Wolf recalled in '92, he was a roadie for Razorback, which used to play in a club in Makati called Kalye, even subbing for drummer Miguel Ortigas. Before that, he had a band called Hysteria that covered songs from glam rock stalwarts Def Leppard, Whitesnake, GNR, and, believe it or not, Poison.

"We even hung out and opened for Side A at the Calesa Bar. We were starting to play showband music. Buti na lang we broke up, pare," laughs Wolf. "When Manoy came home from Spain, the other fellows were talking about how good the guy was. He could already play Ozzy/Randy Rhoads songs."

Manuel studied at the St. Louis University in Madrid and came home in Christmas '91. He started hanging out with the guys from Razorback. That was when he met Wolf who asked him if he wanted to form a band. The guitarist said yes, and the two looked for a bassist and a vocalist. Then at Kalye, they saw Basti singing for a group called Sin City. Acording to Wolf, Artadi was not the best singer at that time, but he had stage presence. Sin City covered stuff from Metallica, Tesla, and even Joan Jett.

Basti disclosed, "When it looked like my band was going to stay in the garage forever -- actually it was a room where we practiced -- I told Miguel that if he knew anyone looking to form something seriously, just let me know. And I was able to hook up with Manuel and Wolf."

Mon came in three to four bassists later, recommended by The Jerks bassist Angelo Villegas.

"Our first bassist was John Templo," remembers Basti, " but he wasn't as serious about it as we were. We got another bass player who ended up being grounded, and his mom shipped his bass to the province so he couldn't play. Angelo played a gig for us, but he couldn't commit because he was involved with Rizal Underground. He made us meet Mon. After that, it was great already."

At that time, Mon was playing in a rockability outfit called the Runaway Boys with Stephen Lu, as well as doing sessions for Mariya's Mistress. Mon recalled, "Tinawagan ako ni Angelo, sinabi niya na may metal band na naghahanap ng bahista. Akala ko pa nga Werewolves ang pangalan ng banda. Nag-meet kami ni Manuel sa Broadway Centrum and we jammed at his house."

"When Mon joined, we were already playing at the Atrium," said Wolf. "It was fairly easy since we were playing covers just like Razorback and slipping one or two original material. We were famous for 'War Pigs,' 'Paranoid,' and Bad Company songs. But everytime we write a new song we'd just slip it into the set. The Weekend Live gigs were getting better and better, but the club closed down. We saw it coming. We told ourselves we can't do this forever, we just can't play in clubs and do covers."

While the band played in schools and did out-of-town gigs once a month, Basti and the rest of the company started writing songs. They made three demos: "Arise," "Left Alone," and "Darkness Fell." The first two tunes were submitted to LA 105 and got massive airplay; "Darkness Fell," with its meandering guitar passages reminiscent of "Little Wing," got noticed on 99.5 RT.

"The whole time we were doing covers, we were individually doing our own thing," recalls Basti. "I would write down lyrics, and Manuel would have some riffs, and so with Mon and Wolf. We rented this practice place, somewhere in Makati, and we worked out original songs and that became our first album."

Wolf also recalls a time when the group was using really crappy instruments; he dispelled the myth that Wolfgang was a bunch of rich kids with stacks and stacks of great equipment.

"The songs on the first album were written in a garage band vibe. The best equipment we had is that one Crate speaker amp of Manuel. Mon used a karaoke. I used an old drum set from Manuel's older brother -- it was from the '70s pa. 'Yung bass drums ko nabutas. Ang ginawa ko, I put an old floor tom inside the shell. So, all I has was a cymbal, a high hat, at 'yung floor tom na naging bass drum na rin. And Basti would sing through Mon's karaoke, sabay. That, I would say, is the humblest of beginnings for a band. I think that's the reason why I value what we have now as Wolfgang."

Wolfgang became underground favorites on the strength of the three compositions, as well as powerful covers from Black Sabbath to Cream. Ivory Records gave them their first record deal. Wolfgang's self-titled debut album was released in '95, yielding classics such as "Halik ni Hudas," "Natutulog Kong Mundo," "Arise" and "Darkness Fell" -- the song that was the seed of the first fray between Wolfgang and Ivory.

"Funny thing is, they like 'Darkness Fell.' Come to think of it, everybody liked 'Darkness Fell'," quipped Wolf. "Now, the catch there was, the producer of the album came to us and said,'Guys, baka you can make more songs like 'Darkness Fell.' In fact, can you make your whole album like 'Darkness Fell'? Eight songs na puro rock ballads.' He even told as 'As Oceans', ar 'parang hindi kayo eh.' I guess he was just relaying what Ivory wanted to tell us. I don't think it was from him. We were like, 'What the hell are you talking about? We don't even know what we sound like. How can you say that 'As Oceans' is not our sound to the effect that you want an all-ballad album? No way. No f**king way.' That's how it happened."

The label also wanted "Darkness Fell" to be the first cut on the album, so that when people test the disc, it would be the first song they'd hear. Wolfgang made it the last track. "So, if people are going to buy the album just for 'Darkness Fell,' they would have to go through all the other songs first before they reach it," Wolf laughs. "I think the plan worked."

Gemora said that the label didn't believed in them in the first place. Basti added that the only promotion they got from Ivory was a handful of gigs in some game shows. Wolfgang toured incessantly -- the reason why the first album did so well. Ivory put up promotional posters a few months before the band left the label, just when sales of the album were picking up.

"It was when we were making money for them... 'yun na. We found out that the severing of ties was not very pleasant. Nothing major, it was a get-out-of-my-office kind of thing," Wolf chuckles.

Wolfgang switched to the newly formed Epic Records under Sony Music Philippines. The guys were out to prove that their first hit album was not a fluke. They got Perf de Castro to produce the follow-up disc, which was stark, moody and inundated by strong cuts such as "Mata ng Diyos," "Weightless," "Semenelin," "Center of the Sun," among others.

"The second album was more of a statement. A lot of people kasi thought nakatsamba lang kami and that we were riding the 'mestizo' effect and all those things that come with the territory. So, the Semenelin album was our way of saying, "F**k you all! There's no bullshit in what we're doing.' Semenelin showed everyone that we're serious musicians -- we want to play and we want to write music, if it's possible, for the rest of our lives."

Sony, led by big boss Wally Chamsay, put together a massive marketing machine for Semenelin. Four different posters were released at two-week intervals prior to the release of the album. In April '96, a single was released which not only promised a free copy of the album a month later but also a bonus track called "Roadworthy Man". The single also had eight different album covers -- a move that must have shocked the misers in the music industry. Wolfgang then undertook the Roadworthy Man Tour, making them one of the country's most electric live acts.

ON THE ROAD BLUES

The guys have a whole caboodle of road stories to share, after all Wolfgang's working philosophy is, they would play anywhere, even in Antarctica, as long as the promoter would pay 'em, feed 'em, and have 'em play on good equipment.

All of them agree that their gig at the Sinulog Festival, which was attended by about 35,000 people, was one of their best ever, ranking alongside the Acoustica gig at the Music Museum and their recent concerts in the States. "It was '96 and it was unbelievable," exclaims Wolf.

Manuel agrees. "So many people came. Some gigs might be better, but that's the one that stands out the most. The power was shut off when the clock struck twelve, and Basti started banging the mic stand onstage -- napikon sya. I also remember our gig at the Pinoy Rock Outbreak in Amoranto, where Mon was jumping off the amps. It was also fun opening for Silverchair."

Each of them cites the infamous court gig in Sta. Maria, Bulacan, just after the release of the debut album, as "the pits".

A promoter booked Wolfgang on a gig in Bulacan. He picked them up in a run-down Fierra that didn't even have airconditioning. He took the guys to his house, served them dinner and offered them shabs, which they did not touch. The venue was a tennis court in a park with the chicken wire enclosure all covered up.

