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Heavy
metal central Approaching its fifth year in the local ‘head banging’ industry, Stigmata plans to go officially unplugged for the first time. “It’ll kind of signify an end of an era and a beginning of another more exciting one,” says Suresh de Silva, the lead vocalist and lyricist of the band. ‘The Dying Winter Sleeps’ promises to be a two hour gig, with nothing short of the band’s usual energy. With the term unplugged having definite connotations of being a mellow, unperturbed experience, it’s no wonder you’re doubtful whether this band can actually carry it off. Going unplugged is obviously something novel for them, but the highlight of the show is that none of the band’s ‘habitual craziness’ will be sacrificed. “I know that most people are going to wonder if this is the best thing, but we guarantee that we’ll be doing all of our usual screaming, wailing and growling, and giving you our all,” says Suresh. Though they’ve been thinking of doing this for quite a while, the concept of going unplugged this time round, was brought up by the band’s three senior members. Heavy metal, according to the critics, is ‘an art form.’ Being more than just music, it’s as much visual as it is audible. While the experience gained from other art forms are limited to their individual spheres, the creation of a heavy metal band is an experience in totality, with the mood, setting and lyrics, in addition to the stimulating music, pitching in to give the audience an exhilarating experience. And this is exactly what Stigmata hopes to give you this December, in their last show for the year, before a well-deserved break, which will be reserved mainly for recording. ‘The Dying Winter Sleeps’ will give the audience a combination of the band’s signature originals, as well as a few covers, ranging from groups such as Led Zeppelin and the Scorpions, as well as some Jimmy Hendrix creations and some “instrumental messing around.” Technical metal courtesy underground bands such as Nevermore and Lamb Of God will be an interesting addition to the line up. Staying in line with the seasonal mood, they also hope to perform a couple of carols as well. Familiar originals from the band’s first album such as ‘Voices,’ ‘Thicker Than Blood’ and ‘Dezra,’ and also singles like “Lucid” from the yet-to-be released second album, will be more than adequate to do all the head banging and moshing you are planning to. Talking about future plans… Suresh says that a home video of the band, a video of the single “Lucid,” a lot more shows and of course the release of the new album are lined up. “The DVD will have live footage of our previous performances, interviews and a few snippets of us goofing around. Basically an inside look at what Stigmata is really like,” he adds. The band’s first album incidentally is selling out, reaching an impressive six thousand mark. Taking on what seems like quite a challenge, the band members are excited about this experimentation of their customary genre of music, in a totally different form. The show promises to be a presentation of Stigmata’s usual hybrid, technical sort of music, packaged so to say in a totally “unforeseen” style. “We’ve tried this out once before at another gig, and the feedback we got from the audience was pretty impressive. So we’ll be expecting our usual long-term fans as well as people who basically want to experience this experimentation along with us.” “The Dying Winter Sleeps” in all its deafeningly surreal glory, will be held on December 18, from 9.30 p.m. onwards. The venue Stigmata will “strip down” for you is Hippo’s and the tickets priced at Rs. 250 will be available at the gate. Since the crowd capacity would be about two to three hundred, it’s suggested that all you headbangers get there early. |
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