In 1996, Philippine rock band Violent Playground released Violent Playground. Much of the music has an acoustic, tuneful sound, often punctuated and augmented by electric guitar. Much of the band's sound is reminiscent of American rock band Collective Soul, and there are traces of tuneful punk band Green Day as well. Violent Playground contains six members, which includes three guitarists, a vocalist, drummer, and bassist. The vocalist's singing is gritty and heartfelt and adds much to the album's enjoyment. The instrumentation is also excellent, and the album is well produced. The opening, "Starvation Army," opens calmly on a repeated acoustic chord progression, spiced by finely honed electric guitar fills.
The singing starts out on a slow pace, and then both the vocals and instrumentation get intense before returning to the original pace. The lyrics decry the various armed insurgencies in the Philippines. "Go Free" starts on a highly melodic electric chord progression, and the singing, as in "Starvation Army," also starts on a slow pace before getting intense and returning to the original stride. This song seems highly influenced by Collective Soul, as does the melodic and pensive "Moist." The fast-paced "Tagalog Song No. 1" has a melodic, punkish ambience and reminds one of Green Day. The pretty "Never the Bright Lights" is one of the album's best songs. The album still needs improvement, though, as there is a certain formulaic sameness heard throughout the album, though taken individually the songs are very good.
