Doomed Confessionary: Marcin Gałkowski (Octotanker)
Photos by Bartłomiej Wierzba
Octotanker is a five-piece band from Wrocław, Poland, drifting somewhere between stoner rock, doom metal, grunge, and psychedelia. They combine the weight of low-tuned guitars with mystical lyrics, seasoning it all with a generous dose of cosmic escapism.
A distinctive feature of Octotanker’s releases is the original comic book accompanying each new record. For many years, the band performed and released music under the name PRĄD. In late 2024, however, the musicians decided to reinvent their formula and embark on a new journey as Octotanker.
Songs from their debut album »Voidhopper«, released in November 2025, received airplay both in Poland and abroad, including in Canada, Argentina, and the United States, while the album itself earned numerous positive reviews. In January 2027, Electric Witch Mountain Recordings will release »Servants«, a new EP serving as the follow-up to »Voidhopper«.
Octotanker consists of Marcin Gałkowski (vocals), Piotr Krawczyk (drums), Rafał Bielski (guitar), Wojciech Szelwicki (guitar), and Tomasz Krymski (bass).
Can you please say a few words about your band?
Hi there! We are Octotanker, a Polish quintet from Wrocław, a city that boasts a really powerful stoner & doom scene. However, our inspirations are quite broad, so we try to incorporate some elements that might be quite unusual for these genres from time to time.
Right now, we’re about to release a new EP, »Servants«, that will come out in January via Electric Witch Mountain Recordings, and I think that’s gonna be the most ‘slow & low’ stuff we’ve ever made – so stay tuned. Also, the first single, »Electric Sheep«, is already available – so you can check for yourselves whether I’m telling the truth!
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Wow, that’s quite a tough question. But there’s a huge difference between playing in a band when you’re sixteen and when you’re closer to your forties than your thirties. So, I’d say the most challenging part is finding a spot for it in your calendar and balancing it with your family commitments and all the other things related to your ‘normal’ life. To play all these roles – a husband, a dad AND a musician – at the same time, as well as you can, without losing sight of any of them.
I also have a second band (completely different music, gothic Americana and acoustic blues), we play quite a lot, and that doesn’t make things any easier. But I love it too much, and all of us do. Music is something that makes you get up in the morning and go fight a world that can be truly shitty. If any of us stops playing, it means we’re dead.
What can you be most proud of so far?
That’s pretty easy, our new EP of course. You haven’t heard it yet, maybe just the single – but we have. And it finally sounds exactly the way we’ve always wanted it to. No half-measures.
What was your biggest regret?
You know, maybe Octotanker is quite a young band on the scene – but we’ve played together for a long, long time, under a different name (PRĄD), and I’d say that we’re like a family. Maybe a little bit dysfunctional from time to time, but that’s how most families work. Probably.
So there are many things we could’ve done better in the past, for sure, but we try not to focus on them. We’ve learned our lessons, and now we’ve found our path – and what exists now is the only thing that really matters.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
I believe our best gig is still ahead of us. But so far, the most unique live experience for us was definitely playing at… a literally underground rave party. Psytrance, goa trance, this kind of stuff.
Since our music has always been kinda psychedelic, someone came up with the idea of combining these two seemingly completely different visions that share a common psychedelic core. Imagine a big party in the middle of nowhere, a few hundred people, or maybe even more, underground in a complex of old bunkers, with a few stages, all those decorations and psychedelic visuals. And the audience was purely awesome.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
It surprises us all the time, but after playing music for so many years, the most surprising part for me was when I realized that it’s all much smaller than I thought. And I don’t mean small in the sense of being niche. There are plenty of bands, plenty of music fans, but still, after some time, you realize that, suddenly, you know a lot of them.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Right now, I’m listening to the new Witchthroat Serpent. I also recently revisited »From The 13th Sun« by Candlemass, which I truly love. And it’s fall now – so Opeth. Their death metal-era albums are some of the most important music of my entire life.
And not to mention 7Horse, which might not be that heavy, but is still one of the heaviest among my blues influences.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Be patient and do things at the right time – neither too fast, nor too slow. And think a few steps ahead, since it’s quite easy to play all your cards at the beginning and much harder to keep going afterwards.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Can’t tell you in public 😀 Just kidding. With two bands, a family, and a full-time job as an automation engineer, it’s not so easy to find time for non-music-related pleasures. But I love Donald Duck comics. They help keep me from going crazy when everything comes crashing down at once.
So, listen kids, it’s always better to read a comic than to punch someone in the face 😀
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Wrocław?
We come from the same city as Palm Desert, Spaceslug and O.D.R.A., so, as I mentioned at the beginning, the scene is strong. Generally speaking, there are many great bands playing this music in Poland, which doesn’t make things any easier for us at all, but hey, who doesn’t like a challenge?
At the same time, I’m afraid that we’re currently seeing some kind of stagnation. I mean, there are still new bands emerging, and the ones that already exist are releasing awesome new music. However, there’s nothing like the massive boom we saw ten or maybe fifteen years ago, when this music was skyrocketing. But maybe I’m just old and look at things differently 😉
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We’re preparing to release the »Servants« EP, so at this moment we’re not gigging too much, to be honest. We’ve got one concert booked this month, in Chorzów, and that’s all for this year. Which is good for me, since I’m gigging with my other band, releasing a live album in November, and we’re quite busy right now.
But starting in January, we’re gonna focus on a new LP and limit the number of live shows with the second band – and it would be stupid of me not to give you its name while I have the chance, so you can check out »Blues For Neighbors«.
Also in January, Octotanker’s EP will finally be out, so after it’s released, there will be plenty of opportunities to see us live for sure. A few dates are already booked; more are being added – just follow our socials and you’ll know.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We’re not slowing down. After »Servants« is out, we’re hitting the road for shows and immediately starting to think about the follow-up. No one said it’s gonna be easy.
How can people best support your band?
I think this applies to every band, no matter the scene, genre, city, country – anything. Just come to the shows and see us live. That’s the best way to support us – otherwise we’ll be left with this mainstream eyesore that’s probably gonna be replaced by AI in a year or two anyway.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Yeah, really simple. Never give up on your dreams, no matter how hard it might seem. Once you give up, you’ll be just an ordinary man. And there’s nothing wrong with being ordinary, but for me, personally, it’s as Ozzy sang in the title of one of his songs: »Ordinary Man«.
The question is, what do YOU want? So go fight for your dreams, fight to become who you want to be, not just who the world wants you to be.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well