METALCORE OUTFIT LILITH MAKES THE MOST OUT OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON 2021 WITH TWO PUMMELING RELEASES

While the rest of the country was busy letting-loose with much-deserved merrymaking during the final days of 2021, Cagayan De Oro’s premiere metalcore act LILITH – comprised of vocalist Nicole Pestolante, guitarists Michael Cosare and Mark Glazer Niderost, bassist Jovy Pestolante and drummer Allen Xerxes Mariveles – proved their moniker as one of the local scene’s most hardworking bands to be on-point, with the release of not one, but TWO explosive new singles on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day respectively.

At the stroke of midnight on December 25th, the band released the single “Voices,” an intensely groove-laden track that highlights their collective penchant for bounce-y rhythms, hardcore breakdowns and relentless drum-work, combined with an almost-gothic melodicism.

A week later, on the first day of the new year, they released a second single called “Grave of Your Own Misery,” which harkens back to vintage early millennium metalcore (very much in the style of bands like Killswitch Engage…) and still showcases the group’s trademark ground n’ pound riffage and love for huge, anthemic choruses.

“The two tracks are – lyrically – very varied from each other,” vocalist Pestolante explains, when asked about the inspiration for the two tracks’ themes. “’Voices’ is a song about frustration, guilt, remorse and other messed-up feelings people have a hard time addressing, and the aim of the song is to help exorcise those demons…” she shares. “Meanwhile, ‘Grave…’ is an angrier tune: about an old friend who refuses to give up his vices, mainly due to ego and stubbornness; it’s a wake-up call for those who want to turn things around, and for us, it’s sort of our way of predicting the inevitable… so both tracks pretty much cover a lot of ground, theme-wise.”

Both tracks will serve as bonus singles to the band’s 2018 full-length debut release Life and Death.

Formed originally in 2013 in CDO as a symphonic goth metal band, LILITH caught the attention of many when they emerged as the grand champion of The Red Horse Beer Muziklaban amateur band competition. Recently, they joined the roster of the re-established independent metal label Deadstring Records, and promise that the year 2022 will be riddled with more, all-new releases. (Joey Dizon)