Stigmata (Sri Lankan band)

Stigmata is a Sri Lankan heavy-metal band based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, formed in 1998.

Stigmata
Background information
OriginSri Lanka
GenresSludge metal, progressive metal, groove metal, thrash metal, melodic death metal, heavy metal.
Years active1998–present
LabelsRock Company, INDIE, M-Entertainment[1]
Associated actsTantrum, Soul Skinner
Websitestigmatasl.com
MembersSuresh De Silva
Tennyson Napoleon
Thisara Dhananjaya
Hafzel Preena
Past membersAndrew Obeysekara
Lakmal Wijayagunarathna
Roshan Tharaka Seneviratne
Yohan Gunawardena
Shehan Gray
Javeen Soysa
Anik Jayasekar
Dilukshan Jayawardena
Nisho Fernando
Osanda Wangeesa
Vije Dhas
Ranil Senarath
Chathuranga Pitigala
Udaya Wickramage
Shafeek Shuail

Biography

Early years

Suresh De Silva, Andrew Obeysekara and Tennyson Napoleon formed the band in 1998 at S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia, where they were schoolmates. They chose the name "Stigmata" from the 1998 album Stigmata by melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. The band's style is a mix of thrash metal along with some death metal and hard rock influences, laced with elements of eastern rhythms.

With bass player Shehan Gray and drummer Anik Jayasekara, they released their first single, "Fear", which topped the local radio rock-chart show. In 2000 they recorded another, "Voices", which was a sensation in the stagnant local music industry, and was a chart-topping hit. In 2001 the band took on drummer Dilukshan Jayawardena, following the departure of Jayasekara due to personal reasons. The band released their first EP, Morbid Indiscretion, in 2002, containing the singles "The Dying Winter Sleeps" and "Thicker Than Blood" plus the instrumental "Andura". At the time, the band also covered music by international bands such as Deep Purple, Metallica, and Led Zeppelin, as well as bands not so popular in the country at that time, such as Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, Judas Priest, and Cradle of Filth, which made them revolutionary by exposing Sri Lankans to music many in the country had never heard before.

Stigmata live in Concert

Hollow Dreams and Silent Chaos Serpentine

In 2003, drummer Nishantha Fernando joined the band, following the departure of Dilukshan for higher education. The success of the original singles released up to this point culminated in the band launching their first album, Hollow Dreams, in August 2003 on the local "Rock Company"[2] label. The band continued to influence many youth in the country to form their own heavy-metal bands and carve a unique Sri Lankan heavy-metal sound.[3]

In 2004, Vije Dhas became Stigmata's bass player, after Shehan Gray left for Australia. Former drummer Dilukshan temporarily stepped in after Nishantha Fernando left the band earlier that year. In 2005 the band found permanent drummer Osanda Wangeesa, and the range of the band was further increased, with the addition of double-bass drumming. In late 2004 the band also recorded the successful acoustic track titled "Lucid" which made innovative use of the Indian tabla, played by Sri Lankan percussionist Jananath Warakagoda.[4] This was a prelude to the heavier, electric version of this song released on the bands' second studio album, Silent Chaos Serpentine, in February 2006. This was followed up by concerts in the Maldive Islands in June 2006. Drummer Ranil 'Jacky' Senarath joined the band in August 2005, after the departure of Osanda. Vije Dhas left the band in 2008 and was replaced by Javeen Soyza. In October 2008, the band was listed on Ultimate Guitar's Unsigned Artists of the Month, with a rating of 7.[5]

In 2009, Stigmata released "A Dead Rose Wails for Light"[6][7][8] which was also available on the band's Myspace site. The band was interviewed and asked to perform "A Dead Rose Wails for Light" for Ian Wright's Out of Bounds, a travel series on the Discovery Channel. The band headlined[9] for the SUE (Southern Ultimate Explosion) 2009 metal music festival in Johor, Malaysia.[10]

Psalms of Conscious Martyrdom (2010–present)

The band's third album, Psalms of Conscious Martyrdom, was released on 26 June 2010.[11] The album was popular enough to help Stigmata get a tour of Australia as part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival under the artistic direction of Brett Sheehy in October 2010 and performing at the historic Forum Theatre Melbourne alongside Dead Meadow (USA), Blarke Bayer / Black Widow (Australia), making them the first-ever Sri Lankan heavy metal band to tour there.[12][13][14]

Style and lyrical themes

The lyrical themes of the band are generally from poetry by the bands' vocalist lyricist, Suresh, and cover topics such as apathy, child abuse, politics, war, social degradation, and inner struggle. However the band's third album sees Stigmata dealing with fresh themes like psychic voyages, spiritual and para-psychological endeavors, suicide, etc.

Discography

Studio releases

EPs
  • 2002: Morbid Indiscretion

Various artists compilations
  • 2003: Rock Company Compilation I[15][16]
  • 2005: Rock Company Compilation II[17]
  • 2008: Sri Lankan Heavy Metal Compilation Volume 1[18]

Singles
  • "Fear" – (1999)
  • "Redemption" – (1999)
  • "Voices" – (2000)
  • "Thicker than Blood" – (2002)
  • "The Dying Winter Sleeps" – (2002)
  • "Extinction" – (2003)
  • "Lucid" (Acoustic) – (2005)
  • "Solitare" – (2006)
  • "My Malice" – (2007)
  • "A Dead Rose Wails for Light" – (2008/9)
  • "Purer (Libera Nos a Malo)" – (2010)

Music videos
  • "Falling Away"[19]
  • "On The wings of the Storm"
  • "An Idle Mind Is The Devil's Workshop"[20]

Band members

References
  1. "Metal Titans Stigmata with M Entertainment".
  2. "Rock Company on the Sunday observer, Sunday, 18 April 2004". Sundayobserver.lk. 18 April 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  3. YazminY (30 June 2009). "Sri Lanka's Unique Metal Scene". Blogwintravel.com. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  4. "Lucid Popular Amongst Fans". 24 October 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  5. "Unsigned Artists of the Month: October 2008 Review". Ultimate-guitar.com. 31 October 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  6. "News About The New Single". Srilankanheavymetalunion.blogspot.com. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  7. "Encyclopedia Metallum". Metal-archives.com. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  8. "A Dead Rose Wails for Light – Pre Launch review". Revolutionscreams.wordpress.com. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  9. "Stigmata To headline for SUE". Sundayobserver.lk. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  10. "A rock and roll adventure", Lasith Fernando, The Sunday Times – Mirror (LK), 16 August 2009, web: STM7.
  11. "What Stigmata Means To Original Music". Thesundayleader.lk. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  12. "Beck's Festival Bar Dead Meadow, Stigmata, Blarke Bayer/Black Widow". Melbournefestival.com.au. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  13. L. Argent, "Stigmata ten years on" Archived 10 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Daily Mirror Sri Lanka, September 2010
  14. "Dead Meadow, Stigmata @ TheForum Theatre, Melbourne(14/10/2010)". FasterLouder.com.au. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  15. "Rock Company's 1st Anniversary on the Sunday Observer Sunday, 18 April 2004". Sundayobserver.lk. 18 April 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  16. "Album Sale And Review on Garitto". Garitto.com. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  17. "The Rock Company on the Daily News Saturday, 21 April 2007". Dailynews.lk. 21 April 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  18. "Sri Lankan Heavy Metal Compilation VOLUME 1 on sri lankan heavy metal union blog". Srilankanheavymetalunion.blogspot.com. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  19. "Stigmata – Falling Away – Official Video". Youtube.com. 25 December 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdfZkVSPxq0. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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