“Welcome everyone to another exclusive session here at SoundStoriesByJo, also broadcasting for Metalwar.gr. Today, we are joined by the feline warriors of German Metalcore, a band that proves you can pack a serious punch while keeping the fun factor at maximum volume. Fresh off the release of their highly anticipated new album Press Start, please welcome… Samurai Pizza Cats!”
The Questions (12 + 1)
• Jo: Press Start feels like a playable experience rather than just an album. If this record was an actual 90s arcade cabinet, what would be the ‘Final Boss’ track, and what kind of special move would the listener need to survive it?
• Sebastian: Guess the final Boss would be a compilation of all songs involved. You need some sick dance, and party moves to make it out!
• Jo: From You’re Hellcome to Press Start, the production feels even more massive. How did working under the Century Media banner change your approach to the “Pizza Core” sound? Did it add more pressure or more creative freedom?
• Sebastian: I think that in the end of the day Samurai has its own sound, i don ́t think that the cooperation with Century changed it in any kind of way. The difference you can hear is simple: As we are getting older and our behaviour and production ways change in a kind of way. It ́s more like growing and evolving.
• Jo: You’ve got some killer features on the new album, from Ankor to Babybeard. When you’re writing a song like “T-Rex(plosion)”, do you write with the guest in mind, or do you find the perfect ‘player’ after the track is finished?
• Sebastian: It always happens after the track is finished. We are never working on stuff like: “Oh, we have to write a song that sounds like this or that.” We are producing songs in a kind of vibe. Working on T-Rex und Ramen-Man was like: “Dude, you know what would make this even cooler? I know someone. Let me have a quick call”.
• Jo: People often focus on the humor and the “Pizza” branding, but the technicality of the riffs is top-tier. Do you ever feel like you have to work twice as hard to prove that the musicianship is as serious as the fun is?
• Sebastian: Thank you so much! It ́s more like a dynamic between the characters in this band. Often you talk about a song theme and feel like “There is something vibrating in a different kind of more serious way”. And to answer your question: Daniel is an instrumental mastermind.
• Jo: With Robin Scheer joining the party on drums for this cycle, how has his playing style influenced the rhythmic “input” of the new songs compared to your previous work?
• Sebastian: I love the way he works, sure it ́s different to Cheeche, but in the end of the day, he gives a different kind of spice to the songs that I really like.
• Jo: We have to talk about the pineapple-on-pizza debate in the song. Is this the most controversial political statement the band has ever made, or is there a deeper “topping” we haven’t discovered yet?
• Sebastian: Pineapple is a “No-no”! Except for Daniel, he loves it. There are definitely deeper meanings and themes in the songs, but you have to read between the lines.
• Jo: Your live shows are high-energy marathons. Between the lights, the synths, and the heavy breakdowns, what is the one piece of “gear” (musical or non-musical) that the band cannot survive a tour without?
• Sebastian: Energy Drinks.
• Jo: With Daniel’s ties to Electric Callboy, there’s a specific “modern German sound” taking over the world. Why do you think Germany is currently the epicenter for this “fun-meets-heavy” movement?
• Sebastian: There are so many things happening in this world that are absolutely overwhelming and stressing. I guess it ́s the fact that if you are putting some serious things into a coat of fun and irony, every situation can be much easier to solve.
• Jo: The artwork for Press Start is incredibly detailed. How much of the visual world-building (the aliens, the dinosaurs) comes from your own childhood gaming nostalgia versus a modern “Internet Culture” vibe?
• Sebastian: Everything is manifested in our childhood roots in a kind of way. We are absolute gaming nerds and u can find a lot of references, even in the style of the artwork. So, it was our main idea to create an immersive connection between the songs used as main characters for the “stages” and creating a kind of map as the artwork itself.
• Jo: You’ve shown a more melodic side in tracks like “The Wolf In Me.” As you grow, are you finding it easier to balance the “party” anthems with songs that have a more emotional or introspective core?
• Sebastian: I would say songwriting happens if you feel it. I would never go to the studio together with Daniel and say: “We got to write something like this or that” It ́s more like happening from a vibe kind of thing.
• Jo: After the Press Start Tour, what does the “Next Level” look like? Are there any territories (maybe Greece?) or festivals that are still on your bucket list to conquer?
• Sebastian: Be prepared for some very cool things we are planning. “Press Start” is not just a album title.
Interview – Text:
Joanna Gonas
