Hail, Horns and Horny Homosapiens,
As more controversy runneth over in the uncanny world of Stigmata, we felt it is our responsibility and your right to know what’s really going on at the moment. I will attempt with all my skill and literary devices to explain the circumstances, incidents, drama and add some truth to the fables that I am certain are in abundant circulation.
Stigmata and Vije Dhas have parted ways. Fact or fiction? Fact.
You see playing with a Band, performing, composing and being one body, mind and soul doesn’t happen overnight. Those of you who’ve played sports in College or in School would understand the kind of relentless commitment it takes, and though at the time it seemed almost ridiculous, the kind of dedication and involvement expected by our coaches makes sense now. We have to always be with the other team members; breathe the same air, bleed the same color, build chemistry between each other to the point of psychic proportions… why? Because in order to be one body, mind and soul we have to not just appear to possess a sense of unity, an unbreakable spirit and common intuition but actually know what it is to be one family. This isn’t a concept. This is reality. To be a team player you have to first lay all your cards out on the table and be willing to trust each other to the point where you share the darkest knowledge of each other but begin to appreciate the good, the bad and the monstrosities of each other.
The biggest, most successful corporations and business conglomerates understand the necessity of team work and building its brand equity around one uniformed image, credo and vision. And it is by developing these aspects that an organization can find motivation, combined effort and mutual perception to fight together, fuck together, eat, shit, bleed, swim, drown and survive together.
People watch us perform, they hear our music and many love it, some hate it…but no one out there can say that we don’t do what we do in style, without compromising our integrity and without passion. We all eat food and use tons of products on a daily basis, but we never really wonder how these brands are conceived, made and the processes involved in marketing and propagating it. A Band’s image is its great illusion. A Band’s music is the ticking pulse that should be what it is all about, but sadly it isn’t. The time, effort and daily pains we endure to do what we do isn’t really known or understood, but we’ve accepted it through all these years as part and parcel of the whole Rock ‘n Roll thing.
Stigmata rehearse everyday (except on some weekends when Jacky needs to spend time with his family and on rare tragic occasions), man…I go to sleep and wake up in the morning everyday with Stigmata slithering in and out of the deepest parts of my recess. Tenny, Andrew and I have been doing this since 1999/2000 and we’ve had many line-up changes and it’s never easy when someone who you’ve shared one vision and one blood with has a change in taste, direction or attitude. But we’ve been blessed to always have the pleasure of working with better and more dedicated musicians than we’ve ushered in the past. Take any of your favorite Bands, chances are that a great many of them have suffered line-up changes. It happens. Shit happens. And when it rains a shit storm you just have to make sure you have a rain coat and you wait till it ceases or simply move on. Stigmata are almost 10 years old now (despite being in our mid 20’s and maintaining all our charm and vigor) and we don’t wait for obstacles to vanish or storms to clear up. We go into the storm and crush all obstacles. If one isn’t willing to hurt feelings, thwart ideologies, provoke belief systems, shatter convention’s prosthetic face and make a few enemies…then you’re not fit or worthy of being a part of a vicious industry that never forgets and never forgives.
Vije Dhas joined Stigmata in a time when all hell had broken lose at the tail end of 2005. All the tracks for Silent Chaos Serpentine had been composed and out of all the guys we auditioned at the time Vije seemed to be the most promising. We knew Vije from the scene, ‘cos he was at gigs and from his stints with High Octane and Whirlwind. Things did not however go well, and there were rumors, bad blood and lots of confusion over his departure from Whirlwind, fundamentally because he did not inform Whirl officially with regard to his personal choice to leave the Band for what he perceived was a better opportunity. The guys of Whirlwind thought it adequate to raise publicity for themselves by creating their minion army of followers by poisoning their minds about Stigmata & Rock Company. The seeds sown by Danni Filth’s favorite baker and the God Father of Sri Lankan pastries to this day are reaped by a few ignorant miscreants and poseurs who are vehemently anti-Stigz and anti-Prog, anti-Thrash, anti-Technical Death because they believed the lies and fables spurting out of the cake grinder’s mouth.
