BLITZ - Eastern Punx Unite ! (Philippines - Punk-Rock - Interview with Ian, Ryan & Bryan).
Hello - Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you—your encounter with this musical universe, what appealed to you, what fascinated you and what made you want to get into music?
- Collectively - Hi Rough Times! What’s up? This is Blitz, a Philippine punk rock and roll trio from San Mateo, Rizal, composed of Ian Maghanoy as the singer, lyricist and guitarist, Ryan Abesamis on bass and Bryan Victoria on drums.
Blitz is convinced that music is as important as the air that we breathe. It’s the blood that pumps through our veins that keeps us alive. It serves as the band’s main outlet in airing out our emotions.
Ian: It all started when I got influenced by my friend named ‘Bok-bok’ who introduced me to Green Day’s Basket Case and the rest of the Dookie album back when we were 10 years old. It completely blew my mind as a kid that is why I started learning and playing their songs on my guitar. I further got hooked on punk rock music when my uncle name ‘Tito Tupe’, who is a punk rock music enthusiast, introduced me to the ‘80s Philippine punk rock legends from the likes of Wuds, Philippine Violators, Dead Ends, Urban Bandits and Bad Omen which came from the Twisted Red Cross record label.
Bryan: I got interested in music when I was in grade school because of our Church. I was always fascinated by the drums and loved watching people play, even though I hadn't tried playing an instrument myself yet. It wasn't until high school that I started learning music, and my first instrument was the guitar. I got into post-hardcore, emo, and punk rock, which really shaped my taste in music.
Then, when I was in college, I finally learned how to play the drums and started a band with my childhood friends. We played the songs we grew up listening to, mostly post-hardcore and emo. That's pretty much how my journey with music started and how my passion for it grew over the years.
Ryan: I got into music because of my friends. I was exposed to music at a young age, during my elementary days, and they introduced me to bands like Metallica and thrash metal. From there, I started listening to different kinds of music. Now I’m listening to modern metalcore, djent, melodic hardcore, and I’m pretty much open to any kind of music.
I really liked the energy and rawness of it. Later on, I discovered punk through Ian and Bryan. They introduced me to a different world of punk, and that really connected with me. From there, I just got more into it and eventually became part of Blitz.
What if I told you that you have to leave for a desert island in 5 minutes—you have no choice… except to take three albums with you… which ones, and why? Would you say that these were game-changers at some point in your life?
Ian:
"Nevermind" by Nirvana,
"American Idiot" by Green Day
"Mamatay sa Inga"y by Philippine hardcore punk band Dead Ends.
These albums completely changed the way how I collectively view making music. It gave me a kind of lens that views art as a movement that speaks up for greater good of humanity and standing up for what right and just.
Ryan: I have to choose three albums.. I would bring:
Counterparts – "A Eulogy for Those Still Here"
Four Year Strong – "Rise or Die Trying"
Bring Me the Horizon – "That’s the Spirit".
These albums are really important to me in different ways. A" Eulogy for Those Still Here" is one of those albums I can listen to over and over, especially because of the emotions and the lyrics. You can really feel it through the guitar riffs and the way the whole album sounds. There’s something about it that feels very personal and heavy, and I can relate to a lot of the emotions in it.
"Rise or Die Trying" reminds me of the raw energy and the guitar sound of it. I really like how energetic the whole album is, and it’s the kind of record that makes you want to move and play music. It also reminds me why I enjoy the combination of hardcore, punk, and melodic elements.
Then "That’s the Spirit" is an album that really showed me a different side of heavy music and how you can mix different styles together. I like how Bring Me the Horizon experimented with their sound but still kept the heaviness and emotion. I can say all three are kind of game-changers for me at some point because they influenced what I listen to and also how I look at music. They each represent a different part of my musical taste, so if I’m stuck on a desert island, I think these three albums can keep me entertained for a long time.
Bryan :
"Every Moss and Cobweb" – Typecast
This is where my musical journey really began. This album has been one of the biggest influences and inspirations behind my overall musical style. It played a huge role in shaping my taste in music and my passion for creating it.
"Under Southern Lights" – Urbandub
This album had a huge influence on my drumming style, especially when I was just starting to learn how to play the drums. It inspired me a lot and helped shape the way I approach drumming.
"911" – Blitz
Of course, I would also bring our own album. This is where I poured everything I had learned about music. It's a reflection of our journey as a band and all the passion, effort, and experiences we put into creating our music.
