MANILA, Philippines — One of the enduring rock acts in the land, Slapshock attributes their longevity to their tightness as a band unit. It’s not surprising they’re against members belonging to other bands. Such is a common practice in the band scene nowadays.
“Fifteen years na kaming magkakasama at walang nag-sideband sa amin. It’s working for us so we’re sticking to doing this,” says Slapshock lead vocalist Jamir Garcia.
The group just released its latest album “Kinse Kalibre” under Polyeast Records. The carrier single “Ngayon Na” is poised to keep their tradition of melodic rock singles. This seventh album of 12 tracks still boasts the same original quartet (with Lee Nadela on bass, Lean Ansing on guitars, and Chi Evora on drums), seemingly a rarity these days as some bands usually reshuffle their personnel.
It also makes a headway in recording quality as the album was mixed in Malaysia and mastered at John Greenham Mastering in San Francisco, California.
“I guess it helps that we didn’t do things beyond us,” explains the tattooed frontman. “Through the years we have the same line-up of musicians, same management and crew, same label, same genre... ‘Kalibre’ means that after 15 years, the band is still here, creating what we’re known for. Wala kaming inapakang ibang banda.”
The local rock scene is loaded with faces who are seen playing with other bands. A video of the band Cambio emphasized that by letting the members’ bandmates from other affiliations appear on the clip. Another of the so-called supergroup, Franco, is, according to insiders, having difficulty putting together new material because of alleged schedule problems with the members’ “mother bands.”
Some sectors think such scenario is unhealthy as it confuses audiences as to where they should truly associate a particular band member. The loyalty issue is also a concern as it goes with the saying “you can’t serve two masters equally at the same time.”
Slapshock’s “Kinse Kalibre” contains songs with dark titles such as “Burn In Hell,” “Asal Demonyo,” and “All Hope Is Gone.” But what’s inspiring is the group’s tried and tested skill in delivering hard-edged rock tracks with infectious melodies, especially on choruses. To this, Jamir, stresses, “Important ang melodies sa amin. We love hooks. Usually tapos na ang instrumentation ng isang song and then we concentrate on finalizing the best melody possible.”
source: mb.com.ph
