The latest hardworking buzz band from Benilde are bringing you inside info on how to write horror-love songs, never hearing about Ethel Cain, adoring all the memes, and plans for the new, bloody exciting debut album
Fitterkarma are known to engineer nightmares. The Manila-based band, led by vocalist and conceptualizer Joao De Leon, has carved out a niche where horror, heartbreak, and OPM sensibilities coexist with J-rock’s frenetic energy. Their breakout track, “Ang Pag-ibig ay Kanibalismo Part II,” has become inescapable, spawning TikTok memes, school cafeteria covers, and even a cosign from BINI Maloi via Instagram. But beneath the viral chaos lies a band dead serious about their craft.
Every element of Fitterkarma’s work oozes with intention. Orchestrated by pianist and co-vocalist Addy Pantig, drummer Sanders Bayas, guitarist Calvin Borja and bassist Sophia Miranda, the screamo-infused tracks and heavy metal riffing lurch between melodic hugot and visceral noise, while their visuals—blood-saturated cover art, eerie imagery—feel ripped from a cult horror flick. This isn’t your typical theater-kid spookiness with Final Destination death scene compilations projected over the walls of a school screening; it’s the sound of a generation that grew up on 3 a.m. city dread and internet surrealism.
Even their creative process mirrors their aesthetic. Drummer Sanders (or “Ders” to the scene) balances homework while the interview was happening, while Joao draws inspiration from Texas’ bleak landscapes during his U.S. stay, literally waking up minutes before the interview started. Multi-instrumentalist Soph juggles session work and concert tech gigs, applying that hands-on expertise to Fitterkarma’s precise chaos. What separates them from typical college bands is their commitment to the bit. Every snare hit, every vocal shriek, every drop of fake blood in their visuals serves the larger nightmare. In a scene often obsessed with being relatable, Fitterkarma dares to be unsettling—and Manila’s youth are eating it up.
[This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity]
Elijah: Gusto ko matanong each and every one of you, ano yung paborito niyong horror movie?
Joao: Oh yeah. Lately, ano ba? Dami. Sobrang dami. Siguro top of my head nga yun yung Skin of Mariquen. Yung analog horror na sobrang slow-paced. I like slow-paced horror kumpara sa mga jumpscare, puro jumpscare na nanggugulat lang. Bukod sa pag-slow horror, especially sa mga Japanese horror na slow horror, yung music din parang instead of giving the tension na palapit na yung jumpscare, it gives you an eerie feeling. Lately, not just horror movies but horror games as well. I’m loving yung soundtrack ng, like forever is in my head lagi yung soundtrack ng Siren Blood curse na video game.
Elijah: Oh wow. Sobrang underrated yan para sa akin kasi may third-person view ka, you could switch cameras from different characters. That’s something that Resident Evil doesn’t do.
Joao: Silent Hill also.
Elijah: Yeah, Silent Hill. Too bad di tumuloy yung PT. Does anyone else in the band have their favorite horror movie in mind?
Calvin: Ako actually, di ako super hilig sa horror movies. I mean, I’m not like an avid horror watcher. I guess yung consumption ko ng horror is like from movies or from series or books. It’s all from YouTube lang. Yung mga, it’s always the icebergs and stuff like that. So wala akong specific pero I guess na-expose din ako somewhat to those ideas. Tsaka video games din. But I’ve never actually played one the whole way which is sayang nga. I think I should do that.
Addy: Sorry. Okay, I’m not very into that, I mean, I would like to watch a lot more horror and play a lot more horror games as well. But like, it gets scary. I would like to play it nung may kasama. It’s so much fun that way na you can just laugh it off. But if I were to answer yung favorite horror movie, since I don’t, I haven’t really seen a lot, I would say it’s Alien because I am also very into science fiction stuff and like 70s, 80s films. So yeah, that would be my answer.
