Manila, Philippines — As the cloak of darkness continues to pervade in the face of the invisible war with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how the arts have been tapped, time and again, around the globe to bring even the slightest sense of comfort, and more importantly, hope, amidst the bleak, unprecedented situation we are presently in. In this light, Filipino heavy metal band Slapshock seeks to bring a hopeful message to all front line workers and people in isolation with the release of new song, “Sana Pag Gising.”
Slapshock vocalist Jamir Garcia shares, “The song started nung mga nakikita ko yung frontliners na hindi man lang nila mayakap ang mga anak nila so, yung song ay nasa perspective ng isang frontliner at tungkol sa hirap at dasal nila—na sana pag gising tapos na ‘to lahat. (The song started when I have been seeing frontliners who can’t even hug their children, because of their duties, so, this song is written in the perspective of a frontliner and their hardships and prayers that when they wake up, all of this would be over.)”
Slapshock breaks out of its signature heavy music and angsty lyrics to create a new song that would resonate with the world’s yearning for hope, amidst the current collective sense of fear and uncertainty we are in. For the band, as hope comes in many forms, the new song is made to turn fear into something positive–something to look forward to, as difficult as it may seem.
Garcia relates, “Mahirap mag-rock out dahil nangingibabaw yung emotions and burden to know na maraming nahihirapan at nagdadasal. (It is hard to rock out the way we are known for when what reigns is the emotion and the burden of knowing that many are struggling and continuously praying.)”
After taking inspirations from modern-day heroes — medical workers, policemen, and volunteers — Garcia shares that the song’s writing process took place while they are all in their respective quarantines. He adds, “I think that’s what makes it good with Slapshock, we don’t have to be conscious about being heavy. We just want to deliver what our emotions dictate and give hope to everybody,”
Garcia, together with Lee Nadela (bass guitar), Lean Ansing (guitar), Jerry Basco (guitar) and Chi Evora (drums), turned to digital technology to collaborate separately in their respective studios/homes– sending audio and video files back and forth–until “Sana Pag Gising” came into fruition.
“The band has been around for 23 years and we didn’t want this situation to hinder us from working hard, being creative and getting the message out there,” Garcia ends. As the band’s new song goes, “Sana pag gising bumalik sa dati ang lahat.”
Listen to “Sana Pag Gising” in the video below: