We grew into the genre – Interview with Gallia
By Rainer Kerber
The small Benelux state of Belgium can certainly be described as a stronghold of female fronted metal. Thirteen times a festival for rock and metal bands with a female singer took place near Brussels. Several thousand fans from all over the world regularly travelled to Belgium in October. From this country also come some very good bands with front woman. So, I learned recently know Gallia, they released their debut EP in July. However, I could not find much information. At Encyclopaedia Metallum I could at least determine the year of foundation (2015) and the place of residence (Stevoort). Reason enough to ask the band some questions.
MHF: Hello, I’m Rainer and write for Metalheads Forever Magazine. Thanks for being able to do this interview with you. How are you today?
Gallia: We’re doing great, thanks for asking. We are excited to do this interview with you!
And how are you?
MHF: You are a very young band and also quite unknown. Please introduce yourself briefly.
Gallia: Gallia was founded as a musical project, but we soon outgrew that term. Nowadays, we’re a five-person symphonic metal band from Belgium with original songs and a strong passion for music.
MHF: You have decided to play symphonic metal. Why this genre?
Gallia: We grew into the genre, mainly because it’s a common interest between the band members. But also, because this mix of personal talents lends itself best to this genre.
MHF: There are a lot of symphonic metal bands. Which of these bands inspired you to write the songs?
Gallia: Our main influences came from bands like Xandria, Epica, Sabaton and Nightwish.
MHF: How is the songwriting going? Do you develop the individual songs together in the rehearsal room?
Gallia: It all starts with Yannick working his magic in his personal studio. There he writes the orchestral parts and the guitars, which are then presented to the band. Laurens and Dieter write their bass and drum parts at home.
During band rehearsal the pieces are put together until the instrumental puzzle works well. Last but not least, Elyn moulds her lyrics into a vocal melody.
MHF: You released the first EP a few weeks ago. I find “Everflame” very successful. Are you satisfied with it?
Gallia: Thank you very much. We’re very satisfied with the final result, but we’re confident that we can do even better in the future.
MHF: All songs on this EP are on it twice. Once in a normal version, once in an orchestral version…What is the reason behind this?
Gallia: During band practice, we as a band get to listen to the naked orchestral versions to the point that we fell in love with them. There are so many subtleties and minute details which are not very pronounced in the full mix. We would like to give our fans the opportunity to experience them as we do.
MHF: What are your plans for the future? Will you produce a complete album?
Gallia: In the near future, we’re planning to release some singles, which didn’t fit onto the EP.
In 2020 we will start working towards the next big step, our first full-length album!
MHF: What about live performances? Will we be able to experience the band outside of your home country?
Gallia: At the moment, there are no gigs planned abroad. However, we would like to venture far beyond the Belgian borders.
MHF: I thank you again for the interview. Would you like to say something to your fans at the end?
Gallia: Thank you for all the support! As a small band we appreciate each and every fan.
If we ever get around to Germany, we’d love to meet you there!
Keep an eye out for our Facebook page to stay up to date with our latest stuff and gigs:
https://www.facebook.com/GalliaOfficial/
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
