Today, Swedish/Swiss melodeath/thrash squad KATAPULT releases its debut album Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes through Discouraged Records. The band makes a mark with its aggressive energy, impressive chops and smart songwriting on its first full offering, of which the band states:
“We produced the whole album ourselves, which gave us a lot of control but it was insane how much effort and time we put into it. It meant we had to learn loads of things and do certain things at a slow pace since we did it for the first time or just didn't have the expertise to rush through it. So the album is a great example of teamwork and a functional critique-culture. No ego, all creativity. Which makes us very proud.
The album was a process of opening up. As the two last EPs were mostly the work of Johan and Florian, this one included the new band members a lot more. The original duo wrote the music but put it up for debate. The result is this punk infested thrash fest that carries a lot more colour than you might anticipate.”
- Watch the video for the first single Nihilism for the Gods
- Watch the video for the second single Comfortably Dumb
- Watch the video for the third single Schädel
Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes can be ordered on CD HERE.
Born in a backstage area in Sweden in the summer of 2017, KATAPULT is the brainchild of Florian Moritz and Johan Norström. As everyone and their grandmother know, not many bands born in backstage areas survive their infancy, but despite being raised in both Switzerland and Sweden, KATAPULT endured. As time went by, Joel Purificacion was invited to shred some solos on their debut EP, A Fistful of Truth, and being such a good fit, he ended up joining the ranks. Similarly, Felix Bacher and David Stutzer ended up sticking with KATAPULT while being invited to track bass and drums, respectively, during the production of the second EP, Shut the Fuck Up and Press Play.
The album Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes is a merry-go-round of dark emotions, filled with 13 tracks ranging from blistering rage to immense sorrow, all sprinkled with a layer of “go fuck yourself” attitude. Where tracks like “Comfortably Dumb” deal with the hypocrisy of accepting the meat industry, “21st Century Gladiator Boy” points and laughs at all influencers trying to out-stupid one another, “Litany of Spirals” was written during a sleepless night caused by burnout borderline depression, and “Bränn bilder och minnen” is a giant “Fuck you” to that guy from school who is a proud fucking nazi nowadays. To fuel this record with unusual elans, KATAPULT has utilized the services of a special batch of musicians and their artistry, including vocals, percussion, pedal steel, Hammond, violin, cello, and orchestral arrangement.
For Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes, no less than six videos are in production as KATAPULT continues to have a strong visual presence. This is not just a bold statement as band members Johan and Florian both work professionally as filmmakers. Johan is an experienced editor, colorist, and animator, and Florian is an exceptional director of photography. Keeping in mind that the video for their track “Du brinner ihjäl” received awards for its storytelling and cinematography, Katapult has all the intentions to surpass that video with what comes next.
In the meantime, KATAPULT eagerly awaits their first live performance. The pandemic outbreak and the geographical distance between Switzerland and Sweden have not even allowed all the band members to congregate under one roof.