New Pinoy punk album, The Fourth Order, is out from Twisted Red Cross

New Pinoy punk album, The Fourth Order, is out from Twisted Red Cross

by rick olivares

Twenty-nine years after its last release, there is a new product from Twisted Red Cross… Rescue Ladders and Human Barricade: The Fourth Order (TRC-18).

The new album was spearheaded by Renmin Nadela, Wendy Villanueva, and Al Dimalanta of Jam 88.3’s The Punk Connection.

Rescue Ladders and Human Barricade: The Fourth Order is available on compact disc and features 14 tracks from modern Filipino punk bands such as Throw, T.S.A., Against Man, the Go Signals, the Republicats, Isidro Project, Absolute Play, Vagabonds, Santelmo, Dead Sperm, Red Corps, and Minority Bollocks. Plus, there are old warriors Eddie Siojo and also G.I. and the Idiots.

During its heyday in the 1980s, Twisted Red Cross (TRC) put out 17 cassette albums featuring bands from the country’s nascent punk rock scene. The first was titled Rescue Ladders and Human Barricades (TRC-01) and featured many of Philippine punk rock pioneers such as the Urban Bandits, Wuds, Betrayed, Dead Beat, and Private Stock to name a few.

Cover-wise, that album was inspired by the Clash’s self-titled and ground breaking debut. Rescue Ladders and Human Barricades was no less different. Although Ocean Zoo can be said to be the first ever Do It Yourself release, TRC had the moxie to consistently put out original releases that the mainstream record labels didn’t touch. And they changed the local music scene.

The last of the cassette albums the original TRC put out was Philippines: Where Do We Go From Year? that came out in 1989. And today, those original cassettes are a collector’s dream and are very difficult to find. Many titles have seen bootlegged cassette releases while other titles have been officially reissued on vinyl. However, they were not re-mastered for vinyl so the sound quality isn’t very good. But for fans who simply wish to have copies, just having them is not so bad.

Today, the local underground punk rock scene has flourished with bands constantly putting out product whether via vinyl, cassette, or compact disc.

Rescue Ladders and Human Barricade: The Fourth Order is available at local distro Mutilated Noise (check them out on Facebook) and during The Punk Connection show on Jam 88.3 every Saturday.