There have been various attempts through the years to resurrect a proven formula, and even more attempts to relive past glories. But what happens when the times have changed and the people have gotten older and still not wiser? What happens when past causes are reluctantly left behind due to the natural stagnancies of the human and socio-political devices? What happens when the fight no longer seems relevant enough for the people to wage? What happens then?
Agaw Agimat doesn't know.
Fact is, vocalist QT Paduano Nadela, drummer Renmin Nadela, veteran bassist Hank Palenzuela and guitarist Jephthah Wenceslao are still as unwavering and uncompromising as ever with their brand of alternative/punk, especially due to the band's ceaseless acceptance of and constant fight for change: the ultimate equalizer for adversity, be it musical or something deeper and/or of a broader spectrum. Always open for reinvention and adaptation, the four-piece revisits their roots in simple yet effective material that is both easily palatable and sharply intellectual, doused with entertaining humor and mordant wit: the fine balance between recklessness and awareness that made memorable foreign acts like The Clash and The Sex Pistols the legends that they are. And with the advent of Mantra , the band is ready to proudly raise the local banner and charge head-on with whatever the times have to throw at them…for this is one band that isn't as easily fazed or disheartened.
Formed more than a decade ago by the exposure to radical ideologies of core members QT and Renmin, the band found itself in the middle of the 90s band explosion with the release of their debut R-15 . But opposed to the fame and recognition most of their contemporaries had in mind, there was a more crucial desire to wake up the public not merely from musical alienation, but from the issues that had notoriously plagued a Philippine society and was taking a toll not only on music lovers, but everybody. Their repertoire, especially banking on the success of their first single “Wanliteltu” launched the band as advocates that had a purpose aside musical success. They went on with Patak , their sophomore effort and found even greater critical acclaim with Guerrilla Ballroom - an album influenced strangely enough by the music of Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London and Frank Sinatra. Lineup changes ensued, additional instruments (like a full horn section) were put here and there, and unconsciously, Agaw Agimat became one of the first bands to publicly go D.I.Y.- independently producing the record under the Banana Heart label.
Since then, the band never really left the music scene- but simply decided to cater to audiences elsewhere, playing shows all over the archipelago. And it was recently where they decided to put together songs and finalize the band lineup for Mantra ., arguably their strongest material to date. Recorded in Backyard Studios in Cebu by upcoming studio legend Mik Mik Demeterio, the fourteen tracks explore and once again, highlight both old and newfound talents of QT, Renmin, Jeph and Hank without compromising the identity. Criticisms on the present government like on “ G!@#$ria ” and its willingness to submit to the abuses of the capitalist nations like the U.S. as tackled in “Let's Go Underground” are unquestionably excellent samples of what the band is still capable to create- while comical, tongue-in-cheek tales of the struggling Filipino, like “Price Tag” and “Mr. Swatman” are entertainingly purposeful on a more personal level. Rich textures of experimentation are also evident on such tracks like the spiritually- enlightening “Salmos 91.”
Released in October of 2004 by GUERRILLA Music and distributed by Vicor Music Corp., Mantra is yet another testimonial to the exploits and talents of one of the country's primary forces in music. Though signaling the end of the five-year wait and undoubtedly being one of the albums that'll will once again breathe new, exciting and relevant life in music, many of us know that Agaw Agimat will always be as timeless as the struggles and principles it chooses to defend. The comeback album of the group will not only fire up the longtime fans, but also ignite a barrage in various media circles and create yet another chapter in the Agaw Agimat story. It might have been long due for some, but almost everyone knew it was bound to come out as stronger as ever. A strength they don't exactly owe to some amulet, but a strength that has come with the group's struggle to create change and rebel against the norm: the exact things that made music timeless and relevant.