I would definitely say that all three albums were game-changers in my life. The first two helped shape me as a musician, while the third represents everything I've learned and everything I've become through music.
Tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band?
Blitz was officially formed in July 2023 in San Mateo. The band’s goal is to put up full-length albums which we hope would inspire kids to play and form a garage band like we and our heroes did. We wanted to share music with our friends because it’s super fun. Forming a DIY punk rock band like Blitz made a profound impact on our lives because it gave the three of us something to believe.
Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
Blitz music is purely DIY punk rock and roll. It was recorded in a garage for almost three years. The album’s dynamics were drenched in alternative, albeit in dynamic formula, catchy pop sensibilities, with having the kind of a “emergency vibe” due to its fast-paced rhythmic style.
We share a handful of musical influences collectively because we all came from different musical backgrounds.
Ian came from the punk rock umbrella, Ryan came from genres like thrash, hardcore and post-hardcore and Bryan from post-hardcore too and emo.
But at the end of the band practice, we came across combining and conceiving the majority of our influences from punk rock, grunge, emo and alternative rock as an overall result of our collectively identity which eventually gave birth to our original material.
We recommend you guyz listening to Blitz’s DIY full-length debut album called ‘911’. It’s the band’s battle cry for the Philippine government to review the implementation of the country’s mental health law to better support our fellow country men living on far-flung communities who are still grappling for an accessible mental health care, mental health facilities, free medications and psychotherapy. Each songs from the 16-track album were recorded in a garage where every track serves like a different states of mind of someone dealing with emotional turmoil and pain.
You should listen to it because it’s written in English so everyone in the planet could easily grasp the words we are singing.
What are your lyrical and musical inspirations and influences? How important are lyrics for you? Is there any message or idea you try to develop and share through them?
Blitz’s main sonic influences for the ‘911’ record came from bands like Green Day, Nirvana, Blink-182, The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Soundgarden, Taking Back Sunday, NOFX, Pearl Jam, Offspring, Bikini Kill, Social Distortion, Ramones, The Exploited, and Philippine rock music acts called Chicosci, Sandwich, Yano and Kamikazee, Urbandub, and Typecast—although we all pretty much listen to all kinds of stuff.
Lyrically, Ian drew inspiration on the lyrical arrangements and styles of Philippine rock music acts called Radioactive Sago Project, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, The Clash, Discharge, the cryptic messaging style of Nirvana. However, the band mostly rely on playing with literary devices to express our vision as an artist. Ian tends to stay quiet and reserve and hold his thoughts for sometime until he write it and use it as lyrics.
Imagine someone who doesn't know your band at all and wants to get interested in.. Which release would you recommend to start with, and why?
Maybe start listening to ‘Alcohol’. It can be soundtrack of a part of your life that you can relate with. Everybody who is digging into our music mentioned how they love this track from the album. It’s for you to find out.
About your latest release? Where and when it was it recorded? Available formats? How to get it?
Blitz’s latest release was its debut full-length DIY album ‘911’ composed of 16 tracks to enjoy. Its a full body of work which represents the band’s latest identity and artistic vision. Its recorded in a garage that came with the final touches of Studio 6505.
It’s also available in physical CD format for P499 or equivalent to 8 USD. Drop us a message at
What can you tell us MORE about the content?
"911" is what oppression sounds like when the shocks have finally ripped you wide open. It was not clean. It’s not pretty. It howls despair, alienation and disillusionment against today’s harsh reality. It carries the lingering weight of 2 a.m. panic attacks—exposing the rage and vulnerability of the outcast, the nerds, the broken, the misfits and the rebels. This record is not here to save you. It is here to sit beside you in a gutter when everything seems to be falling apart—sharing a cigarette, and passing around a bottle of cheap warm alcohol and laughing at the chaos. This is your wreckage shelter now. You can safely cry here, bleed here and scream here. Welcome to the alley of our bluest emotions. Welcome to the celebration of our collective imperfections. You are not alone.
Future plans?
Blitz is currently playing on the alternative music circuits we could reach with our money, thriving on local bars as its weekend routine while keeping our day jobs on weekdays.
The band is planning to continue making music through the years and moving forward towards the kind outward vision of putting up more full-length albums and sharing it with our audiences.
We are keeping our lines open for opportunities, collaborations, and recommendations in a bid to push for a more fruitful DIY music scene here in the Philippines.
