INTERVIEW w/ ANDI SCHNITZER OF KISSIN' DYNAMITE

Some bands were just born to play fun music. That's what Kissin' Dynamite is all about. Over the span of their 5 previous album, the band has showcased all of what they are about in Hard Rock, Glam, and Heavy Metal, with the upcoming release of their 6th album and first album through Metal Blade Records, Ecstasy, I got the opportunity to ask Andi Schnitzer (drummer) of KIssin' Dynamite a few questions about everything you need to know about the band in 2018. ENJOY!

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview! Ecstasy is coming out July 6th through Metal Blade Records. How does it feel to have this album coming out in just a couple weeks?
It's always a very exciting time when a new studio album is gonna be released, but this time it's something even more special for us, because it's the first album with the passionate new team we built around us, consisting of Metal Blade for the world and Sony Columbia for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. So we're curious of what's going to happen.

How did the writing process begin for this 6th album from Kissin’ Dynamite?
It was in summer 2017 after the the Generation Goodbye Tour. Our first plan was to release the next album not until 2019, so we actually didn't have any pressure. And this is always the best state of mind you can have to write songs. So Hannes and me started writing, just for the sake of writing songs. We had a really good flow and after a few weeks we already had almost the base of entire album. So, after all we decided that we could release the album already in 2018. Like this we stick to our 2-year groove that we have since 2008. Anyhow, it seems to be a good rhythm for us.

I really love the diversity of the album. There is some heavy hitting moments not just musically, but emotionally as well well just stellar songwriting and musicality. Was that the focus of writing these songs on this album or did these songs come together naturally?
Thank you very much. I think it's always important that things grow naturally. We've always decided after how we felt at the time. This time, we just knew, that we wanted to go kind of back to the roots, after we had made some experiments musically as well as in therms of lyrics on the last two albums. So this time, it was all about more simplicity without being trivial, no compromises. And of course, we always care about being focused for writing catchy songs.

How was the recording process this time around? Any major changes, mishaps or funny moments of note?
It may sound boring, but: actually no changes. You know, over the years we developed a nice and smooth way to write and produce together that just works for us. And probably we keep on refining it as we get more and more experienced, but I guess we won't chance the base of it anymore. And in terms of funny stuff...believe me, I could go on forever with telling you tour stories, but when we're in the studio, we're focused and serious in order to have the best possible result. But when the touring starts again, it's always the best moment, because then the beast gets unleashed. Ask me again after the Ecstasy Tour ;)

With that, Ecstasy is your first album to come out through Metal Blade Records. How does it feel to have this album come out through such a legendary label?
As I said before, it's very exciting time for both the band and the people from the label. For us, it's really cool to be with Metal Blade, because they're rooted in Germany AND Los Angeles. And due to the fact that we've still never been to the States, I guess these are really good requirements therefore.

The title track and I’ve Got The Fire were chosen as singles for the album. How did it come about choosing those 2 songs to showcase the album?
I think, I've got the fire was predesignated to be the first big bang after the longer break we had before. It's a hymn-like, good vibe stadium rock track which is also the perfect opener for the album. And lyrically, it fit's perfectly fitting to the band name. So it just makes sense. Ecstasy, we chose as the second single firstly because of the outstanding featuring performance of Anna Brunner from Exit Eden on this track and secondly because it captures the basic vibe of the album very good, which is: having a good time and looking on the sunny side of life.

Coming up later this year, you’ll be opening for the legendary Powerwolf throughout Europe. How does it feel to be on such a great tour package like that?
It definitely will be the highlight of the year. We've met those guys several times before on some festivals and I can say, they're really lovely and funny guys. I'm sure, it's gonna be a blast. And of course, they're quite big, so we will get the opportunity to play in front of a hell of a lot of people in whole Europe, which is great.

For anyone going to check you out for the first time on this tour, what should people expect from a Kissin’ Dynamite show?
You know, I've never seen a KD show myself, because anyhow I always was very busy at the time :) But I guess, you can expect a very explosive and powerful show, also visually. We're not the kind of band who is standing around and is only playing their instruments. I promise, there's a lot happening on stage!

What do you like to do when you’re not focused on Kissin Dynamite?
Currently, I actually don't know because at the time it's all about Kissin' Dynamite every day. But when I've got the time, I really love to live my life in the name of permanent vacation, so I just lay in the sun, go out for a motorcycle ride or in winter I really love to go into the sauna or skiing. I need those relaxing things as a compensation to the roller-coaster ride of playing in a rock band.

What are you currently listening to?
I really like Ghost. After a long time, it's finally a new band with no hyper modernized sound, but still having that x factor that separates them from the rest. For the first time, I saw them as a support for Iron Maiden a few years ago and thought: Oh my, just another masked band. But after a while, I noticed that they're something special.

Once again, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. As a long time fan of the band, it was awesome to see everything going on in the world of Kissin’ Dynamite and taking about what will be one of my favorite albums of 2018, Ecstasy. Before we are done, is there anything else you would like to mention that I haven’t brought up yet?
Thank you for this Interview and the compliments. We're really thankful of whats going on at the time and can't wait to unleash the beast again. Hope to see you all on the road, rock n roll! ;)


Kissin' Dynamite- Ecstasy is out  July 6th through Metal Blade Records