Words by Mike De Leon
Photos by Patrick Lasanas and Bryan Jan De Jesus
PULP Summerslam’s 18th anniversary of existence was, excuse the pun, barely legal. With its announced lineup filled with legendary death metal band At The Gates, purveyors of blackened death metal in Cradle of Filth and the mighty Behemoth, frequent Summerslam staple Nervecell, and Fil-Am Bay Area thrash outfit Death Angel, people could have looked at it as being an unfair lineup of bands that would certainly be dangerous, but, instead, flocked once more to the Amoranto Stadium to fill it with slamming bodies, sing alongs to awesome songs, and showed what a true force metal could really be.
Summerslam is also the home to introducing previously lesser known acts to the mainstream Filipino metal scene, and, boy, did these bands not disappoint. Bloody Tyrant, Crown The Empire, Crystal Lake, Jinjer, Attila, Secrets, Flesh Juicer, and Burning Island truly brought their all and, once again, made that one Saturday during the summer worth all the sweat and pain from slamming with the crowd.
The real heroes of every time The Slam happens aren’t the international bands, though. It’s a showcase for our local heroes to take the helm, show visitors from other countries that our homegrown talent is definitely on par with the bigger international names, and that’s what post hardcore heroes Typecast, metalcore stalwarts Valley of Chrome, and the return of early 90’s metal luminaries Skychurch did. Ripping through their repertoire and watching a sea of bodies jumping along and hearing them sing through songs was definitely a wake up call to the detractors: Well made local music will never die.
Overall, PULP, once again, put together an amazing show that will definitely be tough to even be matched by other music festivals. The fact that they have held on, stayed strong, and still grew after 18 years of pulling it off is a warning: They’re here to stay, through the ups and downs of the local music scene, with the good of metal against the evil empire of negativity, and, definitely, will have a stronger lineup once again for next year’s iteration.
Horns up!
