Pointblank

Pointblank was formed in 1999 during the emergence of Nu Metal. The Cebu band was influenced by bands such as Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Smashing Pumpkins, and Silverchair. Over the years, Pointblank has evolved to incorporate various subgenres of metal into their repertoire, now labelling their own unique sound as “melodic gangsta metal”.

The band was started by Wahwah, Neil, and Arnold, all childhood friends growing up in the same subdivision in Cebu. In August of 1999, the three friends – while hanging out listening to a Family Values cassette – decided to form a band. Neil and Wahwah would play guitars while Arnold would play bass. Choosing a drummer was easy choice as Jigoy, a classmate of Neil and Arnold since elementary school, was also the drummer of their high school band. 

In the weeks that followed, the quartet auditioned several potential vocalists but it was only when Wahwah introduced a friend Miguel (a.k.a K-9 of the iconic hiphop duo Dice & K-9) that they found the perfect fit. His rendition of Korn classics Got the Life and Freak on a Leash sealed the deal in making him the official vocalist of the yet-unnamed band. It was likewise K-9 who baptized the now-complete band “Pointblank”. 

While starting as mainly a cover band, the group eventually started creating their own material. The band decided to permanently bring Wahwah’s screams on stage and so K-9 brought in Matthew to the fold. They started to play in bars and school events until they got booked in larger concert gigs fronting big names such as Greyhoundz, Slapshock, and Quezo. Their biggest break so far was when they bagged Axe Band Ataxxe Regional Champion in 2003 and represented the Visayas in the National Championship in Manila.