Wandering souls: A decade of DOOL and the power of transformation

Dutch dark rock shapeshifters DOOL return to A38 Hajó on April 24, bringing with them a decade-long journey marked by reinvention, lineup changes, and a relentless search for identity. Guitarist Nick Polak reflects on the band’s evolution—from Raven’s early solo songwriting to a more collaborative dynamic, from eclectic influences ranging from Bowie to Black Sabbath, to the shifting energy they experience on stage. Their latest album The Shape of Fluidity dives deep into themes of transformation, identity, and self-discovery—just as DOOL themselves continue to wander, grow, and defy genre.

The band was formed 10 years ago, in 2015. What do you feel has changed the most in the band over the past 10 years — whether in sound, dynamic, or personally?

In the group dynamic, a lot has changed. Of course, we have had multiple line-up changes, with the newest addition being our drummer Vincent, who joined us since the last album, and Raven and I being the only original members left. Everyone brings a different personality into the band which then also changes the overall group dynamic. At this point everyone is very much invested in both the band as well as being serious in their music career which everyone basically organized their lives around, so I think we’re in a good place at this point. What also has changed is the creative process. For the first two albums Raven was the main songwriter, but this has really changed with the last album, which was much more a collective endeavor, mainly between Omar, Raven, and myself, but also with a lot of fresh energy from drummer Vincent.

How do you keep the inspiration alive within the band after a decade? Do you have any rituals or shared creative anchors that keep the fire burning?

Periods of being creative come and go and there are always periods that the creative ‘well’ is dry. I think the need to create, however, is a fire that is not something that burns out quickly, probably even never. We mainly intend to create stuff that inspires ourselves. Of course, that is also catalyzed by the wide range of music and art we consume ourselves. Inspiration is not always some external though; sometimes when you start writing you can also inspire yourself, for instance because this killer guitar riff suddenly appears out of nowhere, which can instill a greater hunger to create.

How has your connection with your audience evolved over the years? Do you see younger generations discovering your music now?

Our audience has always been very eclectic, I think it has been that way since the very start. In terms of age we do see young people at our shows but it’s really a broad range. Also in terms of the type of audience, be it different age or maybe people from different subcultures or backgrounds. I think that’s also the case because our music is quite eclectic, or at least very varied, and doesn’t necessarily fall within the conventions of one clear-cut genre.

If you think back to your first ever gig, what’s changed the most in how you approach live shows now — mentally or musically?

A live show should be a connection between an audience and a band. It’s a ritual in which both parties are as much important in building a connection. During some shows you can feel this connection, that there just is a special connection and that there’s hanging a special energy in the air. That might sound a bit wooly but I genuinely feel that way.

After all these years, how do you feel about touring now? Is it still thrilling, or has it become more of a second home?

We’re a basically a bunch of friends, or even like a small family, surrounded by great people in the team around us. That makes touring a lot more pleasant compared to when it would just be a very formal atmosphere. It’s also thrilling to be in a different place every day, not knowing specifically what to expect, and be able to make a connection with new people. On the other hand touring can also be rough at times. I do like my alone time and that is virtually non-existent on tour, apart from going out to a coffee place every now and bring a book.

Your music blends elements of progressive rock, doom metal, and psychedelia. Which artists or genres have had the biggest impact on you, and how have they helped shape DOOL’s distinctive sound?

We have such an enormous amount of different influences combined, which somehow organically translate to what becomes our own sound. This really ranges from 60’s psychedelic rock, to pop music, to black metal. A personal big influence is David Bowie, because of the way he treated his art in general, trying to rediscover himself over and over again and trying to stay out of a comfort zone whilst doing that. On the other hand, the riffing of Tony Iommi in Black Sabbath, or Mastodon are big personal influences. For the band as a whole I’d say common denominators in our influences are bands like Jefferson Airplane, Sonic Youth, Darkthrone, PJ Harvey and Queens Of The Stone Age.

The central theme of your latest album, The Shape of Fluidity, revolves around constant transformation and the search for identity in an ever-changing world. How does this album reflect the current state and evolution of the band?

