Doomsday' on vinyl, the timing couldn't be better for this special set. It's something we're all looking forward to playing for our friends in Europe."

Soon after the group returns to America, they'll hit the road again alongside Swedish power metal veterans HammerFall, with several headlining shows along the way. Says the band, "This is going to be a banging tour, and we couldn't ask for a more accommodating and cool group of talented musicians to hit the road with and bring our respective styles of metal to the masses. We have 10 headlining shows; before, during and after the HammerFall dates, so hopefully we're coming close enough to your city to warrant a heavy metal road trip. Looking forward to seeing our U.S. and Canadian friends and fans on the road!”

A complete list of Flotsam And Jetsam's upcoming tour dates appears below. More information on the group's new album will be revealed in the coming months.

European Dates

April 27 - Lauda-Königshofen, Germany - Keep It True XXI
April 29 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Stars On Thrash Vol 2
April 30 - Bari, Italy - Demonde
May 1 - Pisa, Italy - Borderline Dadga
May 2 - Pavia, Italy - Dadga
May 3 - Rome, Italy - Traffic
May 4 - Ulft, Netherlands - DRU Fabriek
May 5 - Izegim, Belgium - Headbanger's Balls Fest

North American Dates

May 14 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live
May 16 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar
May 17 - West Palm Beach, FL - Kelsey Theater *
May 18 - Winter Park, FL - The Haven *
May 19 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade *
May 20 - Raleigh, NC - Motorco *
May 22 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage *
May 23 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero *
May 24 - New York, NY - Gramercy *
May 25 - Worcester, MA - Palladium *
May 26 - Clifton Park, NY - Upstate Concert Hall *
May 27 - Quebec City, QC - Imperial *
May 28 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques *
May 29 - Toronto, ON - Opera House *
May 30 - Amprior, ON - John St. Pub
May 31 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theater *
June 1 - Cleveland, OH - Agora *
June 2 - Louisville, KY - Diamond Pub and Billiards *
June 3 - Detroit, MI - Harpos *
June 4 - Joliet, IL - The Forge *
June 5 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze *
June 7 - Calgary, AB - Dickens *
June 8 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room *
June 9 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre *
June 10 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon *
June 11 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater *
June 12 - Sacramento, CA - Holy Diver
June 13 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *
June 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Whisky A Go Go *
June 15 - Anaheim, CA - City National Grove *
June 16 - Tempe, AZ - The Marquee *
June 18 - Dallas, TX - Trees *
June 19 - San Antonio, TX - Rock Box *
June 20 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar *
June 21 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street Collective
June 22 - Denver, CO - Herman's Hideaway
June 23 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studios
June 24 - Salt Lake City, UT - Liquid Joe's
June 25 - Las Vegas, NV - Beauty Bar
June 26 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick

* with HammerFall