Soph: Sa totoo lang takot na takot ako sa mga horror movies so walang masasabihin. Pero may experience ako na parang I have to score a film na psychological horror so nanonood ako ng mga conjuring kahit ano talagang medyo nakakabaliw for me. Ngayon lang naman, hindi ako maalam sa horror.
I was listening to lots of love songs. Love songs ng Japan, mga J-pop, J-rock. And grabe sila magsulat ng love songs. Kung i-translate mo ito English, ang ganda ng translation. Sobrang poetic, sobrang I don’t know, like they’d literally die for you.
-Joao, fitterkarma
Elijah: Parang that would come off as a surprise na parang ang macabre yung tema niyo lagi atsaka very color driven yung banda niyo na tapos it turns out yung mga members hindi avid na horror fans. That sort of contrast interests me kasi when I try to at the very least spot your live shows, how do you come up with those masks etc. Yung parang thematic yung dating? Sino yung nag-mastermind dun?
Calvin: Para sa akin, kay Joao talaga nagsisimula lahat. I’m sorry hindi kita binobola but in terms of live, for the most part, si Joao yung may vision. I feel like the other members, kaming ibang members sa band, siyempre we have some. We have these notions naman of how to play good live shows. I mean, lahat naman kasi kami music prod so we’re supposed to know that, I guess. But si Joao talaga yung nag-conceptualize. Parang siya yung nagsisend palagi ng mga pegs na I don’t know if ili-leak ko. I don’t know if that’s allowed, Joao? [laughs] So it’s either like sabihin natin yung si Bon Iver ganun, like the samples or the backing tracks if we want that aspect and then we’re gonna look into J-Rock and how they dress and how the lights work and how everything is like coordinated. So yun I think si Joao talaga yung is the one who conceptualizes talaga kung ano yung dating ng band when it comes to live.
Joao: Well, nung kasi nagsimula yung concept, napansin ko lang kasi when I’m writing songs, I always use dark imagery. Parang may imprint parin yung dark humor na sisingit ko dun sa songwriting ko. Some of the songs sa album was intended for the thesis. So dahil thesis siya, nag-isip ako ng concept. Gawain ko kasi make something original, especially sa music. I gather influences from different sources. I think of it like a cocktail. So if you combine like alcohol and soft drinks sa isang drink, you get a new drink, diba? And ayun, pinagsama ko dahil medyo inspire din sa culture ng natin sa Pilipinas. Kasi music natin puro maraming love songs, maraming hugot. Kahit may times na nagkasawa tayo, may nagkakaroon ng time na uuwi parin tayo sa love songs. And then there’s this, you know, the Filipino folklore that we all know na puro aswang, puro mga manananggal and witchcraft. Sinubukan ko ipagsama into one like horror and romance. Like there’s always this horror movie na may love interest sa loob. Tapos meron din naman on the disturbing side ng mga love stories na may horror elements bigla na magpapatayan sila bigla. And then the one thing na I thought, which ano bang nagkocombine ng love tsaka horror into one action? Naisip ko lang ah! cannibalism lang! Kasi around that time I’ve been watching too many disturbing movies din. And then at the same time, I was listening to lots of love songs. Love songs ng Japan, mga J-pop, J-rock. And grabe sila magsulat ng love songs. Kung i-translate mo ito English, ang ganda ng translation. Sobrang poetic, sobrang I don’t know, like they’d literally die for you.
Elijah: That’s really one good way to put it. The J-rock element to your songs, sometimes melodrama could get in the way, but that’s the whole point of a love song. You can get really melodramatic and at the same time, there’s some poetry to this melodrama. And that to me is what sticks out in the whole project as a band. Because I’ve noticed, I mean I’ve been, I’ve had friends in Benilde for I guess more than half a decade now. And observing these different kinds of generations of Benilde, like CSB musicians. They have this history of brimming talent. Sila Obese.Dogma.777, si no rome, Manila Magic, ena mori, Loner.
