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Sunday, June 01, 2003
Wolfgang in full volume
By Joelle Jacinto
WITH eleven years in music experience, twenty prestigious awards and six albums, Wolfgang has earned its reputation as one of Filipino rock's greats.
After dominating the rock scene for almost a decade, Wolfgang lives its present and faces its future with a little bit of nostalgia. Their ascent into fame wasn't an easy one and so the group is taking a long, hard look at their rise to the top and what it took to get there.
Formed in 1995, Wolfgang is drummer Wolf Gemora, guitarist Manuel Legarda, singer Basti Artadi, and bassist Mon Legaspi. Their beginnings would have them playing in clubs around the metropolitan.
From Mayrics, to Kalye, to Club Dredd, the Wolves found a cult following in the underground band circuit that played rock at a time when pop music dominated the scene. Explains Mon, "When we started out and actually even to this day, the band scene was saturated with showbands that played 70's pop. No one really wanted to listen to bands playing their own music."
But people were listening to Wolfgang, despite limited backing from their indie-label, and the lack of airplay for tracks like "Darkness Fell", "Arise", and "Halik ni Hudas" the singles were still monster hits off their self-titled debut album.
They signed to Sony Music as the company's first local rock act, and it was not long before they released their second album, "Semenelin." Manuel shares, "That album carried over a lot of the energy from the first album. But somewhere in there, it branched out. I think it had a lot to do with out collective interest in progressive rock."
"Semenelin" catapulted the band into the spotlight with songs like "Weightless," "Beast," and "Mata Ng Diyos." The album won them the NU Rock Awards' Best Vocalist, Best Bassist, and Best Drummer honors, not to mention The Listeners' Choice Award and the much sought after Artist of the Year Award.
Their third album written in English picked up where "Semenelin" took off. "Wurm was a concept album that came about when we saw that Basti's lyrics were very much interconnected. The band decided to make it into some sort of a musical," says Mon. "Wurm" spawned the hits "Sanctified," "Hell Looks" and "Very Free." Paired with the international version of Semenelin, the album was Wolfgang's ticket to the international scene, bringing them as far as Japan, a first for a Filipino rock band.
"Serve in Silence" was one of the most anticipated albums in Pinoy rock history. For Wolfgang, it was a return to their earlier selves, "One day we just decided to stop with the progressive rock and go back to our roots," says Wolf, "So in 'Serve in Silence' we went back to our earlier sound." The midnight launch of the album was a preview of the success to come. With the definitive sound of the now legendary "Atomica" and "Man 98," hordes of fans crowded the venue threatening to cause mass destruction for a copy of "Serve in Silence" and a chance to be near their rock idols.
But just as they were on a roll, the band decided they needed a break. Basti ventured into theatre as Jesus Christ in "Jesus Christ Superstar," bringing with him the rest of the band to perform for the production as well. After a break of almost two years Wolfgang returned to record Acoustica, their first live collection re-arranged in acoustic format.
"Acoustica was my favorite recording and one of our greatest concerts," admits Basti. It was obvious that their fans enjoyed too, the venue was packed with people anxious to hear the band play again.
The break from recording and the big concerts empowered the guys to pour pure energy into the show. It also gave fans and critics alike a closer look at the artists' music and not just their intense sound. More importantly, it gave the fans a preview of what is to come, the chance to see their growth. The album and the concert showcased music that spanned their entire career, four albums highlighting their presence in Filipino rock.
Album # 5 is the dark, sinister and signature-Wolfgang "Black Mantra," their most political offering. The songs were written during the turmoil of EDSA 2 and 3, realized in the tracks "Meckam" and "Revolution Now." The lead-off single from that album, "No Falter" was included in the "Final Fantasy" soundtrack and was easily one of the biggest songs of the year. And then, on the brink of international superstardom, the band decided to take a breather. The rock scene hasn't been the same since.
Now after much anticipation, Wolfgang is releasing their first compilation album. The new album will satisfy the hunger that the band's absence whet by compiling the band's most sought after tracks in one offering. With 12 hard-hitting tracks that took the Filipino rock scene by storm plus 2 new recordings of "Arise" and "What Grows In Your Garden," "VOLUME" is a must for all die-hard Wolfgang fans that wish to chronicle the band's growth and relive the band's glory. And if the past achievements are a gauge of things to come, the album will assure listeners that Wolfgang is headed in the right direction.
"We've really grown, since our first album. We've gone from a bunch of guys just happy to be recording their own songs to more mature artists," says Wolf in a serious tone. "We've all found our own sound, our own style. We've really come together," adds Basti.
Wolfgang's subtle evolution in sound and their ability to both change and keep up with the changes in the local rock scene is proof enough of their maturity and permanence. And looking at where Filipino rock is now and where it was before, we're glad Wolfgang has led the pack.
(June 1, 2003 issue)
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