AFTER OVER 20 YEARS in the music industry, OPM band Silent Sanctuary has returned to its original label, Universal Records, in anticipation of a slew of projects next year.
One of these is their first major concert, having only done small tours and intimate gigs over the years. Another is a remastering of their classic hits, to be released on vinyl.
Silent Sanctuary — whose members are Raymund “Sarkie” Sarangay (guitar and vocals), Poch Villalon (synthesizers), Ronnie Ropal (bass guitar), Allen Calixto (drums), Anjo Inacay (cello), and Kim Mirandilla-Ng (violin) — have been managing themselves independently since 2018.
Known for hits like “Pasensya Ka Na,” “Ikaw Lamang,” “Sa’yo,” and “Bumalik Ka Na Sa’kin,” the band is popular for their honest lyrics and sentimental string arrangements.
After six years as an independent act, they have decided to return to their roots with Universal.
“When we tried being indie, we had a hard time with the promotion and marketing of our new songs. A label has the power to do all of that. We also tended to neglect our social media,” said frontman Mr. Sarangay in a mix of Filipino and English at a Sept. 9 press conference in Quezon City.
Now that they have the full support of a record label behind them, they will be better able to work on songs for a new album, prepare for a major concert, and release remastered vinyl editions of their old music, Mr. Sarangay said.
“Sa tingin ko hindi pa namin naaabot ang peak namin (In my opinion, we haven’t reached our peak yet),” he said. “We want to explore more genres and modern sounds. That’s why we have Poch on synthesizers and Ronnie with his show band experience doing different basslines.”
Mr. Villalon and Mr. Ropal are the two newest members of the band, having joined in 2022 and 2020, respectively.
For Mr. Inacay, who has been providing the cello parts for the band since its beginning in 2001, their lineup being a combination of old and new members makes them a force to be reckoned with.
“We’re doing great things musically that we’re proud of. We also consider it a blessing that our old songs are still relevant to this day. Even if we’re not super engaged in social media and TikTok trends, our music speaks for itself that it remains relatable to different generations of Filipinos,” he said.
Universal Records managing director Kathleen Dy-Go told the press that they will support Silent Sanctuary’s collaborations with other artists under the label, as well as a potential jukebox musical like the recent one featuring Parokya ni Edgar songs.
“Silent Sanctuary is one of our few OPM artists who have reached over 100 million streams worldwide, along with Parokya ni Edgar and Shanti Dope. That’s a big deal,” Ms. Dy-Go said.
More details on their upcoming projects will be revealed soon. — Brontë H. Lacsamana