Heavy metal music the world over has gained a debauched reputation. Prejudicially associated with Satanism and aberrant views, it is not uncommon that many people tend to deprecate the genre of music before having listened to it. So you can only imagine what it must have been like 9 years ago when the pioneering heavy metal outfit in Sri Lanka, Stigmata, impelled themselves through the highly conservative local music industry.
Almost a decade later, their perseverance has certainly paid off. From having been asked to perform at concerts abroad, to having their second album ‘Silent Chaos Serpentine’ stacking up at number 11 on ‘the most popular reviews’ on themetalforge.com – ahead of albums by international bands such as Metallica and Nevermore, to something as impressive as being featured on Out of Bounds hosted by Ian Wright on Discovery Channel.
Coming this far, Stigmata has broken barriers and paved the way for other local musicians who have a passion for Heavy Metal. New bands have it much easier in comparison to back when Stigmata started out, which seems to have spurred the proliferation of Metal bands to date.
This however, is not necessarily a boon to Heavy Metal music in the island. Front man and lead vocalist of Stigmata, Suresh De Silva explains, “There’s a lot of quantity with a very little quality when it comes to bands in Sri Lanka. You have a lot of bands in the country that form up, play one or two concerts a year, perform at a few school shows, they record a single using cheap technical gimmicks, and then go on the whole rock star pantheon and the rock star trend. To us it’s about the real deal. It’s about a proper Heavy Metal experience where people get not just value for their money but for all the effort and support our fans and following have given us, we want to give them something in return ten fold.”
Which is what their upcoming concert SpLiTTing The ParadiGm is largely about. Besides that, the concert is also about mixing things up and keeping it interesting. They hope to achieve that by having two highly talented and unique bands perform at the concert as well. Paranoid Earthling will help diversify the concert with their psychedelic groove rock sound, while a relatively newer band FuzMechanX will send it spinning in another direction by adding their distinctive element of funk to it.
That being essentially what SpLiTTing The ParadiGm is about, the concert should not be missed for two other reasons. One is that the band will be introducing their new drummer and the other is that this will be their last gig for a long time to come. Working on their third album which they’re hoping to release by the end of this year, they have no plans of performing prior to having accomplished that.
Of course you can bet when Stigmata say that they are going to “split paradigms” they are not solely referring to diversifying the music, but by creating an experience that will be unlike any other. Having performed at the Punchi Theatre once before, Stigmata found the venue to be ideal for SpLiTTing The ParadiGm.
“We want to organize concerts of the highest possible standard, that aren’t just another rock and roll show where it’s clustered with too many bands, with poorly organized sounds and lighting - we want to give people an unforgettable experience. And that’s one of the reasons we tied up with this venue. The Punchi Theatre is an awesome venue not only because it’s spacious, but also because it’s built like an amphitheatre so the acoustics are brilliant inside. Also the Punchi Theatre has state of the art lighting that’s been set up for theatre that gives a very different effect than what’s generally created at clubs. Also the ambience and the atmosphere at the Punchi Theatre is amazing,” says Suresh.
Make your way to the Punchi Theatre on 4 July from 7pm to 11pm, for a mind-blowing experience and a sneak preview into their upcoming album. Tickets are priced at Rs. 500/-, and should be booked as early as possible. Media sponsors for the event is ART TV and The Sunday Times. For more information visit – http://www.myspace.com/stigmatasrilanka or the Facebook event page.
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