Stephen de Ruijter

Stephen de Ruijter - The Dame and Hakselaer.

Photo's Stage Snapper

Arne: Hi Stephen, I have known you for a long time as the axeman of The Dame. But you also make a lot of beautiful noise with Hakselaer. Two very different bands: tell me all about it!

Stephen: I’ve been playing guitar for over 35 years. Over those decades, I’ve made all kinds of music: Gothic New Wave, instrumental Surf Rock, Symphonic Metal, Progressive Rock, and Thrash/Death Metal.

I started The Dame about ten years ago, originally as a project with fellow musician friends. The goal was simply to write and record one album and call it a day—no live shows. However, The Dame quickly evolved into a serious band with much bigger ambitions. That has since led to two albums, numerous shows across the Netherlands, and two UK tours.

I started Hakselaer two years ago with Ruben Meibergen, former drummer of The Dame. During an evening of listening to music over a few beers, we talked about how we really ought to start a metal band together again. You shouldn't say things like that to me lightly! A month later, we had written our first songs and the band began taking shape. Hakselaer has since shifted from a quartet to a trio. We play all across the country from West to East, released our debut EP Gieren en Brullen late last year, and have a brand-new single coming out soon. 
The EP is in three words : Brutal, gritty, and honest.

Hakselaer plays Dutch-language Death Thrash Metal, so a brutal sound is an absolute must. It doesn’t need to be polished; it’s allowed to have rough edges and grit. In his lyrics, vocalist/bassist Ivo S. Bijker doesn't pull any punches—he wants to provoke the listener to think for themselves. He doesn't choose left or right, black or white, but respects both progressive and traditional views, calling on people to take the best from both.
What you see and hear is what you get! Just three men sweating and slaving over their instruments, projecting pure raw energy straight at the audience.

Arne: What are your personal musical influences?

Stephen: My personal influences lie with American bands like Death, Cynic, and Testament (Alex Skolnick), as well as Swedish bands like The Haunted and At The Gates. You'll definitely hear those roots in our music. Ivo’s Dutch-language vocals give it a truly unique character of its own.

Arne: The Dame has gone through some changes, including a new keyboardist and a new lead singer. What else has changed?

Stephen: The Dame has faced its share of setbacks in recent years. Our original singer, Marian van Charante—who can be heard on our albums Losing Sight of What You Want and II—unfortunately developed Long COVID and could not continue. Elianne Ernst then joined us for our second UK tour. When we returned home and were preparing to work on album three with her, she was diagnosed with a terrible illness and tragically passed away in early 2025. It was a deeply heartbreaking period for everyone in and around the band.

Additionally, our keyboardist—my son, Thijs de Ruijter—was studying at Wageningen University, and balancing that with The Dame became impossible.

By mid-last year, we turned our focus back toward the future. Arnout Boot joined on keyboards and Annemarijn Ferweda came on board as our new lead vocalist. New people bring new energy. At the same time, we make sure that The Dame’s signature sound remains intact: gloomy, cinematic, progressive rock—sometimes with a sexy twist! 😉

Arne: How does the songwriting process usually work for you in both bands? Does a song start from a jam session, or does it begin at home with a quick riff or idea recorded on a phone?

Stephen: For Hakselaer, I write most of the music so far. Guitar riffs are the foundation of almost all our songs. I record them and send them over to Ruben. He writes and records the drum parts over them, giving us great demo material right away to work on as a trio. One of our songs was actually built around a drum pattern first, which forced me to write guitar parts in a completely new, creative way.

For The Dame, Thijs and I used to write almost all the core music. Now I do that together with Arnout. On writing nights, we fire guitar and keyboard ideas back and forth. By the end of the evening, we usually have a solid draft for a new song—often forgetting who came up with which part! After that, the whole band polishes the parts, harmonies, and arrangements. Because The Dame’s songs are intricate and average over 8 minutes in length, that refining process takes a bit longer than with Hakselaer’s shorter tracks.

