In 1995, Philippine rock band Rizal Underground released its debut album, Rizal Underground. Though rock music isn't well known in the Philippines, the album was released during a time of a burgeoning rock movement (things run in fads here), and Rizal Underground contributed a great deal to rock's popularity at the time. Rizal Underground is quite versatile and the sound ranges from the blues-tinged "My Girl," the punkish "Powder or Lotion" and the anthemic rock of "Never Meant to Be this Way." The rollicking rock of "Bilanggo" (trans: Prisoner) is quite impressive, as is the spirited "Rollers on Her Hair." "Bilanggo" contains a fine, distinctive melody, and the spirited rhythm guitar propels the song to its satisfying conclusion, and the stinging guitar fills add a nice touch. "Bilanggo" is also played in an acoustic version. The rhythm guitar of Mike Villegas is inspired throughout the album and plays a large role, for example, in making the lively "Yan Naman" (trans: Once Again) a winner. Of course, it helps immensely that the melody of "Yan Naman" is quite catchy, containing a hook in the chorus that never lets go. Villegas' trenchant lead guitar also contributes to the album's success.
The singing throughout the album is emotive, the vocalist Stephen Lu surely putting much passion into the words. The album also contains "Sabado Nights" (trans: Saturday Nights), originally made famous by the band as background music to a beer commercial. Several songs gained much airplay, including "Bilanggo" and "Yan Naman," while "Sabado Nights" gained much exposure on television as background music to the commercial.