The band is also set to mark the first anniversary of the ‘911’ full-length album on October 17, 2026 at Blue Knights Resto Bar in Cainta, Rizal.
Your most the insane dream with the band would be?
Blitz’s insane dream has already been fulfilled since putting out a DIY full-length album on October 18, 2025 at Noise Control Studio in Marikina City. The only challenge now is putting out more full-length albums, maintaining the band’s artistic integrity and pushing our potentials for wider audience reach through alternative network collaborations, which includes tapping awesome zines like Rough Times. (That's a cool plan hehe 😊 - Ed !
Your BEST and WORST gig as a band, and why?
We have been playing on the local scenes for only quiet sometimes now. Luckily, we haven’t encountered the worst gig, except from the time where we played in Squat Fest VII in Aurora province where the ACABs came with a megaphone, commanding everyone in the show to shut off as they roam around San Luis municipality stemming from a nationwide enforcement of 10 p.m. curfew hours of the national government. That sucks, dude. Blitz has been waiting for our turn for five hours until they shut the show off. So the ending? Luckily we finally get to just went to sleep and came back the other day to play for a 12 noon set.
Best gig? We played twice at Hardcore Hope in Batangas City where the band have met awesome punk rock music enthusiast who later on started digging on Blitz’s music. It’s an awesome alternative community center, we can tell you that. Looking forward for more best gigs in your towns!
Next live appearances?
The provincial and local shows have already been set for our campaign show called “Eastern Punx Unite!” through our DIY production called ‘Blitzkrieg Bop Philippines’ in collaboration with ‘Big Cat Productions’ where local punk rock acts from Rizal province and eastern part of Metro Manila will gather for some series of shows. It’s intended to gather petition signatures which in turn will call out the people and institutions about the rampant quarrying of the Sierra Madre Mountain range in the province.
Some words on your local scene. Bands you are friends with and you like to name?
We need your help. Please support the “Eastern Punx Unite!”, sign the petition and help our province amplify our collective voices in addressing the flooding of our communities. The rampant quarrying needs to stop now. We are calling on alternative music scenes to stand up for our mountains which shields us from the storms.
We would also like to thank Never Submit Collective for featuring “Maria” and “Mourning” for its compilation album “Songs of Unity and Delusion Vol. 2”
What’s the question you’ve always dreamed of answering but have never been asked? Just a heads-up: I’m also waiting for the answer that goes with it.
It’s not the kind of question that we are dreaming of answering. But it’s a kind of question the band is looking forward to answer.
Question: Imagine somebody finds 911 twenty years from now and listens to it as a document of life in the Philippines in 2025. What would disturb you more, discovering that the problems behind these sixteen songs had become history, or discovering that every word was still relevant?
Answer: Honestly, Blitz would be much happier if somebody listened to 911 twenty years from now and said, “Wow, Filipinos actually used to live like this?", because that would mean the album became a historical document instead of a current one.
If somebody hears songs about mental-health access, poverty, political violence, inequality, isolation and all these other problems and they’re genuinely shocked that those were once normal realities in the Philippines, then I’d take that as a victory. Blitz don’t want 911 to remain relevant forever.
There’s something strange about artists sometimes being proud when their political songs remain relevant decades later. Of course, it means the songs still connect with people. But if you’re writing about suffering, you should also hope that eventually the suffering ends.
We rather somebody say, “This song is powerful, but fortunately we don’t live in that world anymore.”
The more disturbing possibility would be someone listening in 2045 and saying, “Nothing has really changed.”
Because then 911 wouldn’t just be an album. It would be evidence that we failed to learn.
And we think that’s one of the reasons we made the record.
We’re documenting a moment, but we’re also challenging the future.
Maybe twenty years from now, somebody will find the album and hear all these things we were singing about in 2025. And hopefully they’ll understand the context, but they won’t have to personally experience it.
That’s the best ending I could imagine for 911.
Blitz don’t want the album to predict the future. Blitz want the future to prove the album wrong.
Well, the interview is coming to an end… Is there anything else you’d like to add? Anything I didn’t think of? Something important, funny, silly… It doesn’t matter!
Blitz sucks. We can tell you that.
Big thanks to Fabien of Rough Times for giving Blitz a space on its awesome zine’s express interview. Check these guyz out! Rough Times are promoting DIY bands across the planet!
(Awwwhw, thanks so much for your nice words - guys - really much much appreciated ! Ed.)
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