Growing following of metalheads
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Last month’s Rock Sunday was an evening metal fans had been waiting for and despite the down pour it didn’t dampen spirits. The eager crowds were indicative of a mutually supportive and growing rock and metal community in Colombo.
The opening act, was Constellation winner of TNL Onstage 2014 and right after them on stage was Tantrum, a much older player of the field, with much more experience behind them. In sporadic moments of clarity (which were rare due to no fault of the musicians), Akila Peiris and ThishanWijesinghe shone their guitar work in clear lines. From the first band to the second, there was a marked improvement in musical execution and stage presence.
When Stigmata walked on stage and started ripping up their epic ‘Andura’, the jump up in terms of execution and confidence was again, marked. The audience responded almost instantaneously. Stigmata is celebrating fifteen years of music making this year, and as a special treat for Rock Sunday attendees, the audience was given a preview of their upcoming (yet unnamed) fourth studio album. Suresh pitched like a chimpanzee on monkey bars, switching so effortlessly from clean tones to manipulated growls in this “Our Beautiful Decay”, while Andrew and Tenny flaunted their fluid yet precise work on the familiar “Jazz Theory” bridge. The contained intentionality of their sound, the hallmark of an experienced musician, was released only at the end of their set with the kind of lyrical/melodic/rhythmic explosion only Stigmata is capable of.
The highlight of the evening though, the one act that everyone was breathless for was Chitral ‘Chity’ Somapala with his timeless rock ballads. From Constellation to Tantrum to Stigmata, Rock Sunday stood testimony to the fact players in the underappreciated metal scene in Sri Lanka is actually challenged and has been pushed to grow and get better with time. And they do it for a reason.
Rock Sunday was organized by the Rotaract Club of Colombo Uptown in aid of their clean water project geared towards providing a lifetime supply of drinking water to 700 families in the Northern Province. Huge shout-outs need to go to those at TNL and Sindu TV who keep making a stand to support local music and worthwhile projects in a big way. And the fans, who stood in the rain because getting drenched was worth the music. (NP)