Discography:Clowns
Bathala
Stale
Ode to a Rotting City
Fallen from Vaikuntha
Almighty
Diyos ng Paglipad
Scenic Background.
2003 music scene in the the commercially dubbed "city of love" of Albay, Tabaco City, is reigned by musical cousins Punk and Ska and their mutations, namely punk-ska, hardcore punk, etc. Heavier bands digging Black, Death, Prog, Gore, Trash were swept to the corners with the emergence of these "skater-beach-groove". Although no one can totally proclaim that the heavy music is dead, the least we could say is it is dormant. Hibernating in some cold dungeon, waiting for the total kill. The marker in my opinion for the "demise" of the Dark Sound was the laying low of (in my opinion) the past reigning emperors of dark music, Dark Dungeon. Back then, wearing black used to mean a lot of things. Now, everybody's wearing black. Everybody's trying to get in to the bandwagon of playing anything not for the music but for kicks. But let's cut the sentimental crap and focus in our aim. One thing is clear, the Ballbreakers were gone. The days of the twin guitars (and I mean real guitars) were gone. All we have are jumping kids in addidas sweaters, and baggy pants ranting about they're not perfect and their parents hate them...the cheesy angst of teenage losers. But the Cause is yet not lost. There maybe some bands out there watching all the cheap circus of these amateurs. One that emerged out of sulking is
Haunted Garage.
The Band.
Haunted Garage is a four-piece pack of terror-mongers. They cometh to ruin your prom. Not with slime or gore though, not with satanism and the worship of evil, not with pentagrams and sacrificial sabers. They didn't even change their names to latin to sound like Azagtoth or Euronimous or whatever, but they do worship those guys. They're just four ordinary pricks fighting for their right to party...in their version of good time. The present line-up includes the brothers Jimzzy (left-handed drums) and Jimple (guitar/vox), Waks (guitars) and Nat (bass). Of the four Jimple is the original Garagehaunter, we will know later; Waks claims himself to be the great sessionist, for he has played all sorts of instruments for other bands like Necrophilia, Pain Theory, Sacrifice, Emperor (just kidding, not in a million years) and a lot more; Nat plays bass for the post-Legalize Cannabis and jams with Octopus Bong and other ska tribute bands, and Jimzzy has a band which is still in the process of being named.
Before we proceed,
Haunted Garage now isn't what it was before. Let us dissect its shadowy past. The name
Haunted Garage alludes to a real "garage" which is infested with "hauntings". The original band members play on this garage, which is a room in an old ancestral house of the Borlagdan clan, abandoned and uninhabited for almost 20 years, along the sleepy stretch of Karangahan Blvd. The garage was proven haunted when the original members, Nukie (bass, vox), Rodel (drums) and Jimple (guitars), together with members of other bands who jammed at the garage, told hair-raising tales of spirits making themselves known thru touch and wiffs of chill, and occasional back-up voices. The band was formed by the three original members to augment a band they have formed in their highschool days called August Six. The first Garagehaunters jammed songs from their youth and a few Radiohead songs as it was the planned "sound" of the band supposedly. The two original members Nuke and Rodel, due to confidential reasons left the band. Jimple then took the present Garagehaunters to form the present
Haunted Garage. But what is most ironic is that the new
Haunted Garage has never played on the garage, for before Jimple was able to form with the new members they were evicted and barred from playing there by the tenants.
Nevertheless, the band went on, their first major breakthrough was when they played at DBPMC Gym, last August 25. That was the start of their hauntings and many followed.
The Sound.
Nat, the bassist has strong leanings on ska/punk/reggae; Jimzzy on hardcore, grunge, a few metal; Waks is a true blue Black Metal dude; Jimple on Melodic Metal, Iron Maiden-ish and Prog; what do you think would you get after you have mixed all of these? Although influences are vital to the creative process as it is what differentiates the individual from the band, filtering is more vital. You can't have so much Black Metal riffs if you are not a Black Metal band. You may crucify me for stereotyping but please spare me the hypocrisy, there is truth in this. Maybe "a little of this, a little of that". a little of Slapshock here, a little of Emperor there, how about some Goldfingerish bassline on the intro? or a little Maiden twin guitar attack on the solo? It happens dude. We all have our heroes. But this is not the
Haunted Garage Sound. People have a hard time labeling them, not like "oh, you're a punk band, cause you play New Found Glory; oh, you 're ska cause isn't that Royal Oil you just played?" Maybe, just maybe they are the first ones to have the
Haunted Garage Sound. Why? Because they play their own songs idiot! Sorry about that. That's a joke, cause although you make your own songs you may sound like your influences, right? Right. The least I can say about this band is that they don't do covers as what most bands do. So their sound? If you like the dark, melodic canticles of old school metal you'd certainly like "Clowns", this is the song you'd probably sing to God when you're pissed off; if you find fast, grinding epic progressions laced with melodious guitar work, "Bathala" and "Stale" will blow you out of your wits, these are two songs about the pains of being betrayed by someone you have placed in an altar. "Ode to a rotting city", a song about this soul-slaughtering city, is so far the major song in the line-up,this is the definitive sound of the band, this is the band's idea of true High Metal following the footsteps of the thematic projects of Metallica in "...and justice for all" and Dream Theater. The text (or lyrics as you call them) and music on all the songs are composed and written by Jimple the band's songwriter, and is modified by the band to fit the
Haunted Garage Sound. The Haunted Garage Sound is not for easy listening, and you don't just listen, you think. You can't play this while you drive, or while you're making out with your chick.