The identity of a band changes constantly of course and you can never be sure what to expect next. It’s definitely not a nine-to-five existence. Like I already elaborated on before: we have seen a number of line-up changes, but we’re really at a point that everyone is so enthusiastic and invested in the band. We really know what we can expect of each other at the moment and we feel more empowered than ever with what we are doing. I think musically, the album has many sides though. I think that this search for identity, personally or in a band, is also something that is ever-changing and impermanent. We are always looking for new experiences, new sounds, a new way of expressing, so I’d say this search is also manifested in us as a band in general. There’s a reason why we’re called DOOL, which is Dutch and of which the meaning is the imperative of ‘wandering’.  

Your track “Hermagorgon” feels especially personal. Could you share what personal experiences or thoughts inspired this song?

Well, when talking about this concept of identity there is also a more personal note in some songs that have to do with our singer Raven their personal identity, and especially their history of being born hermaphrodite – or intersex. That is especially the case with this song and also what it refers to. Although I cannot elaborate on that all too much, as it is such a personal topic for Raven and the lyrics are purely Raven’s, what I can say is that a Hermagorgon is sort of the embodiment of (the becoming of) a godlike creature that resembles this – and in some more ancient cultures hermophradites were actually also perceived that way. So, in regard to the theme of identity and it being everchanging I think the song is a good resemblance, but also musically; it was actually the first song (Raven and I) wrote for the album and it contains a lot of musical elements that are reflected in the album. That’s another reason why it also made sense to pick it as the first single.

The album was produced and mixed by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, Russian Circles, Tribulation) and mastered by Ted Jensen (Ghost, Mastodon, Muse, Talking Heads, AC/DC). How did their involvement influence the overall sound and creative direction of the record? What did they bring to the table that felt especially meaningful for this release?

Magnus we had already worked with during the mixing of Summerland. That was a really good experience, as he kept coming up with better and better mixes until he was also satisfied himself. So for us it was quite an obvious pairing, also because we think that a lot of what he did with other bands, like Cult of Luna, sounds fantastic – contemporary but also quite timeless. Furthermore, I’d say that apart from really trying to get the best from a mix or a band, he is also just a very cool guy to work with, who fitted perfectly in the group dynamic. He was almost more like a sixth bandmember. He would give us a lot of room in the studio to try the ideas we had, sonically or with arrangements, but often he would elaborate on that and have even better ideas. Ted Jensen of course has an incredible resume. For the mastering of this release we wanted it to be someone else than Magnus, to approach it with a fresh pair of ears. I don’t think we could have made a much better decision than these two individuals for what they did for the album. 

What message do you hope to convey to your listeners through this new album, and what kind of impact do you hope it will have on them?

I wouldn’t want to impose one fixed meaning on listeners. As a listener you should be able to build your own world around an album or a song. A bit like reading a book; everyone has a completely different visual interpretation in their minds while reading a good book. It can be that way with an album too and I think you shouldn’t spoil that for listeners. On the other hand, though, the album is about finding oneself and empowerment through that, so broadly speaking I hope listeners can find that, whether through our music or through the lyrics.

You played at A38 Ship in 2018. Do you have any memorable moments from that night that stuck with you? What are your expectations returning now, at a completely different point in time?

I remember quite clearly actually. It was on our second European tour that we played the ship. I remember vividly because I was pretty ill for half of that tour. Of course, the venue is quite special, with a great atmosphere – we don’t play on a ship every day – but I wouldn’t recommend playing a ship whilst being ill!

Do you have any personal connection to the A38 Ship floating above the Danube? How does it compare to playing in other venues across Europe?

With DOOL we have played quite a number of special and atypical venues throughout the years, and throughout Europe. For instance in our hometown we played a church, containing a lot of stained glass windows and just being stunning location to play. We even recorded a live album [Live at Arminius Church] there. The A38 ship does remind me of another venue in Rotterdam though, namely the Vessel1, which is a lighthouse ship, situated downtown, and which also contains a restaurant on the top deck and a venue on the lower deck. The A38 ship thus reminds me a bit of home, but it’s an even cooler and also bigger version of the ship-venue we have at home. The food is better at A38 too.

If all goes well, where do you see DOOL in another 10 years? What would you love to preserve or evolve in yourselves and your music?

I mainly hope we can still be doing what we’re doing and grow in what we’re doing. There’s not much stuff that’s better than being able to make albums, get to tour the world with that, and meeting a lot of people in the process. Musically there’s a lot to explore yet, but we’Ill see what the future brings. First things first is that our European tour is coming up, starting next week, which will also bring us to A38, and we’re more than excited to come back!