Written by Nikolai Dineros There is something that is always so endearing about acts in the peripheries of the Filipino metal scene. For a genre so predicated on turbulence and density, bands like the Lagueno old school death metal group Nullification somehow know just when to fill those crevices with noise and violence. Enter ‘Kingdoms to Hovel’, Nullification’s nine-track project under Personal Records and Metal Choice Cut Records, produced around the third quarter of 2021 in Laguna, Philippines, before making its way to Walpole, Massachusetts, where it was set for physical release in January 2022. ‘Kingdoms to Hovel’ is all about fundamentals. Even the progression in its name, or the bareness of its medieval, almost Macbethian cover art, is suggestive of this idea. But for an OSDM album, one would think fundamentals seems like a redundant descriptor. As ironic as it sounds, this is the one glaring factor commonly overlooked by new DM bands in their tribute-to-the-past records (I’m looking at you, Gruesome). Nullification succeeds in elegantly incorporating the nostalgia factor without leaving it stale. Inspect the first track ‘Intro to ‘Annihilation’ on your first playthrough and you will most likely already know what to expect: a minute-long ambient tone-setter that slowly builds up power before cutting off at the last second, only to immediately throw you into the brutal pit that is the second track ‘Sledgehammer’ – the ‘actual’ first song, if we’re to be technical about it. Nothing new, but it’s so rich and well-executed that can never get enough of it. On that note, ‘Sledgehammer’ is like a proper poster child of Obituary and Morbid Angel, touched up enough to sound like a tribute to the genre’s formative years whilst sounding fresh in 2022. The drum work is crisp, the vocals are bloodcurdling, and the guitars are fast and unforgiving, as can be said about the other tracks. ‘Calamity from the Skies’, with its dissonant drum beats complementing the ebbs and flows of the guitars and lyrics, portrays destruction raining down from the skies, headed towards you. ‘Negated Fields’ has to be one of the biggest highlights in ‘Kingdoms to Hovel’ for how well it represents the band working seamlessly as a unit. Everything about this song gels perfectly with one another. Vocalist and bassist Rozel Leaño is at the top of his singing game. His growls are as graceful and as ‘death metal’ as they can possibly be. The solo near the end is blazingly fast and melodic, and reminded me a lot of the same section of ‘In Death’s Sleep’ by Dismember from their 1991 album ‘Like an Ever Flowing Stream’. Nullification proves that Filipino old school death metal can still break out of the mold while staying fundamentally rooted – a medieval fantasy opus that you know all too well but somehow manages to always keep you at the edge of your seat. Support the art & the artist:
Author: TFL
TRACK REVIEW: Nateman, Realest Cram, CK YG – Akala Mo Ata
Written by Elijah P. Following the loss of Pop Smoke in the global music scene, Drill in The Philippines seeked to follow Pop’s footsteps regionally. So far as the current explosion shaking the local scene is concerned, Tagalog-written rap rendered a new type of aggression ever since its arrival. The hashtag #PHDrill took over social media for visibility and was utilized from names like Soulja444, Warhogs, Gabanna, and many more. The list grows from there, but there’s a new prospect in town who is reclaiming the sound, and eventually, picture their realistic depiction of gang life. Enter Pasayeño’s Nateman, Realest Cram, and CK YG tagging along; all three members leading the charge in today’s drill craze. With these elements all placed on the table, the group is surely picking up steam with a steady stream of heavy machine-gun clocking drill-induced mania in their single “Akala Mo Ata”. The overall bluntness, bass-shots-in-blank-range style of the genre ignited OLGANG to pick up the mic, show-off some footwork, and release one of the hardest tracks in history; CK YG rattling off from the dome, Realest Cram emulating East Coast’s most notorious voices to the hood, and Nateman raising the stakes, all the while hopping on a “California Dreamin’” sample. Chucking out gang signs unashamedly, threatening the oldheads, and warning the established names in the industry – these are reasons why names in the scene are etched in this long list of fearless rappers making their mark – and Nateman, Realest Cram, and CK YG are already making it in the big leagues. “Akala Mo Ata” isn’t just a group effort, it’s an entire movement leveling with the entire world scene of drill at large. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
EP REVIEW: Chall – Quezon Citypop
