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| Sunday, 7 September 2003 |
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- take blight at sell out concert Even before I attended the concert, I had every idea how breathtaking the theatrics of the 'Hollow Dreams' launch would be. Its official- Stigmata has hit the final nail in the coffin of the mediocrity that inhabited the local western music industry. The pent up four years of extreme musical efforts dishevelled with creativity transcended into an explosive energy. The long wait for the highly anticipated launch of the first ever-metal release of the country was worth every second. The chosen venue My Kind of Place was packed to capacity by the time the opening act arrived. Paranoid Earthling was greeted warmly by the crowds who were expecting their usually energetic display. What the crowd got from the Earthlings was a shocking assault of melodic vigor I genuinely cannot define. They gave a sonic performance, kicking off with the Pearl Jam masterpiece 'Animal' which they followed up with yet another brilliant original of theirs titled 'half-caste'. Pounding drums and crashing guitars combined with Mirshad's melodic vocals was a true delight. The Earthlings continued delighting the crowds with more originals as 'Bringing down the sun'; 'Highway' and their hit 'Pull me under'. Their cover of Nirvana's 'Aneurysm' probably would have put the grunge gods to shame with the immaculate manner in which they executed it. I'd dare say that I've never heard the bands Nirvana or Bush do their own songs better themselves. With one shock after another- in their last song, the Earthlings paid their tribute to metal with a blissfully heavy cover of Megadeth's 'Sweating Bullets'. The skin slammer - Sanka did a truly awe-inspiring piece of work with a single bass pedal making no compromises whatsoever. Stigmata couldn't have picked a better opening act. The crowd, truly hyped up with the Earthling display was chanting in one voice "Stigmata.. Stigmata" for the as the metal maestros patiently descended from the MKOP staircase. Guitarists Andrew and Tenny, drummer Nisho and the bassist Shehan took stage and were getting ready for the kill. But their powerhouse frontman was not to be seen. The crowd was further perplexed when the band took the count and started on the opening riff for 'Thicker than blood' minus Suresh on stage. Then the crowd heard the all too familiar roar, but Suresh was not to be seen anywhere. The audience turned heads in unadulterated confusion following the growls only to find him in the opening of a room upstairs. Clad in a large black leather jacket in the true Halford fashion he went on to scream his way through the crowds to join the band as they sped through the song. Stigmata sounded as tight as a vice from the beginning and went from strength to strength. The fusion driven instrumental 'Andura' sounded brilliant. The acoustics in the venue was perfect for Stigmata. My favourite track 'Dezra' made a surprisingly early appearance in the set and sent the massive moshpit into a violent tidal wave. The crowd I saw at the launch was the biggest and the most enthusiastic I have ever seen in this country. Dezra felt special with the added power and heaviness that day with every beat hitting you like a clenched fist. Suresh's very high-pitched falsetto screams nailed it to luminosity. Stigmata played a quite a few covers in between their originals. The second Megadeth tribute for the day - 'Countdown to Extinction' and Pantera's 'Mouth for war' were heavy and devastating. 'Rock you like a hurricane' brought rock n roll nostalgia to the old fans, but the most memorable cover for the night for them was the Arch Enemy classic 'Silver wing' - taken from the album that the band was named after - Stigmata! The band flexed their musical muscle with killer guitar work with Enemy's death vocal growls replaced with Suresh's unique dark shrieks. This probably was the magical moment when Suresh made the announcement that all 500 copies of Hollow Dreams were sold out in a little more than an hour. This was very impressive even for a band like Stigs that constantly keeps stretching their horizons. Considering the fact that this was after selling out 500 copies of their EP - Morbid Indiscretion, this is no small feat. However, this did not stop the crowds from flocking in. Many adoring fans paid the full fee just to walk in and watch the bands - and the reasons were obvious. The fans heard the long enigmatic 'Stigmatized' after a long time and it was magical. This eleven minute ear candy sounded magical live. The doom filled climax was breathtaking as the guitar ace Andrew had a field day. Had the band focused on happier topics to sing about, I would have called them a power metal band for lack of alternatives. Stigmata- unlike any of their influences stubbornly refuses to be labelled. The ballad 'Falling away' sounded very melodic and heavy at the end. While Voices- their disturbing cry against child abuse and apathy sounded amazing. This is one song that can give them worldwide repute if released abroad. The show ended on a very heavy note with Metallica's 'Motorbreath' making way for the climax everybody was waiting for- 'Extinction'. This super complex, super heavy tune that's played at lightning speed beat changes, for me defines Stigmata and puts them on par with many international bands I've learnt to adore for musicianship. Despite more than two and a half hours of vocal chord abuse Suresh still pitched every note as it appeared on the CD and a lot more. Stigmata, I feel has raised the bar other local bands to almost unfair levels, which sets the emperor apart from imitator. The local heavy music fan base, which is ever increasing in number, have the gods on their side for they don't have to settle for rock bands doing sorry versions of 'Drops of Jupiter' any more. For those who missed the big one, Stigmata and Paranoid Earthling have plans to tear down some small venues in Colombo and in Kandy in 'Spreading the dream'. For those who like it loud and heavy, the rapture awaits. - The Shrimp The Hollow Dreams launch concert was sponsored by Carlesberg, Bitter Lemon, ETV and The Sunday Observer |
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