Gallileous is a stoner / doom metal band from Poland, active since 1990. Lucas Biela (LB) interviewed them for ISKC Radio Group.
1/ LB: Gallileous, the name of the band, is an obvious wink to the astronomer. Is it though taken from the polish version (Galileusz) or is there any other explanation for the way it is spelled?
The meaning of the name depends on the album. Once it signifies Jesus and another time it stands for Galileo Galilei. It is meant to stand against mustiness of views as both of them are symbols of enlightenment.
2/ LB: After a very good demo in 1994 (back then the band played funeral doom metal), the band vanished for nearly 15 years. Could you explain why the band went on a hiatus for so long?
We are old. These were strange days. We don’t remember. Some people started their studies, some of them fell in love or became drug addicted.
3/ LB: the first traces of the stoner/doom to come are with your second album, ‘Necrocosmos’, which comes 5 years after your debut album in 2008. Could you explain what triggered this change in musical direction?
Gallileous has never recorded both same albums. Many personal changes in the band influenced the sound of particular albums. We have never got trapped in one specific style of playing. Gallileous has always been looking for some new ways to express what is here and now. While musically growing up we got immersed into diverse styles and got interested in different types of music as well.
4/ LB: You had male vocals on your first three albums. What decided you to switch to female vocals?
We didn’t look for a femail vocal. It was a coincidence. Ania just sings very well. Until today many people listening to Gallileous for the first time think that a man is singing. She perfectly fitted into the changes that the band’s style was going through. She is a whirlwind on the stage.
5/ LB: Could you briefly present the current line-up, and their background in music?
Tomasz Stoński – guitar. In Gallileous since 1994. Previously in Sacrum Millennium, Triglav, Kurde.
Anna Pawlus – vocals. In Gallileous since 2015. Previously in sung poetry, Amoc, The Blues Experience, Juicy Band, Carura, Not For Sale.
Michał Szendzielorz – drums. In Gallileous since 2017. Previously in Progres, Kurde, In 2 Elements.
Mateusz Weber-Mieszczak – bass. In Gallilleous since last month. Previously in Mors, M2R1, Zanim Pójdę, Sekcja Arytmiczna, Kawa z Mlekiem.
6/ LB: Let’s sum up your discography so far:
1st album is funeral doom with symphonic overtones, far from your average funeral doom
2nd album is traditional doom metal with lots of Hammond, far from your average doom
3rd one is heavy psych with some experimentation, very voivodian in the spirit and far from your average heavy psych
As of the 4th album, you play stoner rock but with fun and lots of dynamics, again very far from your average stoner rock, the unique voice of Ania helping also in this uniqueness (the reason I got interested in your music is that, yes, you got it, you don’t sound like your average stoner band).
From the above, it is obvious that you manage to do your own «thing» each time you put your hands in a specific genre, and to set yourself apart from the numerous clones in these genres. Is it a gift you have to make things your own? Or is it something you built from experience with other bands?
It is life. Life is life. Life is constant change. To be alive means to change. To be dead means to stop, no movement, no change equals death. Since changing and movement are inevitable when you are alive so Gallileous changes from album to album. We are far from anything typical because we are blessed to play what we feel and what makes sense for us. Some people expect a band to stay the same but we are not here to live up to somebodies expectations but to be our true selves. It means to be sincere with ourselves and with other people. And we think people go along with us. We are grateful for that.
7/ LB: To my knowledge, your new album is the only one to feature lyrics in polish (on two songs). Do you plan to switch completely to polish in the future, or will you keep a balance between english and polish in your songs?
The future is undiscovered. It was an experiment. Succesfull so far. But looking back at the first album there is also one song ‘Mogiły Haremu’ and a few years later ‘Zabobon’ from the ‘Unveiling the Signs’. We don’t plan anything. We follow our senses.
8/ LB: On your previous album (‘Moonsoon’, 2019) and on your new one (‘Fosforos’, 2021), we can hear escapes from the stoner genre, like space disco («Boom Boom Disco Doom (Kill the Alarm Clock)»), doo wop («La La Land») or blue-eyed soul («Bakeneko»). I suppose this is part of the fun I mentioned earlier, and a means not to taken too seriously in a genre that takes itself too seriously?
You’re right. We don’t give in to trends. We like experiments. We don’t compromise. We play what we like regardless of the genre.
9/ LB: How is work shared between the different members of the band? (songwriting, composition…)
Sometimes Tom brings a nice riff then we jam around it and finally some shape is born. Then Ania starts singing. When she likes the melody she starts writing a text which is fitted into the melody. Ta-dam! A song is ready!
10/ LB: Ania has a very low vocal range, something quite unique. The best comparison would be Inga Rumpf (Frumpy, Atlantis). Is Inga a model for Ania ? What are her models ?
Ania is usually compared to people she doesn’t know (laugh). In the past, while singing death metal, her models were Joe Duplantier and Chuck Schuldiner. Then Joe Bonamassa while singing blues and Myles Kennedy while singing rock. Now she goes her own way trying not to base on other vocal sounds. Of course some influences are always inevitable, they are roots. Nevertheless her vocal changes from album to album presenting another spectrum of tone quality.
11/ LB: Following the previous question, what are the influences of the band ? I mentioned the variety of the canvas on some songs, so please throw as many influences as you can think of!
Everybody in the band has different inspirations. It is hard to find just one.
12/ LB: Do you plan to tour Europe to promote your album (I know, with the current sanitary situation, it might not be within the next days). Will you be part of festivals, or touring with bigger names in the business?
Not for now. We would really like to tour but it is risky nowadays. Touring requires planning and finances. Pandemic makes it unpredictable, but if there is such a a possibility we will play in Europe with pleasure.
13/ LB: Please let us know if you have anything else to add.
Thank you for the interview. All best for ISKC listeners. Follow us on Bandcamp, YouTube and Facebook. We hope you will enjoy our new album ‘Fosforos’. See you all at our concerts!
Links :
https://www.facebook.com/gallileous
https://gallileous.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN2BU8NwK36V0bnQOrb2Ilw