Sri Lankan heavy metal pioneers Stigmata kicked off the ‘summer’ season with a high-octane performance together with fellow metal bands Encender and Trishira at ‘Summer Storm’ held at the Taphouse by RnR, Colombo recently.
While filling the Taphouse is no easy task, Summer Storm was fully packed with a diverse audience from different ages, ethnicities and backgrounds brought together by their love for metal music. Once again, Stigmata delivered a mind-blowing performance and included several iconic tracks from all their previous albums ‘Hollow Dreams (2003)’, ‘Silent Chaos Serpentine (2006)’, ‘Psalms of Conscious Martyrdom (2010)’, and ‘The Ascetic Paradox (2015)’. The band also thrilled the audience with a taste of new music from their fifth album which is due to be released later this year. The brand new mystical emotive single ‘The Absurd’ was a highlight.
Stigmata stated, “Although Sri Lanka does not have the traditional four seasons found in Western countries, the June to August period is considered “summer” when a certain segment of tourists, including Sri Lankans abroad, visit the country during their summer holidays. During this period the country also gets plenty of ‘storms’ due to the monsoon rains that arrive in May and continue for a few weeks. Therefore, we felt ‘Summer Storm’ perfectly captured what the event is about especially since the music was like a storm of some of the best metal music one can hear in the country.”
As a pioneering band in Sri Lanka, Stigmata makes a conscious effort to share the stage with both upcoming and established bands so that they are given the ideal platform to showcase their musical prowess to a large audience. The band is constantly looking to diversify their musical offering, and featuring diverse talent ensures each event is unique, and every band’s unique music reaches a wider audience in Sri Lanka. This time Stigmata teamed up with the awesome metal bands Encender and Trishira, two bands that delivered two different styles with a loyal fan base that was in full force at the event. By playing with different bands, Stigmata is looking to nurture a sense of love and respect among all local metal bands and build on this to deliver an unforgettable experience for all fans at every event.
Stigmata delivered an entertaining set made more impactful having Dineli Philips join the band on ‘Voices’ and Eshantha Perera lending his vocal talents to a smashing cover of System of a Down’s ‘BYOB’. For the show closer Stigmata invited all the frontmen/women present at the event to join on the band’s anthem ‘Jazz Theory’.
Stigmata is the country’s first original heavy metal band formed nearly a quarter century ago. Over the years, the band has constantly evolved and demonstrated longevity unlike any other band in its genre purely by producing and delivering amazing music, powerful lyrics and outstanding live stage performances. Stigmata has proudly taken Sri Lanka to the world and made its mark in several countries including Australia, Malaysia, Dubai, New Zealand, India, Bangladesh, the Maldives and many more.