So for the whole day the only thing I ate was pancit canton. You know, just to build up some appetite. So before heading out to Mandaluyong, I picked up the hotrails I bought for my strat (hehehe, OT!) at the Mall of Asia. I texted Twistoffate to tell them I was near the place. Then I got the most disturbing news of my life... CGG was closed!

I got to the place and sure enough the lights were out and the filmet crew was outside looking like a bunch of sad puppies. Present were the complete lineup of Massdefect, Twistoffate, Victourette, Xanderhatesvinegar, Erik and Filmet lord The Reaper. We hung around a bit to get the filmet shirts from Apao. Around that time Caeli showed up to share the disappointment.

I was really hungry that time, and I guess so was the rest of the gang. I was talking to Ali of Massdefect and we were about to go to the very near and accessible Tapa King. But Twistoffate had this great idea of going to some bulalohan that none of us knew. And that's where the first quest started. Yes, the whole night seemed like one great adventure broken up into mini quests. I felt like Aragorn leading the Fellowship of the Ring. And the whole night it was mostly me, The Reaper and Caeli. Much like Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.

We made a wrong turn looking for the fabled bulalohan. Then we went halfway around the rotunda to find that the bulalohan was full to the brim. Another decision had to be made: we could go fastfood or go back to square one where Tapa King is. Together with The Reaper and Caeli we headed back to Tapa King where we really wanted to eat at in the first place. Around the rotunda and back where we started, we settled for a different menu. Dizzybee made an appearance, but had to leave to attend a gig at the CFA.

We decided to go watch some gig just to make up for the grief over the spoiled sisig plan. After eating we prepared to embark on another quest, to find Cuerdas bar. None of us knew exactly where it was, and the cab we were riding led us to a different path. We standing along C-5 and I decided to scout ahead in both directions to find Cuerdas bar. With all the walking I did that night I must have lost 10 pounds! But we did manage to find it. Some band was already playing when we got there. And we met other Filmet guys outside namely Russelus and Hammerblow.

I wanted to go inside to check the place out and have a beer. As I was paying for my beer somebody grabbed me from behind and I thought I was being attacked. Turns out it was Popejoy just excited to see a fellow forumer. Popejoy brought me to their table and I met Nyoxx and two other guys whose names I can't recall (sorry boys).

The drum set looked ok I guess, but the cymbals were pathetic. The show just started but they were already dilapidated. Good thing respectable drummers nowadays carry their own cymbals, snare, peds, hell they should be bringing their own set soon.

True Filipino Doom Metal showed its diabolic form in the guise of Winter Nightfall. They were able to lay a heavy, foreboding atmosphere with the help of the guitar work and the vox, which sounded excellent. Just one question though, how many guys here really use the neck pups for riffing? I asked because that's what the rhythm guitarist was doing. Oh well, to each his own. Their set was cut to just 2 songs due to the lengthy nature of their tracks.

Nefarious came on stage with their brand of brutality. Not really my thing. They had some good moments; I'm just not into the bree vox. This is where the bar started to suck for me; they were playing Sitti in the background while a band was performing. Not good. If I were onstage I would definitely let the people there know how insulting that was.

Now females were the thing at this gig. There were a lot of Bettys in and around the venue. And I think that was the real reason Twistoffate went home early, he had a sore neck from craning to look at all the babes. I'd keep my hands off myself, don't wanna get the lethal injection for seducing a minor.

A lot of bands even had a number of their members blessed with a womb. Gutwhore was one. 2 female vox, both growling. One was steady, while the other kept jumping up and down or seems to doing some form of jogging. A new subgenre maybe? Aerobic metal or Aerobic core? Their guitarist obviously loves to use the trem bar, as he was whammying to death.

Heads were ready to roll as Bloodshedd boarded the stage. Are these guys Zoom endorsers? The string section all had Zoom multi-fx. I just noticed, I'm sorry! They were entertaining as usual, still clean, precise and tech flavoured with jazz interludes. And I think they added a new track to their repertoire. Not sure though, haven't seen them for a while.

Oremuz was also in the lineup and they were sporting a new vox and guitarist, new for me, at least. Their new vox seemed to be having a good time, she even almost head butted me. I swear she did it on purpose! She was looking into my eyes and then she banged her head, I just managed to evade her head butt. Talk about Matrix-like reflexes.

Kyra showed more angst that usual, I wonder why. And the soprano had a trance like effect on the crowd.

Massdefect was also at large and with a lot of the filmet guys egging them on, they had an awesome set. They have new mats and they changed the sequence of the songs. Their sound is just as tight as a virgin's cunt! Crossing Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets isn't a bad sound. And they have honed it into an artwork of clock-work precision. On a side note: Lead axeman Pao also celebrated his b-day that night. Cheers mate!

Another highlight of the night would come in pairs. First would be the onslaught of Sabog Sintido. This was when the mayhem started. One moment the band was playing, the next there was a moshpit developing right in front of me. The Reaper, Caeli and Me were sitting on the floor. So we got up to be safer but it was too late for Caeli as death came from above and she got hit upside the head with a mic stand. Gelo of Massdefect/Gilinganne acted like a bouncer to keep the moshers away from the equipment onstage. Sabog Sintido even had a guest female vox and that didn't stop the melee as she herself got engulfed by a body of mosh men. Guys don't hit the ladies, especially when they're just singing.

Part two of the attack came from Gilinganne. And the moshpit just got larger and more violent with more bodies thrown into the slaughter. Gilinganne's set was turning into a main act of sorts. People just wouldn't allow them to stop playing and I think they played more than they really intended to. The crowd just kept screaming, shouting for more (me included). And if Gilinganne wanted to play some more, I don't think anyone could stop them because we were around the stage and no one could really get near. Good job guys! Back-to-back grinding courtesy of Sabog Sintido and Gilinganne.

After their set everyone seemed disinterested with what happened next. We even heard one kid say: "C'mon, let's get drunken more!" I also learned something new from the set of Gilinganne. The "grind gesture." It's like you're doing a lay up with an imaginary ball hahaha! And Lungsout gave me a copy of their demo. Thanks man. Comments forthcoming soon.

I had one last beer with Hammerblow by the bar and just admiring the fresh meat all around us. "Look but do not touch, lest ye be injected to death."

Twistoffate, Victourette and Xanderhatesvinegar had to go. The Reaper couldn't go anywhere as he had to wait for sunrise, so being the nice guy that I am I volunteered to hang out till daylight. Ali of Massdefect had my bag in his car and they were at some clubby bar in the Metrowalk area celebrating Paos' b-day bash. Together with Caeli and The Reaper we decided to go there to burn more time. Yeah this is something I've always wanted to do, go clubbing with Massdefect hahaha. It's a good thing I wasn't wearing anything that would imply I'm a metal fan, i.e. Megadeth & Metallica shirt.

So after that the three remaining members of the fellowship, stayed behind at the clubbing bar for a bit. Then we headed out to look for a place to hang and chill at. Star mart was too noisy, mini stop didn't have a place for hanging out. I told them there was a place that serves goto at St. Francis Square. They agreed and we had goto to warm our sleepless souls. We ended up at the back of Megamall at some fountain and we just sat there until 6AM.

It was one hell of a night. This is the first time I went to a gig with an entourage of filmet guys. I was able to get my filmet shirt. I got hold of a Gilinganne disc and got to hang out with The Reaper. This is so cool! And even though the sisig place was closed, there was enough happening to spice up the whole night.