Written by Elijah P. Looking for an alternative sound is like choosing a specific category at a bookstore; the possibilities are endless. For solo artist Cloud aka Chall, he has familiarized himself with several sounds and chose to give it a spin in his YouTube channel; From the noisy walls of sound of My Bloody Valentine to the drunkard hypnagogic musings of Mac DeMarco — both artists nowadays are a dime a dozen due to their unashamed imitators regurgitating their ideas. And it is safe to say that Chall tries his hardest not to end up like one of his idols in his latest EP. Chall waltzes in the streets of Quezon City at the break of dawn. With a cigarette in hand, he treats himself to a dinner-for-one blowout in lieu of the release of his debut EP titled “Quezon Citypop”. His feelings regarding a lost love are as consistent as choosing a soft pink and red color palette, but musically, his actual output pales in comparison to his long-haired shredder persona online. In Chall’s first ever extended play effort, we hear passionate ballads track in and track out, breathing in the nicotine of everyday hustle and bustle while simultaneously breathing out the scent of sea salt by the shore. “Quezon Citypop” sounds exactly like you imagine: a hybrid of jangle pop hanging by the sea of city pop cliches. From track 1 to track 5, you get the idea that Chall wanted to replicate what was great about Citypop, but one thing he hasn’t made clear is what does it have to do with Quezon City? Our imagination with a genre that was prominent in the past feels hard to pin down in the EP. “Quezon Citypop” hardly imagines a better tribute with barely any heady songwriting — something Chall should brush up on in the future. At the opener “Midnight Moonlight”, the track bum-rushes the second the record starts. It was a sudden whiplash of bass slaps and uneven mixing choices that don’t gel well with the urban romanticism themes. As well as the consecutive tracks that followed such as “Easy Morning” and “Tanging Halik”, both tracks felt longer as usual due to its elongated song structures that bore more than they could amuse its listener. Additionally, the sheen on those guitar solos hardly echo right through the awkward hook writing. Neither can the occasional technical wankery can save the EP from being madly in love at its genericness. The last tracks like “Pretty Japanese” and “After Hours” are on the nose attempts at duplicating the aesthetics of City Pop whilst implementing a ‘sad boy’ twist in its lyrical themes. The only problem here is these themes barely work in that kind of unorthodox setup. The closing tracks yields an underwhelming afterthought that hardly values any relevance to its title and the production’s attempt at polishing a clean, jazzy, funky City Pop-inspired record. Chall’s “Quezon Citypop” represents stale ideas of a movement that’s gone way past its due. The lonerist upbringing hardly convinces and sways and it all the more sells cheap nostalgia, abandoning all original angles of what makes Quezon City a center for pop in general. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
ALBUM REVIEW: ABANGLUPA – Of Rats And Swine
Written by Nikolai Dineros People the world over decry the looming threat of war and invasion. Filipinos, faced with a dilemma of their own, grieve in remembrance of comrades lost. Of Rats and Swine could not have come at a more vital time. Behind this full-length record is Abanglupa, a hardcore punk/grindcore duo hailing all the way from Pateros. With Of Rats and Swine marking the band’s debut album release, the Vivo brothers comprised of Abanglupa, Ronnel and Ronaldo, released around a month before the album’s 22 February release date a manifesto expressing their grievances toward the Marcoses for their lies, callousness, insatiable greed, and total lust for power. “The Marcoses will do anything to return to Malacañang and claim power for themselves,” the statement read, as Abanglupa teased “Forced Dementia” — an allegorical protest against historical revisionism and the distortion writ large of the resistance’s raison d’être. “They will stop at nothing even if it means sowing discord amongst the Filipino people.” Abanglupa doesn’t beat around the bush, never indulging itself with the ominous. Across the ten short but powerful tracks in Of Rats and Swine, the band resonates their anger with the oppressed collective through guttural screams and loud riffs, and calls for the destruction, not the redesign, of the carceral structures that enslave the poor. The title track, “Erase”, and “Decorated Vultures” are just three among the ten hard-hitting songs that heavily emphasize these themes. As far as their sound goes, Abanglupa has a lot going for it. The band has previously cited the New Hampshire-based hardcore punk act Trap Them as a major influence. But as cumulative as influences are, comparisons do not end there. On many occasions, Of Rats and Swine crosses over borders of punk subgenres and metal, but it is hardcore at heart. But the rage of Abanglupa in their debut album is far more than the slew of crust, sludge, and grind elements the Vivo brothers have colorfully thrown into the mix. It is best encapsulated by the masses’ anger for tyrants and the system that bred these corrupted people to enrich and rot amongst themselves on the pedestal, to be spewed by society of their poison, only to be ingested once again with that same poison. Of Rats and Swine is a call-to-action. To violently topple down the powers that be – and may be. Support the art & the artist: https://abanglupa.bandcamp.com/album/of-rats-and-swine