Basti remembers the gig vividly. "The stage was a flatbed truck. We called the drum set 'Frankenkit'. It was actually tied together with plastic string. Believe it or not, one cymbal stand was a dextrose rod with a cymbal on top of it. And there were two bass drums -- one of them didn't have skin, it was just pamporma lang. That should've been a sign. We should've just gotten back on the van and gone home."

Wolf adds, "So we played onstage. There were five to ten people, and half of them, kasama namin. The price for the concert was 50 bucks. After one song, the promoter would say, 'O, pasok na kayo -- 40 pesos na lang ang ticket!' After that, tugtog na naman kami. Then he'd say, "O sige, trenta na lang, pasok na." He brought it down to ten bucks, to five bucks. Wala pa ring pumasok. It was one of those come-down-earth gigs that make you humble. Just when you start thinking you've got it made and you're big shots already..."

After the success of Semenelin, the band ventured into the studio and came up with the concept album, Wurm. Altough inspired by classics such as Pink Floyd's The Wall, The Who's Tommy and overbearing yet brilliantly musical statements by Yes, Wurm, according to Wolf, was not written in the true tradition of a concept album.

"The music was there, and Basti just connected the songs via the lyrics; that's how conceptualized it is. It's not like the music flows into each other as in Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar. If ever we come up with another concept album, it would be in that direction."

Basti added that the album has a pretty simple storyline. "It's something that's been going on in the bible with Jesus. I just started with a character and built a story around him."

Released in December '97, Wurm was a glaring departure from Semenelin. For one, there is the mythic story of a man, Aldebaraan, who was made emperor by the people only to be taken down from the throne of power by the very same people -- very Golden Bough-ish. For this album, Wolfgang sacrificed brawn in favor of brains; it produced not only the hit, "Sanctified," but also cult favorites like "Hell Looks," "I.O.U.," and "Matter of Time," which was given a more tender approach in Acoustica.

"Many listeners were really confused with Wurm, because not a lot of people are even familiar with what a concept album is. But if you listen to Yes and Pink Floyd, you know what it is. Somehow we had to explain along the way. I think now people are digesting the album more than when it first came out."

Basti says the same about Serve in Silence, released in March last year. Wolfgang became the first act to ever stage a midnight album launch at Tower Records in Makati. The platter, with its striking Russian propaganda art album cover, yielded the hit "Atomica," as well as some underrated numbers like "Ilang Alon ang Dala," "Ratz," and "Catinamosh."

"What we did in Serve in Silence, people saw it as Wolfgang going softer -- which I don't understand. Some saw it as a sign the band was going mellow; some even interpreted it as medyo selling out. After that, we did Acoustica, and that was as soft as you could possibly get. I guess all of that built to this album, which is the heaviest we've done. It's not in the same vein as Slapshock. There is some angst about it that I don't think we've captured in the past albums. It's really heavy and it's really angry."

BLACK MANTRA

NOT JUST WOLFGANG, but practically half of the country was pissed off at the time the band started recording Black Mantra. Everyone was tuned into the theater of the absurd that was the senate during the impeachment trial and, subsequently, EDSA II.

"This is the first album wherein we had political songs, lyrics that are more relevant to what's going on in the country," Manuel shares, with Wolf adding that the feeling of rage and frustration were manifested in the songs.

"Basti is very opinionated in this album. It is there in black and white. It's political, but not blatant. It's very artistically written -- more like the way Zach de La Rocha writes his music. How did we arrive at the title? Basti told us, 'This is the title.' And we were like, 'Yes, that is the title, man.' I think it captures the mood of this album."

Black Mantra also departs, not just lyrically, but aurally from its predecessors. "Personally, this is a tight and powerful album," says Wolf. "This is our strongest and heaviest album so far, in terms of the songs being related to one another in some level. I think 60 per cent of the album was written in one day, one session. I think we wrote five songs in one sitting. That was a good sign."

Mon said that they stretched out musically on this one. They went sparse and experimental on one track, orchestrating an acoustic guitar and a bass. They went tribal, with Wolf laying down a throbbing bed of percussions. They simply went out on a limb, not worrying about how to do the songs live.

