GALGE is back in action.
Four years after their debut album, the Danish band led by Søren Tuborg (vocals), Sofus Emil Kromann (guitar), Halfdan Geertsen (bass), and Mathias Lundbæk (drums) has announced the release of their second album, DØDELIG.
MORGENGRY gets straight to the point with impressive vocals followed by devastating riffs with diverse roots but all directed towards a single common goal: raw violence. Dissonance, convoluted parts, and a jerky approach come together to create an abrasive sound in all circumstances before giving way to the explosive BROSTEN, which can act like a cannonball to the face or a block of dark Sludge-like oppression. We move on to the heavy, airy approach of NIDDING, which doesn’t hesitate to let the bass weave haunting melodies while the guitar imprisons our minds in its darkness, but the track quickly transitions to TANEKLØSE TÅBER, where we find furious drums and a vocalist in top form. The diversity of the screams gives the song terrifying but incredibly striking tones before returning to raw Grind-style violence on KRISE and its Old School basis, which nevertheless manages to be more conciliatory in the second part, skillfully placing a few melodies. The band continues with FORLIST, where the frenzied energy is accompanied and then replaced by harmonious leads, creating a real contrast within the song itself, before encountering the schizophrenic BLODRØD LY, which changes rhythm very naturally, cultivating a rather captivating inconsistency at times before becoming calmer. There is another burst of energy with GENKLANG, which unleashes its strident harmonics within a thick rhythm, leaving room for a very excited bass/drum duo against a backdrop of screams then applause, making the track totally crazy before giving way to the long UNDER MULMET, which takes advantage of its nearly six-minute length to explore the wide musical spectrum that inspires the band, offering us a highly variable rhythm, even daring to include a soft female voice and orchestrations before disappearing into silence.
DØDELIG confirms that GALGE is a crazy project that knows no limits. With a foundation of angry Death Metal, the band adds a multitude of elements ranging from Grind to Sludge, Black Metal, and even Post-Rock, creating music that is surprising but always ferocious.
90/100
A few questions to the band Galge about the release of their new album, Dødelig.
Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time! How would you introduce the band Galge without using any Metal subgenre, like “Death Metal” or so?
Galge: We like writing and playing extreme music, and we don’t really concern ourselves with genres, to be honest. Genre-bending is fun because we get bored easily and it just sounds cool. Just like our music, our live shows are chaotic, and we enjoy the outlet of energy that comes with it.
Do you remember how you came up with the name Galge, and how do you link it to the music you play?
Galge: Actually, it was Sofus’ (guitar) wife who came up with it before the band really was a band. It just sounded cool, and even though its meaning is dark (“gallows” in English), we hardly relate to that anymore. Lyrically we immerse ourselves more in everyday emotions and interactions rather than the macabre. But honestly, it still just sounds cool.
Galge will release its new album Dødelig in a few weeks. How do you feel about it? Do you already have any feedback?
Galge: You’re right! We’re very excited to finally show what we’ve been working on. It’s been a long and heartfelt process, and we’re really happy with how it turned out. This album is very personal to us, and we’re eager to see how it will be received. We’ve taken more chances here than on our first album Løkkelig (go listen NOW), and we honestly don’t know if it’ll land well or not — but it’s what we wanted to do, so we did it.
How would you sum up Dødelig’s identity in only three words?
Galge: Adventurous, emotional, and heavy.
The band’s line-up has been stable for a while. How does the creation process happen within the band? Did you notice any changes compared to the writing of the first album?
Galge: It was written with great difficulty. It’s deeply personal, which made the writing process hard at times, but it also served as a powerful source of inspiration.
The band’s sound is made of everything extreme in Metal — from Death to Sludge, Grind and even sometimes Black. Which bands would you quote as your main influences? How do you manage to blend everything together and make it coherent?
Galge: Behemoth, Weezer, Peach Pit, Kim Larsen, and Devin Townsend. We don’t have a recipe for putting things together — when writing music, we can’t limit ourselves to doing just one thing. It all comes naturally, and the need for experimentation brings us somewhere new every time.
Where do you find your inspiration to create music and lyrics?
Galge: Sofus’ wife was hit and nearly killed by an inattentive driver a couple of years ago. It affected us all deeply, and a way to process it was to turn the experience into music. This is the meaning behind the title Dødelig (“Mortal”) and the theme running through the whole album.
Do you think you improved as musicians/songwriters with this new record?
Galge: Very much so! We all pushed our limits on this album and gave it everything. We’ve moved a lot since our last release, and we believe it really shows here. Technically we’re further along, and the songwriting has been sharpened.
Dødelig makes you collaborate with Blood Blast Distribution and Oktober Promotion. How did this collaboration begin, and how is it working with them? Was it a choice to stay independent and still collaborate with those entities?
Galge: Nobody wanted to sign us. All the letters we got back said “WOW! This music is incredible and unique. However, we don’t have a market for this.” So we just decided to do it ourselves. It’s a cool ass record, and we really want to be heard. Shout out to Oktober Promotion and Jill for getting our stuff out there.
I saw you opening for Neckbreakker in Paris at Backstage by the Mill at the beginning of the year. How was the show — and the whole tour — for the band? How do you live a Galge show, and do you have any pre- or post-show rituals?
Galge: The tour was great. The Neckbreakker boys are awesome. We love them. The Paris show was our first outside Denmark on the tour, so we were really excited. Good times! As for rituals, the closest we get is playing the song Bonsoir Madam by the Danish band Big Fat Snake as a warm-up before going on stage. That song is equal parts great and bad.
Are there any artists you would like to collaborate with? Whether for a song, an album, cover art…
Galge: We have some ideas for future local features and collaborations that haven’t come to life yet. But we would definitely like to collaborate with Slayer, Gojira, Kerry King, Metallica, Elton John and Björk.
What will come next for Galge? Maybe some shows, or a tour?
Galge: A lot of shows and maybe a tour.
Have you ever heard of the French Metal scene? Are there any bands you know and like?
Galge: We’ve heard of a little band called Gojira. They seem kind of cool. Other than that, we once played with a group called Neige Morte years ago. Great guys.
The band announced three release shows for Dødelig: one at Lasher Fest, and two club shows with Afdød, Rottefænger, and Puke Wolf. How did you select the bands to open for you?
Galge: We really wanted local support for our release shows. Rottefænger are the greatest guys — they’ve shown us a lot of support, and we wanted to reflect that back by bringing them along. Same goes for Afdød. And Puke Wolf is such a cool band that we really wanted them as an opening act. We couldn’t be happier, unless Slayer, Gojira, Kerry King, Metallica, Elton John, or Björk had wanted the spot. But none of them replied to our emails.