Modern metal band Gallamesh releases debutsingle
Amsterdam-based modern metal band, taking their influences from metalcore, hardcore punk and modern death-metal, blending the big riffs of Chimaira, the vocals of Lamb of God and the chugs of Kublai Khan TX
Gallamesh is Kees van Ekeren on vocals, Sander van Gelswijck on bass, guitar by Jeroen van der Lee and Guus van Gemert, and Niek Hubregtse on drums. These last three have been making music together for over 10 years, and their previous band X Raiders brought them to studios like Wisseloord and Split Second Sound, and festivals like FortaRock, Zwarte Cross and Paaspop.
Gallamesh is an Amsterdam-based modern metal band, taking their influences from metalcore, hardcore punk and modern death-metal, blending the big riffs of Chimaira, the vocals of Lamb of God and the chugs of Kublai Khan TX. For Gallamesh, it's all about their high-energy live performances, bringing the intensity, getting sweaty, and leaving stages in ruins.
Gallamesh is Kees van Ekeren on vocals, Sander van Gelswijck on bass, guitar by Jeroen van der Lee and Guus van Gemert, and Niek Hubregtse on drums. These last three have been making music together for over 10 years, and their previous band X Raiders brought them to studios like Wisseloord and Split Second Sound, and festivals like FortaRock, Zwarte Cross and Paaspop.
“After playing the same music style for 10 years, it’s incredibly liberating to start a new band. Gallamesh is our ultimate outlet, where we are free to play whatever we feel like,” Guus explains. “Old school hardcore riffs? Sure! Modern death-metal? Why not! Hip-hop trap beat? Fuck yeah!” Jeroen adds: “We aim to make contemporary, modern metal. This means no taboos, and more importantly, no genre constraints to worry about. Anything goes!”
The band name Gallamesh finds its roots in Bargoens, the Hebrew-inspired secret language of vagabonds and thieves in Amsterdam. Based on the gritty phrase "naar de Gallemiezen gaan," which can be translated as "to go to ruins" or "to fuck shit up". This should give you a hint of what to anticipate during the band's live show.
Today, the band releases their debut single ‘Stingrays’. A song about letting go, and the multi-layered pain that accompanies it. About the lyrical inspiration behind the song, Kees says: “Humans are storytellers who are constantly fooling themselves. This built in mechanism makes us beautiful beings who are experts at surviving and manipulating, but it also leads to a self-imposed entrapment. Every second of our lives we build stories to shield ourselves from uncomfortable truths. ‘Stingrays’ serves as a call to recognize this destructive power, to stop fooling ourselves with these bullshit stories. Let it go.”
Recording and mixing of the band’s music is mainly handled by the band’s guitarist Jeroen, who built his own studio during the pandemic. Drums were recorded at Springtone Sound in Amsterdam, and to add some extra ears and a fresh perspective, mastering was outsourced to Daan Nieboer (Cornerstone Audio).
Jeroen elaborates, “The tracks are mixed by me, incorporating feedback from the rest of the guys. Having control over the recording and mixing is super satisfying, and I love how easy it is to get together to record new ideas. Doing it ourselves means we can go from brainstorming a tune to dropping the actual song in no time, and we’re stoked to keep the vibe going in 2024!”
