It was in the cool shade under the outdoor Legacy Gym roof on the tropical paradise island of Boracay, Philippines where one of the MMA trainers asked me and my friends what kind of music we’d like to train muay thai to. He looked at us Americans expectantly and had his smartphone in one palm, a finger ready to select whatever we requested. In my head, I ran through my usual preferred workout music and thought, I’m in the Philippines. Might as well ask for the good stuff.
“Slapshock?” I ventured.
Fighters tend to always stand at the ready with good posture, but he straightened up even more at the request and proceeded to tell me how he had to stand outside one of Slapshock’s concerts in Cebu because there was no room inside for any more fans, how they had a sold out concert in Los Angeles.
“I know,” I smiled, “I was there.”
If you identify as a metalhead, you would be derelict to not have enjoyed the full two decade discography of this giant of Pinoy rock.
Unfortunately, if you’ve never seen them live, you only have recordings of their shows to vicariously enjoy the insane energy and skill of their live performances. Slapshock disbanded in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, and their lead singer Jamir Garcia tragically died by suicide.
Take solace in the fact that you can still enjoy the full scope of their award winning albums on Apple Music, YouTube, Spotify, and probably whatever other music streaming you prefer.
