The name, "Scarlet Tears":

“When Marvin and I were looking for other members for the band we were forming, I fancied a title from one of my poems called. 'The Crimson Lake.' At that time I thought it was a perfect name until I saw a T-shirt brand named Crimson, haha. And I’ve searched the net and found out that there is really a lake named Crimson Lake (in a far away country). So after completing a couple of songs with the now complete band I took a hard second look at the song Scarlet Tears.

Aside from having lyrics that perfectly captured the band’s concept. The song Scarlet Tears was partly influenced by the song Midnight Mood (A song first performed by Sam and Ruel’s former band Five Wounds to Enter). In that song, scarlet tears refer to the slashing of ones self to indicate desperation and experiencing the “midnight mood”.

~Sam Vigilia

"People dancing in the garden. Swirling mist of fog behind. I see my shadow wandering in my room again. Scarlet tears flow free around me. Leaving back my sheets behind. I don’t know but I must go away. But the moon is getting near me. I don’t want to feel the midnight mood; I don’t want to see the sunrise come…

In the Scarlet Tears song, the words have a slightly different meaning. It still suggests slashing and the midnight mood. But it is now in the context of being in a peak state of madness and being very bitter about something. To elaborate the first verse of the song: When my tears begins to fall, and scarlet tears starts to cover me, how I wish someone would soothe me and save me.”

~an exerpt from ""Midnight Mood"




Band History:


Conceived sometime in November 2003. While taking a break from the metro underground scene, Sam Vigilia started working on several songs from November 2003 to March 2004. After chasing muses for several months, he invited erstwhile acquaintance Marvin Abordo to join the band as guitarist.

Along with some friends, they struggled to get the ball rolling with once a week practices at Alberto's studio in Quezon City. The first informal line up was: Marvin on guitars, Sam on keyboard and temporary vox, Jon Canda (also the Five Wounds' bassist) on bass/occasional drummer, and Karl as the session drummer.

After some time, Jon Canda begged off because of other priorities. Aldwin Santos then became the band's bassist upon Marvin Abordo's strong recommendation. Aldwin is really a guitarist but he really wanted to play bass this time around after playing with several bands in the 90's.

The band was temporarily named Crimson Lake. Taken from a poem Sam had written in March 2004 about a doomed lover. While logging hours at the rehearsal studio, the band was also busy looking for a female vocalist who would make the lyrics vibrate and shiver.

The first to be invited was Katrina Pallon, an art student whom Sam befriended in one of his crazy Internet escapades. The band tempted fate and proceeded to scout for other prospective female vox.

Sometime in May 2004, the band settled with Roel Sotto as the permanent drummer for the then Crimson Lake.

Fate never wavered, as after a month since Roel attended the band rehearsals, Katrina became the permanent vocalist That was the time the band changed its name to Scarlet Tears after one of the band's songs of the same title. Some weeks of grueling rehearsals commenced, as the band was busy too with school, work, and their own personal lives. But they persevered so that they can flesh out the band's music. Music that has already soothed each member's soul. Music that has yet to exist outside the rehearsal studio. Music that has yet to touch another willing soul. Scarlet Tears was born on October 30, 2004 in Saguijo Bar, Makati in one of the local scene's production outfits called An Elysium.

Presently, they do gigs once or twice a month. And will soon attempt to release an independent record that will consist of around five songs, as opposed to the usual ten , due to time and financial limitations.

And so, the band trudges on...