And now yung bagong henerasyon ng mga Benilde musicians din. Like say, yung mga co-bands nyo, yung mga ibang bands nyo, being the next generation. How do you guys manage to stick out thematically, concept-wise, within that circle?
Joao: When it comes to creating for ourselves. We, ano lang, sarili lang talaga namin yung iniisip namin, like for us yung kung paano namin conceptually sarili namin, di namin isipin din yung sasabihin ng tao. Basta sa tingin namin, oh this is cool, so gawin natin, yun lang.
Elijah: Yeah, that’s really very admirable to hear because I’d like to ask your other bandmates, what’s it like to balance different projects?
Calvin: I guess when it comes to balancing lang, really whichever just feels right at the moment. So, like for example ngayon, I wanna focus on Fitter right now na parang, wala, that’s how it is. Kasi everyone’s active, everyone’s like pushing right now. Especially with,yung small success ng Cannibalism part 2 and things like that. And like yung minention ni Joe na may we’re trying to finish the album. So, syempre yun yung priority. Di naman siya necessarily competing in terms of like the creative juices. Kasi like it’s nice to have another outlet din para iwas sa burnout. Yung naging hectic lang yung schedules pag nagbabangaan yung mga skeds.
Addy: Well, for me kasi I’m very into different things, it’s like a wide range of genres. And I find it very fulfilling that I get an outlet for those different genres. So, for example, for theatre, it’s a lot of more rock stuff and a lot of heavier stuff relatively. And then I also have another outlet where it’s more like we’re very 70s, 60s influenced. And it doesn’t make it hard to balance the two because they’re just really different from each other. I find it nice to be able to express those different interests of mine. But of course, my priority is always Fitterkarma.
Ders: If may nagtatanong sakin na artist if I’m available to play, I always check my schedule muna if pasok siya sa schedule ko. Like, manage ko talaga siya one by one. And if it’s feasible, sure, I’m down. And agree din ako sa sinabi ni Addy kanina na priority nga is Fitterkarma. Same rin sakin kasi Fitterkarma is my first ever band.
Soph: Aside from na sinabi niya na to have his schedule right, is knowing kuha may nag-offer saka ng session, knowing what the genre is, and if magugustuhan ko ba siya or parang hindi ko mabibigay yung best. So tatanggihan ko po ganun. Kasi parang I would like to treat that art of theirs na talagang mapaperform ko well, so aside from scheduling is knowing that kung kakayanin ko yung work. And same din sa Fitter. Usually pag may mga collaborations, lahat kami naman mag-input, what if ganito, what if ganyan. So I think meron naman kaming creative direction. Kaya naging ganun yung mga outputs ng song namin.
Elijah: I think Sof mentioned na you’re based in Houston specifically. How does it work out adjusting creatively? How do you guys communicate?
Joao: Feeling ko parang di rin naman kami nag-adjust that much kasi our process kahit naman sa Philippines pa ako madalas. I mean, like, most of the year. Our process kasi [is] I write the songs from my room or on my own. I do the arrangements, structure na song. I record the demo and then I send it to them. And yan. Doon na mangyayari magic. And hindi rin kami like strict sa time zone kasi anytime, kahit anong oras basta libre ako. Or kahit kung anong oras man ako makahanap ng time. Kahit ungodly hour or kahit early morning or during the afternoon. Basta ma-feel ko yung urge to create, gagawin ko.
Elijah: Actually, nadiscover ko kayo last year January sa Rabbit Hole ato yun. Oh yeah. At doon si Ellyphant, she took pictures of you guys.
Joao: Oh yeah, I remember. Yeah, yeah.
Elijah: Actually, Elly and I were talking like, nireko niya saan yung, aside from you guys sila, Iluna sa lineup na yun. I think it was a birthday. Yeah, if I remember correctly, birthday gig ato yun tapos..
Joao: Yeah. Claire, yes. Oh yeah.
