Rock of all kinds for the season
Whether it’s in the carols and Christmas tunes playing in the backdrop of stores and malls, or the grand orchestration and music shows reverberating throughout the walls of auditoriums, December is a celebration of music. Come December 20 and Sri Lanka’s foremost metal band Stigmata invites you to usher in the season at their show “The Dying Winter Sleeps”.
Following their wildly successful Christmas gigs ‘Who Killed Rudolph’ (2010) and ‘Silent Night, Chaos Night’(2008), the idea to have a Christmas show this year came quite spontaneously. “Why don’t we do something different for Christmas?” was their common thought, says Lilanka Boteju who along with Roshni Gunaratne add to Stigmata’s extended family with Tharaka Uduwara and Aabhishek Gunaratnam. Joining them with the organising are Natasha Soyza and Madhri Samaranayake. Known for their melodic metal music and showmanship, The Dying Winter Sleeps will be a smorgasbord of music with three other guest bands also delving into different genres of rock at the show.
“We don’t stick to one genre,” adds Shafeek Shuail, lyricist and guitarist of Killfeed, for whom this is their second performance alongside Stigmata. Established in 2009, audiences may remember them from the finals of TNL Onstage 2012. A thrash metal band, Killfeed’s recent performances include Rockfest in June. The band enjoyed international acclaim for their original “Green Eyed Monster”.
Formerly known as Amadeus, Hopeless Poet hopes to bring their own unique twist to a few Christmassy tunes. Since its inception, the band has created an impression in the local rock music scene with their originals. Lead singer Chrisantha de Silva, or CC as he is better known, first came into the spotlight when he won the title of best soloist at TNL Onstage back in 2007. Together, the band adds an interesting touch to their music, incorporating the violin, cello and laying their focus on writing pure originals rather than cover songs.
Probably the newest and youngest band as part of the line up, Constellation doesn’t let those factors daunt them. Recently crowned winners in the band category at TNL Onstage in September, the boys of Constellation proved to be a ‘first’ in many categories. “They have an interesting sound for four young people,” reflects Suresh of Stigmata. The band also boasts yet another first in Eshantha Perera, their drummer who is also their lead vocalist. Sticking to clean vocals, “I don’t like to growl much,” admits Eshantha. This will the band’s first major performance following Onstage, along with a new line-up with the addition of Shehan Kaleel as rhythm guitarist.
Constellation: New kids on the block
As with all their shows Stigmata hopes The Dying Winter Sleeps will have greater depth to it, rather than being another rock show. The show takes its name from the song written by Stigmata and featured on the soundtrack to Delon Weerasinghe’s Gratiaen Award winning ‘Thicker Than Blood’. “It has special meaning to it,” explains Suresh, describing it as a calling for people. “It’s for those who’ve been with us since our inception, to the people we’ve acquired from recent times.” A poetic end to an eventful year for the band, he calls it “the perfect way to close the year and welcome 2015”.
The Dying Winter Sleeps will be held on December 20 at the Western Province Aesthetic Resort. Tickets priced at Rs. 800 (pre-sold) and Rs. 1000 (at the venue) .For ticket details contact 0777280827 or 0777192444