Arne: What is your absolute favorite instrument to play (and brand?), and is there a story behind it?



Stephen: Like so many guitarists, I started out on Fender Stratocasters. Over the years, as my playing style evolved, I became a heavy tremolo user and started missing a 7th string for the low end. A Strat just couldn't deliver what I needed anymore.

For several years now, I’ve been playing guitars from the Swedish brand Solar, founded by guitarist/YouTuber Ola Englund. My Solar guitars are 6- and 7-string models equipped with Floyd Rose tremolos for dive bombs, and one even features a Sustainiac pickup for infinite sustain and screaming notes. I jokingly refer to my guitars as my 6- and 7-string demons that I get to wrestle with—and sometimes I even win.

Arne: Looking back to the very beginning: what or who inspired you to pick up an instrument in the first place?

Stephen: I grew up in a household where music was huge—Frank Zappa and Eric Clapton were played constantly. My own first big guitar hero was, and still is, Steve Rothery of Marillion. However, two guitarists I hold immense respect for are the late Chuck Schuldiner of Death and Paul Masvidal of Cynic. Their unique approach to phrasing, composition, and playing remains a massive source of inspiration for me.

Arne: Many musicians balance their passion with day jobs. What does your day-to-day life look like when you're not making music?

Stephen: Unfortunately, I can't make a living purely off music either. I work as a Project Manager at a tech firm, leading major internal and external projects in the semiconductor, oil, and gas industries.

Arne: How do you strike a balance between your career and the energy required for making music and performing?

Stephen: Music is what I live for, and I feel completely at home on stage. I have a deep drive to create. Crafting new music in any genre brings me huge satisfaction—especially when doing it with a group of like-minded people. In that sense, I truly hit the jackpot with both The Dame and Hakselaer.

Arne: Where do you hope you and your music will be in five years? Are there specific venues, festivals, or countries you dream of playing?

Stephen: I hope there will be more opportunities—especially in the Netherlands—to perform with a band like The Dame. Unfortunately, venues focus heavily on tribute bands rather than original artists. I get it; tribute bands draw crowds. But it makes it increasingly difficult for original music to get a foothold. The rise of AI-generated music doesn't help either.When you see how hard a band has to hustle on social media just to sell a handful of tickets, it can be disheartening.

Now I sound like an old grumbler, but ironically, for a band like Hakselaer, there’s much more room to play! Small pubs and underground venues where sweat drips off the walls and a mosh pit breaks out between the bar and the bathrooms.Brilliant, haha!

Arne: Which artist (living or legendary) would you love to sit down with for a coffee or dive into the studio with?

Stephen: I once got to spend a full day in Marillion's rehearsal room, standing literally right next to Steve Rothery. Damn, memories for a lifetime!

Besides all the guitar heroes, I'd love to grab a good cup of coffee with Ola Englund of Solar Guitars (YouTuber and guitarist for The Haunted). He seems like a great guy with a lot of common ground, plenty to chat about, and always a guitar nearby for a quick jam session.

Arne: What is the weirdest or most memorable thing you’ve experienced during a show or in the studio?

Stephen: The absolute highlight of my musical career was standing on stage and making music with my son, Thijs. From the very first show he played with The Dame when he was just 14, to our last writing session together—that is by far the most beautiful and special experience I’ve ever had as a musician. I hope we get to do it again someday.

Arne: What hidden gem (a relatively unknown band, movie, or book) do you think our readers absolutely need to check out?

Stephen: Vulkan from Norway. A slightly less polished prog/art/indie rock band. My wife Nathalie was already a fan, and she got me into them. They’re actually supporting SOEN at Tivoli Utrecht on November 17th—we'll be right up front waving our flag!

And to wrap up: Support Original Live Music! Support your local bands, whether it's Prog, Metal, or whatever else—buy a ticket and get off that couch!