Album Review: fitterkarma Wears Their Sound as Their Own Skin in Debut Album

By now, fitterkarma has earned their place in the conversation following their hits "Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo II" and "Kalapastangan." They’re not an “IYKYK” act any longer, wherein you’d hear their music sneaked in TikTok reels or from the mouth of a savvy gig-goer. Their signature sound has become an unmistakable identifier for the band. But can this signature sustain a full album without ever feeling like a novelty that has overstayed its welcome? Listening through kung tayo’y nasa isang horror na pelikula, tiyak ako ang una mong papatayin, the band’s mouthful of a debut record, I am confident to say it does.

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The album with the rather verbose naming convention is 13 tracks long. Some of them are untouched singles released over the past few years, like "Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo I," "Kalapastangan," and "Sumpa." There’s Addy Pantig's original rendition of "Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo II," whose inclusion put a stamp on the song’s storied life (I initially mistakenly mentioned that this was bassist Sophia Miranda's version), making it the band’s official one. And then there’s the fuller album version of "Aswang sa Maynila," a track that coexists with its more frenetic single version. The story of these older tracks was recounted by the band in my interview with them with another local publication about a year ago.

There's a surprising range enveloping the dark romance skin the band committed itself into. "999" opens the album and quickly sets the tone of what’s to come throughout the whole experience. You hear frontman Joao de Leon’s melodic voice singing graphic and vivid body horror, evoking the violence of loving someone. It is archetypal fitterkarma. 

But then next comes Purgatoryo, an electronic rave piece serving as a cathartic release for the one that came before it. It is positioned curiously in the beginning, as the material would have served better emotional fulfillment later in the album, but then I also understand the need of hooking your listeners.

The Official Music Video for "maryclaire"

Purgatoryo is also positioned awkwardly between "999" and "Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo I," which are then followed by their sequels, "666" and "Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo II," respectively. "666" is Miranda’s answer to de Leon’s 999. As short as it was, the track also highlights Miranda’s singing voice—an appetizer, if you will—for the track to follow. The two duologies, with Kalapastangan, make a thematically and sonically cohesive first act of the album.

It is in the second act where a new kind of fun begins. "Parusa, Para Sa ‘Yo" is a rap-rock rhythm that is an unexpected yet welcome turn from what came before. It is a feast for the ears showcasing de Leon’s greatest talent: lyricism. Mi Novia, the heaviest track in the album, leans to a genre de Leon is most comfortable with, although the previous track suggests he could’ve found success with bars the same way with growls. 

fitterkarma - "Purgatoryo"

After comes the eponymous kung tayo’y nasa isang horror na pelikula, tiyak ako ang una mong papatayin, which is more like a movie score actually. Next is guest musician Kai Sevillano’s aforementioned Aswang sa Maynila. Some thoughts on the track ordering: Right after Mi Novia is where I would’ve put "Purgatoryo." Then kung tayo’y nasa isang horror na pelikula, tiyak ako ang una mong papatayin, as I see the former as the closing of an energetic act and the latter as the opening of a more somber final act, respectively.

"Parusa, Para Sa ‘Yo," "Mi Novia," "Aswang sa Maynila," and "Purgatoryo" vastly diverge in style from each other and from the rest of the album yet share a DNA that keeps each from sticking out like a sore thumb. One can think of them as genre exercises, a sentiment that can easily extend to most tracks with their demo-like lengths. But this sentiment really can’t take away from their exemplary execution.

A lyric visualizer for Sumpa

We now go to the last stretch of three songs. "maryclaire," "Sumpa," and "Bampira" return to the aching spirit of the first act. It’s not a stretch to say that the album relishes in dualities, and this final part being an answer to the beginning only proves the point. The longest song of the album is "maryclaire," and it’s no coincidence that this song tells the most story. "Sumpa" then extends the narrative to violent ends (another duology!) to really hammer in the album’s promised hook of body mutilation. Bampira (yet again another answer, this time to Aswang sa Maynila) as the finale closes the album to a more whimsical tone. That after everything, the album is still a product of fancy; that the bloody heart of fitterkarma is, after all, a tender heart that is still beating.

fitterkarma has shown that gimmickry (in the least pejorative meaning) works. With their debut album, they wear the macabre as their own skin. Then again, maybe the term ‘gimmickry’ lacks historical awareness. What they do here isn’t a novel concept. fitterkarma wasn’t the first Filipino dark act, nor will they be the last. And they’re not even the only act that does this currently. Perhaps why fitterkarma stands out now is that they actively choose their route as the mainstream, and alternative movements have long gone the opposite. The band's members also don't really jump out at you as folks who try to actively harness "shock factor"; rather, they are reserved and timid on and off-stage. This is also what makes their commitment to their sonic aesthetic and their capacity to craft a competent alternative/dark folk record all the more commendable yet jarring.

Now with an album, a concert to boot, and a bunch of high-profile gigs such as those at Karpos Live and at the beloved LaLaLa Fest last month, the band's identity has been cast in stone. If there’s a lesson, it’s that style is substance, folks.

The Official Lyric Video for the Band's Latest Single "Bampira," Also From Their Debut Album

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