So Vije joined in a time where after Hollow Dreams when Stigz had carved a solid name for itself (performing day in and out for over three years in shitty clubs/pubs around the island playing 50-60 songs a night), a lot of groundwork was already laid out and apart from mastering the tracks from Hollow Dreams he had to learn the new tunes (at the time) which would end up on SCS. There was no excuse to not be able to tackle this task because Jacky joined at the same time and worked his soul off. During the recording process of SCS we were to discover that Vije was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of lymphatic cancer and he would need immediate treatment. His parents were prepared to send him to India for the treatment and Vije was prepared to record his bass parts and then leave. At the time his bass playing had much more room for work, but with the guidance of Shobi and Shaffi we were able to select the best sections he was able to record and we settled for the better takes for the final mix.
Vije left to Vellure (if that’s how it’s spelt), India for treatment and we did what we could to be there for him. Amri Adheeb who’s company Sound Vision handles large scale events in Sri Lanka wanted to organize a fund raiser for Vije and wanted our full on support, and so Stigmata, Paranoid Earthling, Sword of the Spirit, Bathiya & Santhush and many other talented artistes contributed to this event and a relatively sufficient sum was raised on Vije’s behalf. We minimized the concerts we played and organized the Silent Chaos Serpentine Launch so it didn’t clash with Vije’s treatment so he could come down for the CD release concert. The Launch was a success, but considering that he had to undergo more treatment we postponed events/gigs and finally decided that Stigmata should play whatever gigs we can; considering a new album was launched and that we were getting overseas gigs too. After consulting Vije and getting a green light from him we sought help from Javin (Tantrum) who was a solid bassist and a great performer (plus we always liked Tantrum’s sound & commitment to music) who agreed to help us out till Vije returned. Stigmata played the Rock Storm Festival in Maldives in 2006 and a string of concerts with Javin providing the bass backbone till Vije finished his treatment.
Vije returned from his treatment, with him and his family bearing good news that the chemo therapy was successful and that the cancer was receding. Back in the Band, Vije and Stigz worked hard to rebuild the chemistry and cohesion we shared as a unit and so we started playing as many gigs as possible. We rehearsed almost everyday, we attempted to hang out together as much as possible and we began working on new material.
Vije is not a songwriter or for some reason he didn’t contribute pieces of music, arrangements or ideas to the composition process like the others and we always pushed him to start composing parts and to even start playing bass solos live… but he declined. He always said he was working on his playing and wasn’t ready for a solo spot. So how it generally works in Stigz is that Tenny and Andrew would work out song structures and compliment each others parts, I’ll restructure some of it and give new ideas and put the vocal lines, phrasings and melodies with the lyrics and Jacky would add a new dimension to the drums. That’s pretty much how it’s been in the last 3 odd years. The entire Band kept advising, supporting and motivating Vije to go to Thilak Dias or Shobi Perera (renowned bass messiahs of Sri Lanka) who were willing to teach him. Andrew offered to teach him theory and always advised him to improve his playing techniques and Tenny is always the patient one who is the grand architect who weaves and shows part by part for the others to digest. Stigmata fans were beginning to question the Band’s credibility as to why 4 people were going berserk on stage and one member just stood in one place, frozen staring at his instrument. We addressed this issue for 3 years as well asking him to work on his stage show and presence, to move around, relax and have fun on stage but there was no improvement and all you have to do is just watch any Live footage of the Band’s of the last 3 years to confirm this fact.
We created an illusion for his benefit that it was his unique approach while Jacky, Tenny, Andy and I stir up Armageddon on stage and Vije was content being our pillar of strength. I can think of numerous occasions where we’ve asked Vije to hang out with the Band but he’d decline saying he has to practice or go home for some work. It isn’t fucking rocket science when people see 3 guys in Stigmata hanging out together in public with the absence of 1 or 2 members, they do the math and accept it just as it is. We’ve always believed as a Band that uniformity and unity is as important as musical evolution and progressing in the performance department. But that was seriously lacking for a long, long time. It was easy for fans, peers, industry personnel, haters, naysayers and cake bakers to start dissecting and deciphering that there was a Core of the Band and others who were a part of the Band. That’s what it looked like. We tried to change this without causing too much of a ripple within the Band because it was brought up that some members had other priorities in their lives and we had to respect that, and so we did. However that also meant that each member’s responsibility to push the envelope musically, personally and professionally was up to them.