TRACK REVIEW: Haute Couture, KURI MAW, All Rights – Salarin
Written by Elijah P. As ‘genre-bending’ pop music continues to pervade the comfort zones of many listeners in the 2020s, a new crop of producers are on a mission to challenge the conventions of those pop genres they have been sitting on for the longest time. Take new blood producer Alice Lunafel’s Haute Couture project for instance. For the past 2 years or so, Haute Couture has stitched musical ideas founded by the internet’s endless desire for audiovisual aesthetics. Ranging from dreadful drone side projects to a drafted love letter-structured UK garage, Alice’s undying love to tap into those territories instantly becomes a midas touch for most of them. For her latest collaboration “Salarin”, Alice invited Montalban-based rapper Kurimaw (PLAYA HATAZ) and Batasan’s very own All Rights (Hardknockz) for a collaboration that was spontaneous from the very beginning. But just like all unplanned events that’s involved with the creative process, it yielded fantastic results. For 3 minutes and 56 seconds, “Salarin” is loaded with ideas that are traded left to right: Alice’s first ever verse written in Tagalog, Kurimaw’s first foray into the world of experimental pop music, and All Right’s non-aggro and more laid-back take on themes of alienation and self-doubt; All of these performances have resulted in a mishmash of catchy choruses, a rewarding yet melodramatic synth-flute combo, and an explosive arena rock outro. “Salarin” is a blender full of glitch-y pop music, contemporary alternative rock-influenced rap, and all things that pushes those genres forward. For Northern Metro Manila’s newest rap pop stars Kurimaw and All Rights, they aren’t strangers to left-field production and peerless musical choices in their respective genres. Haute Couture just so happens to provide these previously mentioned rappers a boost for their creativity and sincerity in one track, elevating their talent to many different possible directions as a result. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST: N/A
EP REVIEW: LORY – s/t
Written by Elijah P. Parañaque’s very own desktop pop musician Mikee Mendoza aka Lory released their debut self-titled EP with the help of Terno Recordings. Like a tidal wave on a sunny afternoon, the 16-year old sophisti/city pop wunderkind virtually came out of nowhere. With their label distributor promoting their upcoming EP in the middle of a Facebook doomscroll, the chance of seeing a polo-wearing starry-eyed musician with a knack for guitar licks and synth-y embellishments are unmissable, unless you’re the type to follow Terno’s highly curated city pop picks in the past 3 or 4 years. Apart from this project, it appears that Lory could gel with the Terno crowd, only for a short while that is. Partly this is due to the uncharismatic vocal presence throughout the self-titled project. “Pleaser” and “See The Now” have outstanding chops in composing a colorful mishmash of riffages and bleeps, furthermore the guitar work emulates lounge-y theatrics and the laser-like synth presets hop in and out of the track whenever it likes. But to emphasize chops in a constructive manner, the singing barely carries any of the bright production that’s established in the EP; “Over (Now)” drags tremendously as Lory continues to become a grand champion at the annual snorefest, specifically in the vocal department. Its vocals have become a factor at diluting the soundscapes to mere copypasting of previous musical trends, such as the peak of Spadesmania or She’s Only Sixteen’s millennial Poblacion bar songwriting. Lory instantaneously drags the listener to its doom by providing an underwhelming closer to the EP. The production choices and its outlines are spick and span but its direction leads to a sonic dead end. To what looks like a fantastic from front cover to back listening experience, the debut project holds itself back in tweaking its gear to full throttle. Lory’s self-titled EP is a trial and error piece on city-pop sound design and a clear example of how its vocal performance could potentially end up in becoming a deal breaker for many. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Jikamarie – “Kailangan ko ng….”
