 Arise from the Ashes!
by Nilma Dole
Sri Lanka’s first ever metal
music documentary was revealed for all to witness at a ground breaking
premiere at the Alliance de Française recently. Featuring the likes of
Funeral in Heaven, Cannabis, Fallen Grace and Merlock, the documentary
is a nearly two hour long ranting of the rites and rituals of the Sri
Lanka metal industry. It follows the guys doing their horn-locking and
moss-pitting, showing how it’s not all about the s**, d***s and Rock n’
Roll which is the name of the game.
With Chathuranga Fonseka explaining what Hela Black Metal means to
Merlock describing their metallic influences, you can even find yourself
sitting on a hazy sofa with the dogs barking in the background as Dinuk
Perry of Cannabis sniffs the air. Moreover, you can see Sohan Ratnaike
of Fallen Grace, losing his grace of hair talking about the fact that
metal music following isn’t a niche anymore and the metal dudes can pull
just as many crowds as Britney freaking Spears!
We see how a jamming session goes, hear some ripping music and many
of the Sri Lankan metal originals are seen here in their purest and
rawest form so it’s some serious head action when you’re really
listening and watching the DVD.
Plus, we know Sri Lankan video footage might not be your really good
quality low-down but as in metal and as in something that’s in-your-face
and out-there, the video is just as crude as its content. Hats off to
the team of ORG & Marasinghe for doing a superb job and all the metals
bands and fans who really know that it’s not about the glory but the
guts to make it on your own in this tough scene where sponsorships are
limited but the spirit lives on.
In addition to this, it wouldn’t have been easy following the guys
and getting raw footage from the gigs, so a good job was done in
presentation and the fact that the music was played at the appropriate
time. It would be great if some people into their music but not sure of
the different music genre, see it because it would shed some light as to
what it is really about. While other bands can play and dance to
synthesized music, metal it all about the hard-core original music that
needs to be played then and there to get the right feel.
Also, if you’re a person unsure about what exactly goes on in the
underground Sri Lankan metal scene, here’s your chance to get to know
what’s a-happening inside out (but the faint-hearted should be careful).
So for a special dish, click ‘Deleted Scenes’!
 Sing with Sam!
A merry sing- along with Sam the man will be presented by the
St.Thomas College Old Boys Association on June 18 at the Galadari hotel.
In lieu of the 125th anniversary of the association’s inauguration, it
could be one of the oldest alumni associations in the world probably
qualifying to enter the Guiness Book of World Records.
The OBA will conduct festivities with a grand ‘Thomian Sing Along’
with the one and only Sam. Among a series of programs being planned to
celebrate the 125 years of the OBA will be this sing-along and it will
be a memorable time for the old and young. Sam the Man is a
distinguished Old Boy of the school himself and will keep everyone’s
spirits high and make merry to dance their cares away! |