"This is the most challenging Wolfgang album to date," Manuel enthuses. "In certain songs, there are three to four different guitar parts going on at the same time. I'll worry about doing it live some other time. My concern was how I could make the tracks as interesting as possible. In other songs, I tried playing with space. The album is very cohesive. And I think it's going to be interesting."

When Manuel was asked how the latest Wolfgang saga would fare in the wake of the Korn and Limp Bizkit rock psychosis. "When we started out, the rock scene was grunge. Except for a few bands, everybody was playing grunge. As for us, we just played what we felt like playing. Now, rap metal is the fad, but we're still making music -- there's a lot more avenues to explore. Our next album might be really, really heavy or it might be a spaced out thing. I guess it would depend on what frame of mind we're in."

And that line of thinking separates the wolves from the men.

MEMBER OF THE BAND

BASTI ARTADI, VOCALS

Year of birth?
1977

When did you start singing?
When we started Wolfgang at age 19

Why did you start playing?
I love to rock n' roll!

Favourite bands?
Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth

Favourite musicians?
Steven Tyler, David Coverdale, Ian Gillian, Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson

Best musician of all time?
Too many good ones out there to pick from

First album bought?
Master of Reality - Black Sabbath

5 favourite albums of all time?

W.A.S.P - W.A.S.P
Steve Vai - Passion And Warfare
Ozzy Osbourne - Tribute To Randy Rhoads
Stone - No Anasthesia!
System Of A Down - Mesmerize

Favourite albums from the 21st century?

In Flames - Reroute To Remain
Pain - Dancing With The Dead
Slipknot - Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses

First concert (as visitor)?
Iron Maiden in the U.S.

Best live show you've seen / would like to see?
Metallica in the Philippines

Favourite Wolfgang song / favourite album?
Sanctified / Wurm

Favourite song to play live?
Sanctified!

Which band would you like to open up for?
Ozzy or Motorhead

Highlight of your career on/off stage?
1st time playing in Japan / photo shoot for Rock Magazine with

Downpoint of your career on/off stage?
Back in 1992 when we were still young, we played onstage with bad sound quality and gear, so we got booed offstage

Craziest situation on/off stage?

Got so drunk and into the music that i fell off the stage
Weirdest item/place you had to sign?
A fan's pet dog

Most embarassing moment of your career?
At Metalway Fest in Spain I forgot the name of our fourth album during a speech..go me!

Craziest rumour you heard about yourself?
That I lypsynch

Favourite bands to tour with?
Razorback, Francism

Favourite drink / smoke?
Beer / Marlboro's

Dream car?
Lamborghini

Favourite movies / actors?
Sacrface / Al Pacino

Favourite computer/console games?
GTA Vice City/San Andreas

What do you like to do on your freetime?
Practice, sleep, drink beer, write songs

Worst habit?
Smoking

What would be your job if not musician?
Pilot

Describe yourself with 3 words:

Ultimate Beer Guzzler

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Still singing, still performing & still releasing albums

Equipment you use?
My voice box and vocal chords

WOLF GEMORA, DRUMS

Year of birth?
1976

When did you start playing?
Playing drums? 15

Why did you start playing?
I just like to pound stuff

Favourite bands?
Nine Inch Nails, Mötley Crüe, Stone, Obituary, System Of A Down, Shadows Fall, Suicidal Tendencies, Black Label Society

Favourite musicians?
Mike Terrana, Uli Kusch

Best musician of all times?
wow hard question

First album bought?
Aerozeppelin - Led Zepellin

5 favourite albums of all time?

Aerozeppelin - Led Zepellin
Nevermind - Nirvana
7th Sign - Malmsteen
Abbey Road - The Beatles
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

Favourite albums from the 21st century?
Wolfmother - Wolfmother
8th Foot Sativa - Breed the Pain

First concert (as visitor)?
Pantera in Winnipeg, hell yeah!

