Spleen Saint:

Not Quite the Hoodwinkers

By Nilma DOLE

The song ‘Rise Again’ loaded with echo sounds and sharp guitar work is dished out by Spleen Saint (SS), one of the burning metal bands in town. The manager and self-appointed conceptualist, Chanditha noted that the name was carved as a cross between purity of a ‘Saint’ and more morbid depths of the ‘Spleen’ (not the body organ).

He explained that their band was a combination of good and bad with a different and much bigger concept behind. A psychotic stance on their music and style seems to be present in the essence of their music.

“We are more of a sub-genre of metal but we are NOT a brutal death metal band” enlightens Chanditha.

The current members of SS are Dylan on vocals and supporting guitar, Malith on lead guitar and Kasun is the 17 year-old drummer. Buddhika is the bassist for the band and Dinal is the keyboardist.

Having started in January 2006, Malith, Chanditha and Dylan all met up after their OL in school and with their former drummer Akila, they started under a different band name.

However, Akila had to go to USA for higher studies and it was at his farewell that they hooked up with the multi-talented Kasun.

Their influences range from Death, Dissection, Dimmu Borgir and Mayhem. “We like to make the music we want and if people like it, then it’s a bonus”. The song ‘Rise Again’ is the most popular song currently that is getting positive nods all around. With a loyal fan base and a good crowd turnout especially in Kandy, these metal-heads sure know how to strutt their stuff superbly.

“Even though we are partially inspired by our influences, most of the inspiration comes from within”, states Chanditha. They hope to play at gigs and want to uplift the Spleen Saint spirit here in Colombo. They hope to release their album, a collaborative effort titled ‘Rise Against the Norms’.

They have a message to send through their music which is to “Be careful with society and know how to play the game because you should play music what you like and not what the biggies say,”comments SS.

As for careers other than musical commitments, Chanditha is taking a break to decide what to do with his life whilst Dinal and Buddhika are also doing the same. Dylan is working at a leading garment company and Malith is expecting to go to university shortly. Kasun is studying at a leading college.

If you are an up and coming person in Sri Lanka, try as much as possible to be independent and do not depend on others emphasises the dudes.

“We really need a proper recording studio for high-quality sounds”, they say. Advice for young folk is to be tough and even though you can’t break the stereotype, believe in yourself and know that you can make it. Says Dylan, “You laugh at us because we are different and I laugh at you guys because you are all the same”.

Be unique, be yourself and most importantly they advise “bands should come together and not battle each other despite their differences”.

Spleen Saint acknowledges their parents, family, friends and present and potential fans. Special thanks goes to Nipuna for studio time, Forlorn Hope, Meesha and everyone of Whirlwind, Vikum Rodrigo and the admin of rock.lk.