METALCORE ACT DIG THE GREED TO RELEASE ITS DEBUT EP AND EMBARK ON A NATIONWIDE TOUR
Rome definitely wasn’t built in a day, but it was worth the blood, sweat and tears.
It’s the same for Santa Rosa, Laguna metal/hardcore outfit DIG THE GREED, one of many acts who have re-emerged from the worldwide pandemic with a rejuvenated energy and sense of purpose. Having been busy this past year releasing new material and playing shows in and outside their native province, its members – vocalist Kevin Capunitan, guitarists Jerson Manalo and Cristian Dagatan, synth player Edward Castillo, bassist Justin Mercado and drummer Franco Valios – have been excitedly gearing-up for the release of their debut EP Momentum In Madness, which will be released on physical CD during the first leg of their upcoming tour, and on all digital music platforms this May 2023.
Here’s a list of their upcoming dates and provinces:
With its core members forming a decade ago – after being influenced by modern heavy acts like A SKYLIT DRIVE, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, ALESANA, BRING ME THE HORIZON, SUICIDE SILENCE and the like, it has been quite the journey for the six-piece. So right before the band’s tour starts, PULP reached-out for a little chat with the members of Dig The Greed.
PULP: Do feel free to give us the basic history of the band… how, when and why did you decide to form?
Jerson: We started way back 2013, and it was definitely a struggle because it was our first time to really enter a scene… then the original lineup went inactive for some time. After the pandemic, we decided to regroup, and we even made an unsuccessful attempt to form a three-piece… it was then when we realized we really needed to bring in suitable people to join and help us out; and well, that’s how we ended up with this current lineup.
PULP: Were you always going for a specific musical direction? How far is the sound of DTG from your inception to now?
Jerson: Not really, we really just wanted to discover and create a sound that was different from anything we’ve heard or done before, so the band underwent a major evolution. When people ask us, we usually say we’re members of generation Z who happen to act like old souls.
PULP: At what point in the band’s career did you decide to write a whole body of work?
Cristian: When we finally established the new line-up with Edward, Justin and myself, we went on to add Jerson, Kevin and Franco. We wanted to bring something new to the table, something distinct, that would allow us to be creative and push our musical boundaries and capabilities.
PULP: Let’s talk about the EP, Momentum in Madness. What were keywords/themes/ideas behind the collection of songs? What ties them all together?
Kevin: Our theme for this EP is perseverance: given our own personal hardships and struggles, we feel that we still manage to keep the fire burning.
“Becoming One” is about being true to your roots, “The Raid” is about freeing the oppressed, “With You” is dedicated to the people who believed in us, “Alice Malice” is about Alice’s revenge on the red queen, and our latest song “In Dreams” this is about the things we see in our dreams, and the reasons behind them…
PULP: Santa Rosa, Laguna is primarily known for its active scene in punk/hardcore… is there a handful of bands who are also in the more metal vein? Who do you consider your peers to be?
Franco: We consider a lot of bands and local acts as our brothers. To name a few, there’s PILEDRIVER, AS PROPHETS FALL, HEMORRAGED, CALVARIO, BESTOWED and many more.
PULP: DTG is embarking on an extensive tour from north to south – from Baguio to Bacolod and even up to as far as Palawan. Do tell us how you were able to put-together so many dates in support of the EP, and how the experience was. What were the main challenges you had to overcome to get things going?
Edward: Jerson made it happen and we don’t know how (laughs)! But honestly I think we were able to pull it off because metal and hardcore bands will always be family, and they will always support each other. Budget constraints of course, was the biggest problem we had to deal with.
But it’s such a blessing to be able to finally release our EP – it was ten years in the making! We are thrilled and honored to share our music.
PULP: What’s one thing people should know about DTG?
Justin: We are not just a band, we are a family. PULP
For more information and updates on the band, you can follow them here:
www.instagram.com/digthegreedph/
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UChZKbWOf9xYfVIh5TnavNJA
