Melodeath-infused thrash metal gang Katapult has dropped “Comfortably Dumb,” the second single of their upcoming debut album, Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes. An explosive banger, “Comfortably Dumb” slams the hypocrisy of accepting the meat industry.
“Tracking the vocals for Dumb was such a blast,” states Johan Norström, vocals. “All songs prior to this I had tracked all by my lonesome, but for Dumb we tried out software that allowed us to stream high quality audio in real time, directly from the DAW. Having Florian on the other side really pushed me to try stuff I didn’t even know I had in the arsenal which ended up really cool,” informs Norström.
“What a hate anthem,” states Florian Moritz, Guitars. “The feeling you get is ‘Fuck everything and especially you!’ and I fucking love it. It’s a hateful Punk Song that’s just meant to get your juices flowing,” says Moritz.
Find “Comfortably Dumb” on your preferred DSPs RIGHT HERE.
Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes is slated to come out on 25 November 2022 via Discouraged Records digitally and on digipak CD. [Pre-Orders Available AT THIS LOCATION]
Watch the music video for the first preview track, “Nihilism for the Gods,” RIGHT 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 upcoming 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, “21th 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.
Track Listing:
01. The End
02. Comfortably Dumb
03. The Hands of the Devil
04. Sweetheart Come
05. The Arsonist
06. Nihilism for the Gods
07. Litany of Spirals
08. Invite the Sin
09. Schädel
10. All This Because of Greed
11. 21th Century Gladiator Boy
12. Bränn bilder och minnen (feat Fredrik Lindkvist)
13. Oh God for One More Breath
Credits:
— Katapult —
Johan Norström (Terrortory, ex- Starship Monolit) – Vocals
Florian Moritz (ex-Arcturon) – Guitars
Joel Purificacion (ex-FallDown) – Guitars
David Stutzer [ex-Darrow, Breakdown of Sanity (by proxy)] – Drums
Felix Bacher (Hektor, Britney, ex-Arcturon) – Bass
— Guest Musicians —
Fredrik Lindkvist (Riwen, Sista Brytet, Fred Lee & the Restless, ex-Totalt Jävla Mörker) – Vocals on “Bränn bilder och minnen”
Christian Augustin [Ştiu Nu Ştiu, This Gift Is A Curse, Cult of Line (live) ex-Totalt Jävla Mörker, Soldier One + more] – Percussion on “Oh God for One More Breath”
Gilda Travella (The Travella Sisters) – Violin on “Oh God for One More Breath”
Lucia Travella (The Travella Sisters) – Cello on “Oh God for One More Breath”
Michael Bergvall (The Grand 95, Ben Carbine & The 18 Wheelers, ex-Terrortory) – Pedal Steel on “Sweetheart Come”
Marcel Hertner – Hammond on “Sweetheart Come”
Sebastian Mårtensson (Misplaced) – Orchestral Arrangement “Litany of Spirals”
— Others —
Cover Art and Design by Fredrik Aaro.
Photography by Florian Moritz.
Produced by Katapult.
Drums recorded at Fist Studios by Sven Bürgin and Florian Moritz.
Mixed by Johan Norström.
Mastered by Kai Stahlenberg at Kohlekeller Studio.
Follow Katapult:
https://linktr.ee/katapultthrash
https://www.instagram.com/katapultthrash
https://katapultthrash.com
https://www.facebook.com/katapultthrash
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwBmCwdd3lPtIaKhtkul_Nw