Formed in 2017, Fragments have been paving their own path through the Manila music scene. While metalcore is not hugely popular according to the band, they have been working hard to cultivate their audience.

We caught up with frontman Niko Cezar to discuss the metalcore scene in the Philippines, their new single and what mentality the lads are bringing for the rest of the year.

“We don’t usually get shows, well big shows, with an all-metal line-up,” Niko explains when asked about the Manila scene.

“Sometimes we also play with indie bands, or like indie rock bands. We don’t really mind because it’s good promotion for the band.“

If anything, the band embraces the idea of playing with bands from different genres and styles as it gives them an opportunity to show their style of music to a whole new audience.

“We are trying to scoop them away,” states Niko.

Their latest single ‘ALLINSANE’ is certainly powerful enough to do that. Embracing their heavy side, but still staying faithful to their melodic nature, the track is a remanent of their pandemic lockdown songwriting. After some lineup changes, it finally saw the light of day, becoming one of their strongest releases to date.

“The song is more written towards our live performance because there is this big breakdown in the middle but I didn’t put any lyrics.” 

“I just want to rock out and let everyone absorb the heaviness of it.” 

When asked if it is part of a wider release, the band tells us that they are not so focused on writing a longer release. Right now for them, it is easier to write a single every couple of months and spend time on promoting it and touring. This approach is what has made them most excited about promoting ‘ALLINSANE’.

Currently on a promotion tour across the Philippines, which included a single launch party in their hometown, it’s easier to feel the excitement surrounding this release.

“That’s why we did the tour, we’ve never really had that celebration of a release for our old stuff. So we are taking that chance to really celebrate our band and what we’ve worked on for the past year.“

With a few remaining dates of the tour, if you are in the area there is still a chance to catch Fragments live. 

For the rest of us, you can head here to listen to ‘ALLINSANE’ on your preferred platform and check out their socials.