Elijah: And siguro after that parang sinubaybay ko na kayo sa social media noong meron pa kayong isa pang gig na parang Karma Hits back pa. Sa Kalapastangan na EP launch. And right now, this year, siguro nire-release niyo yung Kannibalismo noong February. Tapos nag-pick up siya noong Steam noong April.
I just like to know ano yung mga reaction niyo sa mga memes? Kasi sobrang lakas niyo sa music memes.
Joao: Ako natatawa ko sa reaction nila. Kasi while I was writing this song, I didn’t think na magiging ganun reaction ng tao. Like when I was writing it in this very room where I am right now, nakala ko like same sa magiging reaction ng mga professor namin na baka magiging weird siya. Kasi yung lyrics ko palang dun like sobrang brutal. Yung inodobo mo yung tao. So actually, I was just writing it for fun.
Yung sa reaction ng tao, tinanggap nila. Hindi sila nagweirduhan sa amin. Medyo ano rin, like prior releasing the song din kasi yung mga friends namin, kating-kating sila amin na i-release namin yung song. Kasi pinakinggan nila sa Google Drive. Na-LSS na sila lahat. Tapos di pa namin re-release. Dahil kinukulit kami doon din ako nagkaroon ng lakas sa loob na i-release siya.
It’s a nice new world to enter when we expose things to each other
-Addy, fitterkarma
Elijah: For Addy, what’s it like to take vocal duties on that track?
Addy: Actually, when Joao first told me that he wrote the song with me singing it in mind, I was a bit excited then to see how I can put myself into his writing. And like me, I joined the band not as a singer, even though I do sing. So, I was really excited to have that opportunity to do that for the band.
And yeah, I think Calvin was saying something related.
Joao: I forgot to mention kanina kasi and sasabihin ko nalang dito kasi feel ko ito yung timing para masabi. Tawa ko sa mga, nababasa ko yung mga fan theories. Well, una na surprise ako nagkura ko may fans because of memes. And nagkakaroon sila yung theories regarding na tawa kami ng tawa, buong banda dito. Well, tuwa din kami. Kasi they were starting theorizing na the song was inspired by.. Ano yan? Sino yan?
Elijah: Isn’t it like the movie,“Bones and All”?
Joao: Yeah, and yung Yellowjackets and yung Ethel Cain? Like guess what man? Di namin kilala lahat ng yan. None of us know those stuff, those songs. Meron din nag-comment sa YouTube na sabi niya, na-realize daw niya na inspired by yung Ethel Cain. Tapos tawa ako ng tawa. I don’t even know that, dude. Pero we took it lightly. Natuwanan din kami kasi yun pala yung nagagawa ng music sa tao. Yung may kanya-kanya silang interpretation sa gawa mo. We welcome that. We’re very open to that. At least dahil doon may natutunan din kami from other people. Like may ganito pala, may series pala, may ganito. Actually, binalak din namin panoorin ng paking ganyan. Di pa yata namin nagagawa. Ako di ko pa nagagawa. Ewan ko sa kanila.
Dati wala nga kaming mga screamo na arrangement noon. Tapos lately meron tayong mga screamo na in-incorporate sa mga songs which is natutuwa din ako kasi everyone of us is eager to learn.
-Soph, fitterkarma
Elijah: Amazing job on that, by the way. Parang doon mas, I guess, nag-widen yung scope yung band. When everyone else just contributes, not just a non-singer or like a singer-keyboardist, everyone else, there’s like this synergy that’s existing. And glad to see how growth just sort of like innately exists in every band, in every step of the way. Siguro, a question for you, Joao. Anong film score that you wish you did?
Joao: Yung All Quiet on the Western Front. I loved how they used electronic music on a film na, anong tawag doon? Sa unang panahon yung setting, ganun. And it worked. So, yeah, sobrang solid nun. And especially yung message nung song. Ay, song nung film. It’s an anti-war film. It’s not those sugar-coated Hollywood films na sobrang Americanized. Yan talaga sobrang straightforward anti-war. Wala kang inapakabala sa gyera. Ito lang. So, yan. Yung message nung film, the same score. Dinala yan rin sobra.
