The music of Queen Atia, a six-piece post-grunge band hailing from Cagayan De Oro City, has rang in the ears of locals since 2014. Their debut album, titled Die Screaming, You Pig Spawned Trollop!, is their latest milestone, released under Melt Records. When listeners play the first track, they get a taste of the riot grrrl-inspired vocals of frontwoman Niqi Sioux, the wiry guitar riffs of Jojo Cabang and Jared Maestrado, plus the metal grooves of bassist Troy Abrogar and drummer Cris Camba.
Queen Atia’s vocalist Niqi Sioux sums up the album in three ways: “Kinda political, kinda about girl power, and kinda about us as a band,” she says. Die Screaming, You Pig Spawned Trollop! is an 8-track collection of strong punk leanings and grunge songwriting. The band drew inspiration from many bands like Bikini Kill and Turnstill in an attitude that’s still uniquely theirs.
The album cover art of Queen Atia’s debut album is as bold and provocative as the music itself. Designed by the band’s drummer Cris Camba, the cover features an illustrated pig burning newspaper. It’s an image that powerfully mirrors the album’s themes of rebellion, surrealism and disillusionment. Vocalist Niqi Sioux explains the concept of the cover, describing it as , “A pig watching all the ‘trollops’ screaming and suffering,” capturing the album’s defiant energy.
Queen Atia doesn’t just explore heavy themes of betrayal, revenge and retribution, but the band also maintains a light-hearted approach to their music. Balancing a mix of intense moments with a tongue-in-cheek humor sets them apart from their contemporaries. “We don’t really take ourselves too seriously,” says vocalist Sioux. “We have fun while making music. We share ideas and, most of the time, we integrate those ideas into our sound.”