Cheese – Steve

Along with Greyhoundz and Slapshock, Cheese is one of the top three rap-metal bands in the Philippines. The band’s second album, 2002’s Pilipinas (Philippines), follows its 1999 debut album. Once again, the music is centered on gruff, growl-throated vocals and hard-edged guitar work. There are also more melodically sung passages this time, which impart more distinction and cohesion. “Parusa” (Punishment), for example, starts on a raging, take-no-prisoners stance, the vocalist snarling above the din of the searing guitar riffs. Soon enough, a melodic vocal phrase is introduced, the same vocalist sounding almost tender. The song contains a number of musical ideas that hold together well and do not sound slipshod, a formula followed in many songs here. “Mottaka” (no translation), for example, starts on a hypnotic guitar-and-bass riff that moves into a tuneful melody sung with near-gentleness, leading to another melodic phrase that evolves into the roar of hard-edged chords, later fading to a dreamy melodic interlude, heard above tasty, thick guitar riffs. The song also contains the band’s trademark growl-throated vocals. The band has matured and grown within the genre of rap-metal. Aside from guitars, drums, and bass, Cheese also has a percussionist, which adds texture to the songs. While Cheese’s music will not appeal to a wide audience, it is possible the band had in mind the commercial success of rap-metal band Linkin Park, which incorporates many melodic phrases into their music. This is a good idea, for rough-edged music such as this can easily become redundant.