Elijah: How do you guys define Fitterkarma as the band where you guys combine pop elements, metal elements? So how do you sort of define that as a whole with all these genres?
Joao: Siguro best way to define it is lahat ng gusto namin gawin, ginagawa namin sa music namin. Anything that inspires us, na mag-inspire sa amin, gumawa rin, gagawin namin. Kahit pop man yan, metal, classical music, film scoring. Kasi doon magsisimula yung mga magagandang output siguro pag di mo pinipigilan sarili mo or di mo kine-cage sarili mo. Recently, on loop sa akin mga album ni Bad Bunny. Tapos kinabukasan, black metal lamang papahingaan ko. Tapos kinabukasan, j-rock. Tapos kinabukasan, soundtracks ng films And then makikinigaw ko ng mga songs for the piano, yung mga Bach.
Iba-iba. Tapos ganoon din natin yung set sila. I think Soph loves Shoegaze.
Kaya ano ba yung mga trip ni Music? Halo-halo din eh kami. So yeah, minsan Radiohead, men, uuwi ako sa Radiohead. Jeff Buckley, yung 90s. Bjork. I love Bjork so much. Especially yung isang recent album niya na biglang nagbudots. Sobrang solid. Never expected Bjork to do that.
Ders: Sinabi din na madami kaming genres in mind and tinutugtugan ng genres. So, balak namin na ipag-combine lahat since nasabi nga ni Joao noon na gusto din maging experiment yung band. And it turned out well naman. And yeah, I think that’s it.
Addy: I think it’s really just finding something that we all agree on. Since we all have different influences, then we can share those influences with others. Like me, I was exposed to a lot more music because of joining FitterKarma, because of Joao, because of Calvin and stuff. And it’s a nice new world to enter when we expose things to each other.
As a songwriter, I listen to music as a listener. I listen to music without minding the genres. Kung ano lang yung ma-enjoy ko, yun lang. Yun lang yung papakinggan ko. Susundan lang kami sa puso namin.
-Joao, fitterkarma
Soph: Last siguro is Fitter Karma is, parang for me, it’s so special na pag pinagsama-sama mo yung mga tinutugtog namin since iba-iba mga subjects namen. And meron din kaming subjects sa college noon na parang ensemble which we can perform a lot of genres. Sige natin, jazz. Pero we end up here na we like to touch the experimental side of music. Dati wala nga kaming mga screamo na arrangement noon. Tapos lately meron tayong mga screamo na in-incorporate sa mga songs which is natutuwa din ako kasi everyone of us is eager to learn. And siguro nandun talaga yung parang collaborative spirit namin kaya hindi kami nahihirapan mag-adjust sa mga new additions dun sa mga ginagawa namin songs.
Ayun lang, parang more of collaborative talaga.
Joao: And to add din, ang ganda rin sa reaction ng audience or ng tao whenever you’re being unpredictable in terms sa music mo. I remember watching Radwimps noong tumugtog sila sa Araneta. I think a lot of people went there, alam lang nila yung sa soundtrack sa Your Name and Weathering With You. Tapos ako, I came there, I’m aware of their discography. Marami silang genre, they rap, they pop, they do pop, they do metal as well. Typical J-pop, J-rock experiment na akong kulit. Tapos biglang yung mga katabi ko dun kasi nasa Gen Ad lang ako so feel ko iba nung nanood lang for the vibe. And then gulat na gulat sila nag-metal na yung Radwimps, biglang nag-rap, biglang mag-reggae next song. Ang kulit. I like that vibe na being unpredictable and hindi rin siya nakakaumay. Me, myself, as a songwriter, and me playing music kasi I listen to music as a listener. I listen to music without minding the genres. Kung ano lang yung ma-enjoy ko, yun lang. Yun lang yung papakinggan ko. Susundan lang kami sa puso namin.