Written by Elijah P. Angelica Ponce aka Jikamarie took the Tiktok world by storm when she released her debut single “Lutang” — a synth-y r&b track that encapsulates our feelings that are in an absent-minded state — where it drew in colossal streaming numbers, a bunch of niche micro celebrities lip syncing to the song, and eventually made her land in a label deal with Warner Music during the last quarter of 2021. The track itself was a smash-hit for its infectious hooks, borderline-fantastical production, and leading synths that make a callback to electropop phases of K-Pop production styles in the mid 2010s. “Lutang” persisted throughout the rest of 2021 and marks a promising career for both Jika and her sibling-slash-executive producer Kenneth, establishing an early Billie-Finneas chemistry later on as she prepares herself in a post-pandemic world in 2022. Several months after the viral rollout of “Lutang” and countless other features across the industry board, it seemed like Jikamarie was about to reach the peak of her career as a singer-songwriter already. Mostly relying on Tiktok snippets and excessive remixes of “Lutang”, the debut single was about to reach its quota and it was high time for Jikamarie to churn out a new single before time runs out. “Kailangan ko ng” is a brand new single released days after the Valentine’s rush. It featured odd Korg-y bass lines, a cinematic chorus, and a weird, out-of-place bridge injected right smack dab in the middle of the single. To prove one’s artistic longevity is a challenge artists struggle shortly after they’ve hit their Smells Like Teen Spirit moment. But to Jikamarie’s benefit, “Kailangan ko ng” still stays true to her earnestness and drive, however, the end result has embodied the literal definition of a half-baked product. Being a one hit wonder surely is a curse, it’s a slump that’s taken for granted by many, and Jikamarie has experienced her first stumble in her latest single; The choruses have overstayed its welcome, a promising subject matter that’s interrupted by an odd choice in tone by the bridge, and a song structure that’s slightly identical from her past two singles — which are “bawi ako sa next life” and “Lutang” respectively. There are a lot more cons that outweigh its pros, to which it doesn’t completely apply to Jikamarie’s detriment entirely and surely “Kailangan ko ng” and its themes was able to conjure up a relatable feeling. But as far as repeated listens are concerned, Jikamarie’s “Kailangan ko ng” fails to be on par with the quality of her previous singles. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: SHNTI – Fuck it (im in love again)
Written by Louis Pelingen Even if this year’s Valentine’s day has passed, LIAB Studios‘ SHNTI shows that the declaration of love isn’t limited to that date. Like goodie goodie, this is a reworked version of the same song that was put out on her SoundCloud page a year ago. SHNTI described this as a new era for her music, which I do agree with. This reworked version shows the mixing of the keys and the vocals balanced out as there are now inclusions of bass and violins besides the glossy keys and simple drum beat to add to the melodic foundation and charming feel to the song in courtesy of Calix’s contribution as a producer. SHNTI’s rapping and singing have improved ever since, showing more control, confidence, and charisma that makes her musings of newfound love feel charming and believable. And unlike the Soundcloud version of the song, this version really goes all out with the strings, bass, harmonized vocals, and handclaps that conclude the song where that love becomes more blissful and exciting to grasp. While my nitpick would be the chorus that could’ve been developed a bit further, that’s just minor. It’s a simple, quaint love song that SHNTI breezes through with enough expressive charisma paired with balanced and necessary production choices from Calix that make it so damn charming and blissful. Support the art & the artist:
ALBUM REVIEW: Drive of Daydreams – DRIVE OF DAYDREAMS VOL. 1
