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Sandwich plays ‘live’ in new studio album

Sandwich recently dropped their seventh and latest album, “Fat Salt & Flame,” and the sound of the new album reflects a band not beholden to any legacy of their 15-year career or to new trends coming down the pike.

In the last few years, the five-person band has grown from strength to strength, starting with their gawky debut in 1998 to headlining the Tanduay First Five tour in the past two years with the likes of Parokya ni Edgar and Kamikazee.

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A preview of the new album at ‘70s Bistro in Quezon City in early April showed the band flexing their hard rock quirkiness. With Myrene Academia missing in action, partner and band frontman Raimund Marasigan took on the bass with the two guitars of Diego Castillo and Mong Alcaraz doing the aural damage. After the show, drummer Mike Dizon explained the gig was just a five-song hors d'oeuvre and that the album itself would have well-rounded sound and production values.

A pile of styles

At the formal launch of the album at the Centris Walk in Quezon City, Sandwich played the entire new album live—displaying the full range of the band’s current inclinations: a pile of styles assimilated in standard well-crafted melodic pop tunes with a rock edge.

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There is Gang of Four aggression in “Sleepwalker,” a psychedlic free jam in the instrumental title track, a bit of prog in “Pray for Today,” and echoes of Siouxsie & the Banshees in the desperation call of “Mayday.”

In “Manhid”, guitarist Mong Alcaraz roughs up what Razorback’s eminent Tirso Ripoll originally did in the studio.

The urgency of live

For the past 14 years and counting, Sandwich has always been at its peak when it plays live, said second guitarist Diego Castillo.

“The trick was to duplicate our sound live in the studio,” he adds. “We tried to capture the urgency of our live performance just like the best sounding records by the Stones, the Who, etc. We wanted an album that we'd always be excited to play live.”

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Raimund elaborates, “In this album... we took the songs out on the road for almost a year then... in 15 days we recorded live at Sound Creation Studios and Tower of Doom.”

Building blocks for a good time

The origin of the album title itself is indicative of the band’s direction this time around.

“Fat, salt and flame represent primal elements that are building blocks for a mind-blowing good time,” says Raimund.

Myrene, who came up with the title, says, “Whenever we go out or hang out together, we’d always be on the look out for the best food place in the area. We’d usually end up with great-tasting inihaw and a little fat, a sprinkling of salt and flame from the grill will make for a very good grilled meal.”

A lot of firsts on its 15h year

That fresh sense of adventure mixed with old habits is also ingrained in the new album. Myrene debuts as a singer in a duet with Mong, another first-time front line singer for the band.

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And the carrier single “Back for More” weaves urgent hooks and rock swagger in the interplay of standard guitar, drums and bass.

More firsts will be forthcoming when Sandwich takes the new album and hauls out its full discography on tour to celebrate its 15th anniversary as band this year.