Best live show you've seen / would like to see?
I would like to see Deep Purple(line up mark 1)

Favourite Wolfgang song / favourite album?
Revolution Now / Black Mantra

Favourite song to play live?
Arise

Which band would you like to open up for?
Metallica

Highlight of your career on/off stage?
I nailed a hard drum solo / met Tommy Lee

Downpoint of your career on/off stage?
The gear screw-up incident back in the 90's

Craziest situation on/off stage?
I threw a stick at the audience and one got hit on the head and bled

Weirdest item/place you had to sign?
A cigarette stick

Most embarassing moment of your career?
I really don't get embarassed

Craziest rumour you heard about yourself?
Don't pay attention

Favourite bands to tour with?
Razorback

Favourite drink / smoke?
Fundador / Winston

Dream car?
Batman's batmobile

Favourite movies / actors?
Batman / Sean Penn

Favourite computer/console games?
Guitar Hero 2

What do you like to do on your freetime?
Drink and sleep

Worst habit?
being sober

What would be your job if not musician?
A baker

Describe yourself with 3 words:
I love music

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Dunno you tell me!

Equipment you use?
Pearl MRX drums and hardware with 5-toms and one bassdrum, Pearl Ultracast snare Cymbals are basically Meinl Byzance series if not mentioned: 2 rides (20" Zildjian Z-custom) on both sides, 2 HH:s (14") on both sides (right one closed), 2 splashes (8" - 10"), 3 Crashes (2 X 18", 20"), China (14" 0r 16") Evans heads on toms and snare (sometimes Ambassador on snare, Emperor on bassdrum Promark Evelyn Glennie 740 drumsticks

MANUEL LEGARDA, GUITARS

Year of birth?
1977

When did you start playing?
Started with the violin at age 8, piano at age 10 and guitar at age 12

Why did you start playing?
After watching Kiss live in concert

Favourite bands?
Kiss, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Megadeth, Pantera, Motorhead, Metallica, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne

Favourite musicians?
All the Ozzy guitar dudes (Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Zakk Wylde), Steve Vai, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen Dimebag Darrel

Best musician of all times?
Jimi Hendrix

First album bought?
Hmm..I think it was Killer Queen by Queen

5 favourite albums of all time?

Revolver - The Beatles
Master of Puppets - Metallica
Bark at the Moon - Ozzy Osbourne
Are You Dead Yet? - COB
Cowboys From Hell - Pantera

Favourite albums from the 21st century?
COB - Are You Dead Yet?
8 Foot Sativa - Season for Assault

First concert (as visitor)?
Kiss

Best live show you've seen / would like to see?
Motorhead and COB

Favourite Wolfgang song / favourite album?
Kiss of Judas / Wolfgang

Favourite song to play live?
Weightless

Which band would you like to open up for?
Maybe Ozzy or Megadeth

Highlight of your career on/off stage?
Winning the NU107 2006 Best Hard Rock Guitarist

Downpoint of your career on/off stage?

Same with Basti's, my gear got so messed up that we had to leave the set midway

Craziest situation on/off stage?
In the middle of a solo, one of my strings snapped and one of my guitar heroes was in the crowd.

Weirdest item/place you had to sign?
guy's underwear

Most embarassing moment of your career?
Aside from the string-snapping story? None so far.

Craziest rumour you heard about yourself?
Don't really know

Favourite bands to tour with?
Razorback, Eraserheads, POT

Favourite drink / smoke?
J&B / Marlboro's

Dream car?
A sleek black ferrari

Favourite movies / actors?
Taxi driver/Robert De Niro

Favourite computer/console games?
NBA Live, Fight Night

What do you like to do on your freetime?
Play guitar, eat, smoke some, drink some, play video games

Worst habit?
Procrastination

What would be your job if not musician?
A surgeon

Describe yourself with 3 words:
Loves to party

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In my room looking at my collection of a thousand guitars

Equipment you use?
ESP guitars, Lee Jackson pre amps, VHT power amps, DR strings, Dunlop picks

RAMON LEGAZPI, BASS

Year of birth?
1978

When did you start playing?
When I was 13

Why did you start playing?
My mother made me take piano lessons

Favourite bands?
Black Sabbath, Incubus, Pantera, Jamiroquai, COB, Lokomotiv, Razorback

Favourite musicians?
Jaco Pastorius, Geezer Butler, Flea, John Entwistle

Best musician of all time?
Maybe Hendrix or Blackmore

First album bought?
Accept - Accept

5 favourite albums of all time?

