Written by Nikolai Dineros Hardcore turned post-punk: At least, that is where the appeal for the newly formed post-punk outfit, Crepuscular Dawn, who recently unveiled their debut release, In Filmic Stasis, comes from. And while some may argue that hardcore and post-punk/no wave come from the same umbrella, one cannot deny that switching styles can be an arduous task, especially for the more creatively established musician. Upon rummaging through the vast archives of old, forgotten performance clips from the peripheries of the local hardcore scene, all in search of any material from the members of Crepuscular Dawn’s other projects, I was only able to find a handful of music to go by – one from Bandcamp and the other from YouTube. The parent hardcore bands in question are Eyes of Fire – Manila and Off The Chain, the former of which had a studio album – branded as stoner blues rock –, a live album, and a demo release published on Bandcamp, all for the taking. As for the latter, all I gathered was a live performance of their song “Mainland Pride” on YouTube. Fast forward to ‘In Filmic Stasis’, the once brutal and in-your-face mosh preachers are now sporting synths, dismal and eloquent songwriting, a melancholic “Insiang” (1976) cover art, and a copious amount of reverb and high pass filter across the guitars and vocals, respectively. Sad vibes all over, but you can still bang your head to it. ‘Whirlwind’ is a brilliant tone-setter, kicking off with a rich rhythm section backed by an infectious guitar riff, and the singer’s expressive and emotional crooning that remains at the forefront throughout the five-track project. True to the band’s hardcore roots, “Geworfenheit” then takes all these elements and elevates them even further. The vocals are much more potent, the wall of guitar and synth passages that are simultaneously at play are explosive, and the glittery counter-melody provides more glam. “Pilgrim” is memorable for its intense and powerful guitar-bass line that complements the thumping batterie, and that “Death is the only constant” line that goes on repeat at the final leg of the track. Much like ‘Geworfenheit’, it borrows a lot from the band members’ former hardcore sensibilities. The first three-track run is a strong and uncontested one, but even “Empire of Speed”, which follows after “Pilgrim”, has its fair share of amazing feats. It is easily Crepuscular Dawn’s most upbeat and straightforward song in the record, thus making it stand out on its own, at least before “Leper God” plunges at the opposite direction to finish ‘In Filmic Stasis’ at a depressive note – typical gothic fashion. Support the art & the artist: N/A
Tag: Nikolai Dineros
ALBUM REVIEW: Nullification – Kingdoms to Hovel
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:
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
ALBUM REVIEW: Nonentities – Autonimbus
Written by Nikolai Dineros Man’s desire for emancipation entangles him in a constant battle with that which oppresses him – a battle that was never lost but has withered him to the point of numbness. Autonimbus zooms down on the other struggle that ensues, one that exists from within the mind of our already embattled hero to keep his humanity in check. Local punk outfit NONENTITIES’ sophomore album Autonimbus’ is an amazing, straightforward punk record with occasional blends of power pop that has in each song all the blazingly infectious riffs, melodies, and lyrics we’ve all come to love about the genre. More than that, it perfectly encapsulates the pathos of the working class forced to endure capitalism’s destructive consequences as they continue to mobilize and seek respite wherever they can. NONENTITIES’ relationship with hope in Autonimbus ebbs and flows at every turn, but the passion brought into the nine hard-hitting songs never wanes. In the first two tracks – ‘Witnessing the Shedding’ and ‘Joy Unknowable’, respectively – the narrator is seen in a state of distress as they witness the different faces of injustice chipping away their hope for humanity and for themselves. But as the album progresses, the more he discovers about himself in others in the spirit of resistance. As he continues to resist and find his own solace, no longer has he placed his hopes on greater gods other than himself and his neighbors, as highlighted in the eighth track ‘Subservience’. Autonimbus is a battle cry, and it continues to echo despite the seemingly unwinnable odds. It accepts one’s mortality and the feebleness of the human spirit when trapped in a system that takes away all that which makes life fruitful. But this sentiment is not driven by the dread of reality, but of love. Support the art & the artist: https://nonentities.bandcamp.com/album/autonimbus