Slapshock bring the hammer down with 'Kinse Kalibre'

Slapshock are one of OPM’s best exports. Their work ethic, popularity and satisfaction in touring have propelled them to places like Dubai, Singapore and the cities of North America, bringing the gospel of Pinoy heavy metal on a furious roller coaster that’s lasted 15 years.  

 

They’ve since opened in 2011 for the Manila shows of their alt metal heroes Deftones and Korn. That’s a long way from their days crossing American East Coast rap and thrash on 1998’s “4th Degree Burn.” Check out the music video of “Cariño Brutal” on YouTube that recounts the mayhem of their live shows in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Baltimore, Virginia, and Canada’s Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver to witness the glory veteran musicians can accomplish when they’re given full backing by sponsors and a record label. 

 

Along the way they’ve shed the baggy jeans and the constraints of rap rock while still retaining a core membership in Jamir Garcia (vocals), Lean Ansing (guitars), Lee Nadela (bass) and Chi Evora (drums). The only person who’s off the roster is guitarist Jerry Basco, Garcia’s cousin, who has since migrated to the US. “Although he still plays with us when he comes to Manila,” said Evora.  

 

Aside from acquiring a tremendous amount of tattoos that must be directly proportional to their accolades, they’ve also found the time to become a founding member of the Asian super group PROJECT E.A.R. (East Asian Revolution). It’s a collaborative effort with bands from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore that debuted during the 2009 MTV Asian Music Awards.

 

“Kinse Kalibre” (Polyeast Records, 2012) is the seventh on the Slapshock discography, and it’s got more Tagalog songs than you can shake a skull ring at. This is a metalcore infused album in the vein of bands like All That Remains, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God and Avenged Sevenfold. The roots of speed and thrash are very much present, amped up by very melodic harmonies, a singing guitar lead, drums that have the double pedal attack on full throttle and breakdowns to mosh by.  

 

It’s all very technical, requiring dozens of hours spent in practice alone and in a studio together. Also, there’s nary a line of rap here except for Lourd De Veyra’s (frontman for The Radioactive Sago Project) spoken word introduction. What it all means is that it makes for whiplash listening. And that it’s reminiscent of an AR-15 killing spree.    

 

“Novena” (2004) was a breakthrough album for me where Slapshock took the high road that led away from nu metal and rap rock, opting to strike out for the entropic hangouts of death metal, speed and gothic. “Kinse Kalibre” yearns to be yet another departure from the template since then, the signposts marked by LPs like “Silence” (2006) and “Cariño Brutal” (2009). This kicks the stakes higher. Even if it doesn’t completely succeed, respect must be paid for Slapshock taking bold chances.  

 

“Thin line pa rin kami between underground and commercial,” said bassist Nadela “Pero after 15 years sigurado na kami na ito ‘yung gusto namin at masaya kami sa success at fans na tumatangkilik sa amin. Hanggang ngayon wala pa rin kaming ginagawa na hindi namin gusto.”  

The production on this album is as sleek as an axe head, bringing the power and cutlass precision of a band firing on all cylinders front and center on your speakers. The mixing done at Greenham Mastering in San Francisco has certainly paid off in Protools gold. 

 

The single “Ngayon Na” has a contagious breakdown that will drive kids wild in the pit. On “Reset” the guitar riffs and songcraft are pretty much garden variety except that it showcases Garcia’s on-the-note growls to its fullest. There’s a running lead guitar on “In the Line of Fire” that reaches into choir-like Synsyster Gates/Zacky Vengeance territory. “Burn in Hell” and “Asal Demonyo” give Garcia’s pipes a workout and whoever his vocal coach is needs to be given props as he switches flawlessly from singing to growling and a seething snarl that sounds like a treble heavy rumbling. 

 

“There are things that you consciously try to throw out to experiment,” explained Garcia, “But when you listen to what you made afterwards it’s still there so you learn to embrace it as your signature sound. For us I think it’s the melody combined with heavy guitars. We love infectious hooks, especially me, personally.”   

 

The only low point for me are the power ballads (or Slapshock’s version thereof) “Langit” and “All Hope is Gone.” They’re both unnecessary, glam redolent, speed bumps in an album that should have no letting up, no apologies for its heaviness. Was this a commercial decision? I hope not, because tracks wouldn’t be out of place on a videoke song list. They distract a metal fan like me from the cohesiveness of an LP alluding to firearms. There’s nothing gentle about guns.  

 

My personal pick here is “Under the Needle,” with a very thick, very heavy sway like a pendulum on the upswing that matches a confessional paean to the joys of getting inked by no less than your own brother. This is where they put the hammer down (especially Evora’s rampaging drums) for a pure burst of flaming hell. “You’re my sadist / I’m your masochist” must be one of Garcia’s most honest, albeit tawdry lines. I bet it’d make a great Hallmark card for the tattooed, Suicide Girl-loving demographic. 

 

“Salamin” and “Deliryo” also made it to my fave list. The latter has a very fresh swing to it, like a ballroom danse macabre where the punch has been spiked with amphetamines, while the former has the kind of introspective, call to arms chorus that’s custom designed to be an LSS anthem. 

 

Fans will also dig the leather-and-guns themed photos on the CD by veteran lensman Xander Angeles. Rock fans curious about the hype of this group will find a great introduction in “Kinse Kalibre.” Feed it to your player and be blissfully blown away by a visceral show of force. –KG, GMA News

 

“Kinse Kalibre” is now available at all major record outlets. 

 

Photo courtesy of Polyeast Records