Jamiroquai - Traveling Without Moving
COB - Follow the Reaper
Ozzy Osbourne - Bark at the Moon
Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power
Francism - Happy Battle

Favourite albums from the 21st century?
Jamiroquai - High Times Singles

First concert (as visitor)?
The Who

Best live show you've seen / would like to see?
Pantera in Winnipeg

Favourite Wolfgang song / favourite album?
Kiss of Judas / Wolfgang

Favourite song to play live?
Revolution Now

Which band would you like to open up for?
Black Sabbath

Highlight of your career on/off stage?
I get to meet Billy Sheehan, one of the greats

Downpoint of your career on/off stage?
Onstage when we had this equipment screw ups

Craziest situation on/off stage?
Playing live is always a crazy fun situation for me

Weirdest item/place you had to sign?
an old lady's cane

Most embarassing moment of your career?
Got my bass guitar stolen so I had to play rhythm guitar onstage

Craziest rumour you heard about yourself?
That i eat a lot

Favourite bands to tour with?
Razorback

Favourite drink / smoke?
Beer / don't smoke

Dream car?
anything that takes water as fuel

Favourite movies / actors?
American History X/Jack Nicholson

Favourite computer/console games?
Gunbound

What do you like to do on your freetime?
Eat lots, sleep plenty and sleep some more

Worst habit?
Eating lots

What would be your job if not musician?
A professor

Describe yourself with 3 words:
I am hungry

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
On my sofa eating and watching reruns

Equipment you use?
Fender Custom Basses, Marshall amps

ALBUMS

Wolfgang - Wolfgang (1995)

Arise
Kiss of Judas
What Grows in your Garden
As Oceans
Cast of Clowns
My Sleeping World
Darkness Fell

Semenelin - Wolfgang(1997)

Love & Despair
Bought & Sold
I...
Eyes of God
Cathedral of Space
Center of The Sun
Beast
Weightless
Semenelin
Blue 11
Mula sa Kamandag
Change

Wurm - Wolfgang(2000)

Sanctified
Alone
I.O.U.
24
Molds
Hell Looks
The Last Solar Eclipse of the 21st Century
Bring Down the Godhead
Emperor Wurm
Aching Tree
Twist of Lime
A Matter of Time
Very Free
Le Fusilier's Theme

Serve in Silence - Wolfgang(2002)

Atomica
Man'98
Hiwaga
Anino
Ratz
Bassarab's Walk
Serve in Silence
Catinamosh
Tulisan
Ilang Alon ang Dala
Masters of War
Aquarius
A Tonic Reprise

Acoustica - Wolfgang(2004)

Center of the Sun
Bought & Sold
24
Left Alone
Anino
Atomica
Revenge of the Killer Felafel
Matter of Time
She is My Cain
Cast of Clowns
Halik ni Hudas (Jamming!)
Aquarius

Volume - Wolfgang(2005)

Sanctified
Bought & Sold
Weightless
Atomica
Beast
Very Free
Man 98
IOU
Hell Looks
Love And Despair
What Grows In Your Garden
Arise

Black Mantra - Wolfgang(2007)

Judas Noose
Meckam
Trenta
Undertow
Bow Unto Thee
No Falter
On The Shoulders Of Cain
Bleed One Way
Heaven Spent
Idlip
Revolution Now
I'm A Mover
Wishing Well
Giyang
Southern Cross
Your Time Is Gonna Come
Message In A Bottle
Bitch
Come Together
Voodoo Chile

Music video