Philia

Upcoming gigs

No gigs founds.

Latest articles

Ebe Dancel, UNIQUE, SB19, UDD, and more to perform at Hiwaga: UP Fair this February

By Kara Bodegon-Hikino on 8 January 2020

Links

Get artist news & updates

Is this you? Claim your page

Biography

PHILIA: BEAUTY AND MADNESS ALL AT ONCE "Creation and destruction are one, to the eyes who can see beauty.” -Savitri Devi To the unitiated, understanding and fully grasping the hauntingly melodic and enchantingly explosive nature of PHILIA’s music may be an overloaded task to take on: imagine the disarming innocence of almost space-child-like vocal strains from a frontwoman with a matching seductive beauty, gently pulling you into a hypnotic daze… reminiscent of nyphms of yore weaving dangerous siren calls - and just as you’re about to succumb to the calls and prepare for peaceful eternal slumber, a booming voice of destruction erupts from the depths of this temptress’ darkest psyche, and chaos fills the endless void in an eruption of power chords, melodic lead guitar lines and chunky slabs of distorted guitar and double-pedalled drumming. To a few, this may sound like the very soundtrack to mankind’s doom, but one needn’t worry… this is just all in a day’s work for one of the most explosive female-fronted bands the country has ever seen. Fronted by the alluring femme fatale Arci “Mona” Muñoz, this is definitely not your average “female-pop-radio-friendly-outfit” many music fans have come to expect from years of the local scene being riddled with marketing ploys of record company execs cashing-in on a particular personality and her celebrity status. Hell no. In fact, Philia - the band - almost a decade in existence, has been continuing to evolve as a unit that is hell-bent on challenging, if not obliterating the norm and the stereotypes that come with it. And it’s hard to resist. The band’s beginnings find the core members of the band - Muñoz, lead guitarist Kristian Uy, then-bassist Tim Toribio - being the usual gang of friends who shared the same passions, influences and hobbies, from regular hangouts at the arcade to sharing the same musical tastes. From then on, a brotherly bond was formed (hence the name “Philia”), and it was during one birhtday celebration that the same group of friends became band mates. Although the members of the band are quick to point out that the early sound of the band left a lot to be desired, they soon found themselves developing an ethic for both the creative/songwriting process, and the building of a stronger live presence, playing the de rigueur underground clubs and events, slowly but steadily gaining a following, and even winning the favor of serious pundits in the local scene that was - at the time - not really ready to shake up the conventional sound and appearance of its heavy-hitters. When the bigger festivals (like the annual U.P. Fair, the annual Rakista.com Festival and ultimately, PULP Summer Slam, the country’s largest international heavy metal festival with an average annual attendance of 27,000 people…)started to take notice and secure the band for headlining slots, PHILIA had also arrived at various crossroads oh where to take the band’s sound. Muñoz, who claims that she was influenced by an older sister to tuning-in to the heavier styles of music, says that a lot of the band’s earlier material was loosely inspired by bands like Pantera, Machine Head, Otep and Archenemy, while lead guitarist (and de facto music arranger) Kristian “X” Uy describes the first few attempts at original material being cornerstones of being young at the time. By 2012-2013, the band’s highly melodic and “happy-chord-driven” original material like “520” (which has an obvious introductory kind of music video online…) did speak to the younger audiences who were driven to see their live shows, but the band did not stop their evolution there, even though they earned even more praise and fame after bagging honors at the 2013 ’Stig Awards. Fastforward to the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015. More crossroads, more decisions, and even more praise from audiences who have been witness to the power and might of Philia’s rejuvenated spell. Former drummer Paolo Pampuan switched to guitar (alongside X’s commanding approach of melodic shred and audibly technical proficiency), and the addition of an even more experienced and tightly locked-in rhythm section consisting of bassist JL Siscar (formerly of another local band that made waves back in the early millenium called Neruda) and drummer Ash Heywood, hailing all the way from Gibraltar (a small, narrow peninsula south of Spain, and whose background in thrash/death metal drumming…) has contributed to the growth and exploration of styles within the band. Truly, the sound is gratifyingly nastier, more haunting than ever. “In the past, I would bring lyrics and write down words and thoughts for X to look-through and organize, as he created a lot of the music,” Muñoz explains. “But now, especially with the addition of Ash, the creative process is a lot more synergized and songs come from everywhere, even from drum patterns Ash would come up with.” Though it’s a little bit too early to call the band’s most-recent EP yesterday’s news, the group is finding their way through day jobs, regular lives and and an ever-changing music industry and is - now more than ever - hungrily back in the studio creating even more twisted treats for fans to sink their teeth into. Fueled by the dark, seductive and uncompromisingly real elements of their collective mind and by their trademark fusing of elements from modern metal, grunge and hardcore, it’s even more exciting to realize that the new direction from this band is honed-to-perfection by years of hard work and dedication to a craft not easily digested by all, but definitely appreciated by those serious enough to understand where it’s all coming from. Clearly, Philia is not by any means a big fish in a small pond… they’re looking outward and just about ready to brave the open waters of places elsewhere. As the live music festival season is still in full swing and the clamor for Philia is stronger than ever, the band has been supporting some of the biggest names in the industry, including bands like Slapshock, the horror-themed Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus, Even and the like but is obviously ripe to headline shows on their own; backed by apparel giant Dickies and armed with a newfound purpose and know-how, we can all expect that this twisted fairy tale is just about ready to peak… Like the calm before any storm, let Philia sing you a lullabye and set the mood, before the surrealistic madness begins. The stuff that dark dreams - or is it beautiful nightmares (?) - are made of. Whichever way you look at it, you can expect this band to lead the charge... and grasp you to the very core of your being. (Joey Dizon) Mona Munoz (Vocals) Kristian Uy (Guitar) Paulo Pampuan (Guitar/Samplers) Dion Ignacio (Guitar) JL Siscar (Bass) Ash Heywood (Drums)

Upcoming gigs

Latest articles

Ebe Dancel, UNIQUE, SB19, UDD, and more to perform at Hiwaga: UP Fair this February

Sign in to Bandwagon