Written by Janlor Encarnacion The OPM landscape has a never-ending list of bands singing about love and all its tangents. A band can find success just by sticking to this topic and avoiding any deviation from it. Signed to O/C Records back in 2018, Drive of Daydreams released their debut album – Daydreams Vol. 1 – with a collection of previously released singles and new songs while referencing the past overusing tropes to mixed results. All the songs in the album are your typical OPM songs talking about love and heartbreak that you may have already listened to in the 90’s and 00’s albeit with more modern sounding vocals. That is to say, they bypass the shout-along choruses you’d normally associate with these kinds of songs and deploy a more subdued vocal performance to mixed results. The opening song – Come With Me – is the best song on the album and sets the bar high where the rest of the songs fall short except for one. Taking cues from British bands like Oasis, the song has a great arrangement and is a banger opening track. The succeeding tracks fall short even if they try to pay homage to popular bands in the 90’s: Join the Club in Giliw, Spongecola in K.L.A., Itchyworms in L.D.R., and Silent Sanctuary in Wag Ka Lang Malumbay. But there is a glimmer of hope – Martyr. It shows the bands’ ability to shift from multiple genres and styles with great effect and shows the potential of the band where only glimpses can be seen in the other songs. Paying homage to the past is always a good starting point for any up-and-coming band but it’s always best to make your own mark – especially in the oversaturated space that the band is trying to make a name in. The album shows potential and we can only hope that this experience will help the band and their music grow in the hopes that the band can snap out of their own daydream and make a difference. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
EP REVIEW: neytan – Normal Pop Radio
Written by Elijah P. There’s an unspoken gap in synthetic pop grounded from the bedroom and r&b recorded in lapel mics, and the one way to address the void in between those genres are the acts that bridged it: Men I Trust, Clairo, and just to name a few. Those artists paved the way for DIY musicians to come up with ideas wherein they mix in several musical influences and ultimately come up with a singular, signature sound or movement. It was an itch longing to be scratched for many and yet it’s still missing the oomph everyone was looking to consider. For bedroom pop/r&b neophyte Nathan Ron Del Mundo aka Neytan, it comes across as if that itch has been scratched by his versatility and taste in his first ever EP titled “Normal Pop Radio”. Judging from the EP title alone, it looks and sounds like the 17-year old performer-producer wasn’t trying to duplicate an era that was lost, but rather he finds comfort in the strumming, the vocal twisting, and the mic cupping with additional themes of love, infatuation, and other what have yous that are sonic hallmarks in those respective genres. Tracks like “ALMANDINE” and “Malaysia” – the latter track being a loosie that isn’t on this EP but it exemplifies his knack for choosing appropriate melodies – are examples of hard-hitting and hazy production choices that best suit his vocal range. There are showcases of variety in genre choices but it’s enough to disjoint the EP even further. The filler tracks “SHE’S PRETTY (OUT OF MY LEAGUE)” and “CHICKEN WINGS” are products of soft soul and r&b that are easy on the ears but run on the mill if seated among the sea of songs that are identical structurally. It only makes it more superficially restrained rather than melodically consistent that would brand their identity later on. If anything “Normal Pop Radio” is memorable for, it’s the sheer potential the young up-and-coming musician can pull off sonically. However, his vocal chops could get a little bit of training before he can go full on Rex Orange County while surfing on those dreamy symphonies cascading to the drum machines. Neytan has a lot of work to do in the future, especially when searching for a natural sound to cling on and not rest on the laurels of his Discord contemporaries. Moving beyond one’s influences is one step closer to being a performer of a lifetime. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST: