Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
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Stigmata will elaborately showcase that it is not only with cricket that the Land of Lions harbours great talent and an unequivocal sense of passion and success but that when it comes to memorable élan and bountiful accolades, these guys have what it takes to create an unforgettable experience with chaotic rhyme and sonic reason.
The quintet have always been an acquired taste in their own homeland, but have nevertheless garnered a massive following overseas with stunning live performances, gritty showmanship, binding charisma, admirable musical wizardry and classy yet homegrown compositions that never lack originality or intensity.
South Asian Rockfest
The South Asian Rockfest in Bangladesh is on 24 October and features nine renowned bands from five countries and will be staged at the Army Stadium in Dhaka, and is said to draw 15,000-20,000 rock fans and music enthusiasts.
The festival is the largest concert staged in Bangladesh’s history. Stigmata will represent our country with their unique sound and style gearing to formulate a storm with their authentic brand of ‘Pure Sri Lankan Metal’ to mesmerise and amaze audiences.
The other prominent acts that will perform will include Albatross from Nepal, Kaya and Noori from Pakistan, The Color Compound featuring Rachel from India and leading Hard Rock and Metal Bands Nemesis, Arbovirus, Shunno, Warfaze and Aurthohin from Bangladesh.
Stigmata performance
Stigmata will perform compositions fresh off the stove; new numbers ‘And Now We Shall Bring Them War’ and ‘Our Beautiful Decay’ which is material that is to be featured on their highly-anticipated fourth album (a current work in progress), due out in 2015 to celebrate the ensemble’s colossal 15-year anniversary next year.
Stigmata will take to the stage hoping to perform anthems off all three of their celebrated albums; 2003’s ‘Hollow Dreams’, 2006’s ‘Silent Chaos Serpentine’ and 2010’s ‘Psalms of Conscious Martyrdom’. The band upon special request by the organisers will also pay tribute to three legendary icons covering Pantera’s ‘Cemetery Gates’, Judas Priest’s ‘Painkiller’ and Arch Enemy’s ‘No More Regrets’, illustrating that the band have the chops to compete with the world’s heavyweights playing renditions of some of rock and metal’s most revered classic anthems.
Stigmata launched an official video for ‘On the Wings of the Storm’ earlier this year to much praise, pushing the envelope of video production in the country thanks to a budding team and collective effort by Abhishek Guneratnam and Shanjei Perumal of Arcane Productions with post production handled by Odlo VFX.
A busy year for the metal martyrs
It has truly been a busy year for these metal martyrs, with many of its members involved in prestigious public musical events and corporate competitions; some as judges and others as music advisors and directors, while they constantly balance the plights of the daily grind working and studying with their passion for creating incredible music that is captivating and timeless.
In a country where music is widely considered a hobby and not a lucrative venture, Stigmata have proven time and time again that with proper time management and thorough planning, you can pursue your passions and dreams with a measure of pragmatism and practicality.
The band earn their bread-and-butter from day jobs, many of them pursue their higher studies and manage to stringently rehearse daily (if possible) every night from 9 p.m. to midnight or up to the wee hours of the morning if required. They are grateful to Amishka Botejue and Cult Studios for providing artists in this island with a state-of-the-art rehearsal space that is soundproofed and avails artists with a hub to practice at ungodly hours if necessary, a much-needed luxury for professional and up and coming musicians in this country.
Keeping the magic alive
One of the quintet’s members quoted: “It is never an easy thing striking that balance or sense of equilibrium when one is a part of an entity like Stigmata. Sometimes you have to be driven to the point of sheer relentlessness to etch a lifestyle that balances one’s corporate life, personal life and one’s life’s passion, but finally when you do see the forest from the trees it’s definitely worth the effort. We realise that materialistic things are fickle and impermanent.
“We’ve been playing this game for so long that you need to trust yourself and trust in each other to accept that you must never be afraid to pursue your dreams. You need to lose some battles in order to win the war, you know. And after 14 years of hardship and chaos, that fire within has not been quelled. In fact we are still hungry to create music and keep the magic alive. When we leave this earth, our music will live on and that in itself makes the journey worthwhile.”
Milestone in Stigmata’s 14-year career
The South Asia Rock Fest will be a guaranteed milestone in Stigmata’s 14-year career, having headlined and rocked audiences throughout Australia (The Melbourne Arts Festival), Malaysia (The Southern Ultimate Explosion), India (The SAARC Band Fest and the South Asian Band Festival) and Maldives (The Rockstorm Festival), although this will be the quintet’s debut experience performing at a stadium of such size and scope.
It is also the band’s first time performing in Bangladesh and they are thrilled and honoured to be representing Sri Lanka at this humungous event, looking forward to showcasing their musical prowess to their Bangladeshi fans. This proves that Stigmata stands true to their reputation as one of the region’s most sought after live bands.
Make no mistake that Stigmata will not only kick some serious butt in Dhaka at the South Asian Rockfest but their stellar performance to such a magnitude of people in Bangladesh with their brand of ‘Pure Sri Lankan Metal’ is bound to leave the country Stigmatized.
(Article by The Keeper of the Seven Keys)
Pix by Lasantha Kumara
