Band Biographies: Tarmak

TARMAK started out in Ghent in 2015 with Sander and Simon, who previously played together in a band called State of Time. The two of them would find themselves jamming together many times and form new ideas that were not necessarily compliant with what State of Time was doing at that time. After that band broke up they continued to jam together and work out existing ideas. This feeling of being able to do whatever they wanted kept growing stronger, and slowly but steadily Tarmak was born.

Right before the first show, Tarmak’s bass player decided that the band was not his cup of tea anymore and quit. Talk about bad timing! But luckily Geert (who plays bass in BufferState with Sander) wanted to help us out and learnt all the material in almost no time. Ever since Geert has become a part of Tarmak.

The driving core was and is always trying to find the personal perfect blend between the more complex structure of progressive metal (Tool, Opeth, ...) and the atmospheric sound of post- rock/metal (Russian Circles, Cult of Luna, And So I Watch You From Afar, ...). It took them a long time to find a satisfying balance, but after many years of trying different set-ups with different people they finally reached that point where they felt they had found their own identity. Each song ends up being a concept on its own, telling its own story by exploring varying atmospheres, dynamics and grooves. It is music that is not necessarily easily absorbed by listening to it once, but it will reveal itself once you take the time to appreciate the different layers.

Now, starting from 21 May 2020, Tarmak’s finally ready to come out and gently start melting people’s faces off with their debut EP “Plow”. Their goal is to find exposure for their music, kindly invite people along to the trip they experience themselves when playing their songs, and ultimately allowing it to connect. One of their biggest dreams is to play at the festivals that they’ve come to love themselves, like Dunk, Yellowstock or Roadburn!