In 1995, Philippine rock/metal band
Teeth released its debut album, the self-titled
Teeth. Rock music isn't very well known in the Philippines, and
Teeth was released at a time of a burgeoning rock movement here, which lasted for a couple of years. The album is remarkably cohesive, the guitar-bass-drums instrumentation appropriately gritty and full of energy. Vocalist Glenn Jacinto has surprising depth and confidence. Several songs, such as "Tugtugan Na" (trans: Start the Music), "Galit Sa Mundo" (trans: Mad at the World) and "Gubat" (trans: Wilderness), have a hard-edged, metal feel, while others such as "Stokwa" (slang for Stowaway), "Me" and "Princesa" (trans: Princess) have a spirited, rollicking tone. Philippine rock music takes its cue from the international rock scene (most music here is highly influenced by foreign developments), and the album also bears traces of the Seattle grunge movement, still influential when
Teeth was released. In addition to the hard-edged instrumentation, the songs contain a good measure of melody as well, which adds immensely to the success of the music. "Gubat," for example, is built upon a strong melodic hook, fortified by heavy doses of reverb-drenched guitar chords, as well as searing, expressive guitar solos. The album garnered much attention for the band, and "Laklak" (trans: Gulping) and "Prinsesa" received much radio airplay. "Laklak" took honors for "Song of the Year" at the 1995 NU107 Rock Awards, and is considered one of the Philippines' most recognizable and famous songs. ~ David Gonzales