Slapshock’s much-anticipated full-length album finally drops in stores towards the end of 2012 and it’s definitely a great treat to their fans who had to wait for new material since the release of the widely successful Carino Brutal EP. The release of Kinse Kalibre is another highlight for Slapshock this year – Slapshock played as front act for two of the biggest rock concerts this year (Deftones and Korn).

Many things have changed since the band started making waves in 1996, but fifteen years later (presumably the reason why the band decided to use Kinse Kalibre as the album title), Slapshock remains to be one of the most exciting, influential and polarizing musical acts.

To those familiar with the Slapshock brand, Kinse Kalibre will be a very strong follow-up to Carino Brutal‘s calculated heaviness. As with songs from previous albums, the first single “Ngayon Na” features very catchy riffs and an anthemic chorus that would sure get people in the mosh pit shouting at the top of their lungs.

This is Slapshock’s seventh studio album in fifteen years. Not a lot of bands can claim that they’ve been as prolific in a such a span.  Jamir Garcia, Lean Ansing, Lee Nadela, Chi Evora and Jerry Basco have certainly been hitting their stride for the past fifteen years. It’s also notable that the band’s roster from the first album ‘Fourth Degree Burn’ has not changed at all. Kinse Kalibre delivers what Slapshock has been delivering these past fifteen years – high adrenaline rock music and each song from this album just affirms the band’s rightful spot in the short list of the best bands of our generation.

Two years after the much publicized – and arguably inevitable – breakup of the band Oasis, two of the bands most visible members; brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher; are still trading jabs on what went down and who did what in one of the most heated sibling conflicts in musical world.

The band has always had a tumultuous existence with the two almost always ending up offending the other. Things took a turn for the worse in 2009 when Noel felt that Liam was already doing things that were largely incompatible with the well-being of the band and its members. It was also reported that the band had to pull out engagements to play in the V Festival due to Liam’s drunkenness. During the time of the festival however, the official reason for the pull out was cited to be laryngitis on Liam’s part.

The battle ensues in the courts as the brothers go head to head in a titanic collision between two of this generation’s most recognizable rock stars. Since the break up, Noel has released a solo album called Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds while Liam has been performing with Beady Eye – a band that was formed out of the members of Oasis sans his brother.

Social media has been the great equalizer as far many industries and scenes were concerned. Before, the spotlight was only shone on certain individuals, bands and organizations but thanks to the power of the internet and its unprecedented reach, the limelight can be more accessible provided that you the right strategy and skills to harness your popularity. The social media revolution has been sweeping the globe for years now and local bands have definitely been definitely taking notes of how to maximize social media – Facebook in particular – in reaching out to their fans and getting quality feedback.

Before, it was hard to put a numerical value to the popularity of a band. It used to be highly based on conjecture – popularity was based on how long a song stayed on  the countdowns and how high a band’s album got to the record store’s charts.

If you ever wondered who the biggest band of Facebook was, you don’t need to look far – we here at Splintr have diligently collated the results for you. Be reminded though that we may have missed some bands so if you think we should include a band here that has more fans, feel free to give us a heads up!

# 13. Rivermaya – 97K+ fans

The band that has seen multiple line-up changes, naming controversies and spectacular albums and singles start off the top 10 with over 97,000 fans. Rivermaya may have changed drastically in terms of membership but clearly, having almost six-figure fans in your corner wouldn’t hurt in dealing with the blows of having people leave the line-up.

#12 Greyhoundz – 102K+ fans

Greyhoundz has grown dramatically with the range that they’ve shown with the unbridled aggression of Seven Corners of Your Game to the precise and calculated approach in Execution Style. Out of the biggest of rap-rock bands during the turn of the millennium, Greyhoundz sure has harnessed social media the most with their 102K – surprisingly, Slapshock only came in at 57K+.

#11 Kamikazee – 109+K

The boys who brought us one of the most memorable radio hits of the past decade – ‘Darna – are definitely in the mix. Kamikazee has proven that it is indeed possible to cross over from a heavier sound to get to the heart of the mainstream listeners. Despite this, the band has not lost their edge – their live performances continue to be wild and crazy.

#10 Up Dharma Down – 129K+ fans

Armi Millare, Carlos Tanada, Ean Mayor and Paul Yap are eighth on the list with 129K+. They did start as a relatively left-of-center group but they’ve definitely made a big splash on mainstream radio and even mainstream TV. If you’ve been to a Terno Inferno gig, you would know that Up Dharma Down’s fans are among the most rabid and enthusiastic. With the release of their third record looming, we can only expect their fans to increase.

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The JD Long Set once again hits the road this Friday night (November 11) and for this weekend, all roads lead the very chill and laid-back atmosphere of Casa Nami Surf Pub in Jupiter Street, Makati.  The bar would certainly be a great backdrop for the first class music that four of the Chosen 7 bands would bring to the table.

Jack Versus the Crab will be bringing their big sound to the Casa Nami stage. Waxie Joaquin and company’s blues and jazz stylings can definitely go well with your choice of drink Friday night.  Paramita will be once again led by their dynamic drummer/vocalist Ria Bautista as they try to secure their place as the Chosen One and of course, give a great show for the crowd at Casa Nami. Mr Bones and the Boneyard Circus would once again combine bold theatrical melodies with rock to create an environment that is very distinct and unique to the band.  While Stories of Now will prove that great things can come in small packages as the three-man team fills the stage with gusto.

The JD Sets are meant to push the Chosen 7 (along with Kelevra, Playphonics and Blue Boy Bites Back) to really go outside the box and show the breadth of what each band could do with a longer set. It’s also a chance for the viewing public to choose the band that they want to represent the country for next year’s JD regional event. Here’s the running tally – Kelevra, Mr Bones and the Boneyard Circus and Jack Versus the Crab are leading right now.

Start the weekend right and go to Casa Nami at Jupiter Street this Friday. The venue itself is so laid back and relaxed, it would most probably allow you to soak in the music – and of course, the Jack Daniels – a little bit more. See you all there!

In one of the sadder things that has happened towards the year’s end, GWAR’s guitarist Corey Smoot otherwise known as Flattus Maximus has been found dead in the band’s tour bus Thursday. The band was currently making their way around the US and Canada for a tour and had just finished playing a show in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

There are still no details that have been released regarding Smoot’s death. The cause and exact time of death is still uncertain. In fact, even the guitarist’s actual age is still not clear to authorities. Smoot’s family has requested privacy regarding the matter while GWAR frontman Dave Brockie also asked for the same and added that “at this point we are just dealing with the loss of our dear friend and brother” .

Click on the image to go to the voting tab.

If you’ve been following Splintr’s coverage of the JD Set, you would know that all the cool shows are just a prelude to the main point of this half-year-long process – the selection of the country’s representative to the prestigious regional JD event to be held in Malaysia later next year.

People at the JD Set events can vote as well, but as you might have figured, the online votes make up most of the total votes. Here’s the current running total for the voting:

The voting window is still open for November so keep voting for your favorite band!