We’ve really learnt through the years (especially from our own mistakes and haste) to adapt and adjust to the needs of every Band member, because if we give them their space and liberty then they would feel more at ease to give the music their 150%. Thing is 149% doesn’t work with Stigmata. All the guys who join the Band know this from the time they step in, to the time they leave or are asked to leave. It isn’t a fucking merry-go-round ride of Rock Stardom and popularity. You won’t end up on the fucking hi magazine and have radio playing your music frequently. It’s dog eat dog. Wolf eat wolf rather. But the pathetic truth is this. Stigmata is an opportunity to many, it’s not their lifeblood. Some like the money they think they can make, others have loved the bits of fame they’ve burrowed, some just need to get laid and others need it as a stepping stone to greener, more lucrative pastures.
If Stigmata’s music doesn’t run like lava in your veins and if you’re not willing to stand by the Band when things are bad and ugly then that person doesn’t belong with us. And 2008 is a fucked up year for most people around the world, with the world economic crisis and of course our own little trouble in good old Sri Lanka.
Yes, we might very well be the highest paid Metal Band in the country.
Yes, we are possibly one of the more experienced and professional Bands in the country.
Yes, we are all very obstinate, focused and pushy characters… WTF!?! This isn’t a boy band.
Yes, there is sex, there are drugs and there is enough Rock ‘n Roll in us to set all the detectors in an airport alert… but there’s more to it all isn’t there?
Yes, we should be proud, but never content because we haven’t achieved shit yet. There’s so much more to do, so many countries to play in, so many albums more to record and release, so many more women to dominate, gag, bind and blindfold and so much more to experience together. But that means an equal amount of dedication, hard work and drive which we won’t find without the passion to be either a Saint or a Martyr for Stigmata. So tell me then, how does one take a back seat and slow the progress of the Band?
We worked on 8 new songs for over 2 years, perfecting every nuance, sound and arrangement. Every note has its place. Every section has its purpose. The new songs are truly epic; flowing from super intense to deliciously tripped out. There are different moods, diverse feels and various dimensions to the new tracks which make them more challenging to perform than the stuff on Hollow Dreams and SCS combined. It isn’t just about technical prowess and dexterity, it’s about feeling what you’re playing and painting a picture every time you perform these pieces. It has to flow from within you know. That’s the beauty of it.
We entered Sonexco Studios to begin recording Album no.3 with Shobi Perera and ready to co-Produce it ourselves. The Band worked hard throughout April, when 2008 has been a trying and dark year for most industries, and likewise the music biz was suffering. There weren’t sponsors climbing out of the woodwork, no gigs because of sound regulations and newly imposed restriction laws, the trend was changing from hip hop to trance/electronica more for the drugs rather than the music and Bands started quarrelling with each other over accepting or denouncing new trends. With a notion to self finance our 3rd Record with no funds at all… the Band spoke earnestly with Shobi and decided to hit the studio to lay the drums down in the Wesak weekend and so in May 2008 we did just that. The entire Band practiced inconceivably for weeks and thanks to Tyronne Silva we were able to record on his custom RMV kit and Anatolian Cymbals with his mic set. Jacky nailed the drums in 3 days. Vije wasn’t fully confident with his parts for the album despite having rehearsed and performed many of these new songs (March of the Saints, Spiral Coma, A Dead Rose Wails for Light) countless times. So Tenny agreed to lay his rhythm tracks. It was done. The Drums and one Rhythm Guitar sounded fucking incredible. Now Vije had plenty of time before the recording began, after the recording commenced and throughout the entire time that Jacky and Tenny were laying their parts (roughly from May-July).
So saying he was prepared Vije entered the studio in August 2008 and found it difficult to record his parts in one consistent flow. There was no clarity in the recording; many notes weren’t clearly heard, runs were fluctuating and compromised and some parts even changed but it wasn’t as tight as it should be. We addressed the issue and he guaranteed that he was practicing. Of course the last few days before he had to record he stayed over and worked till late the wee hours of the morning with Tenny on his parts (which reminds me of how many of us study last minute for exams). We gave him more time and asked him for anything he needs from our end. We gave him support, we stood by him and kept pushing him to at least work harder on his parts now that his bass had to be finished. From August it kept dragging to the end of September and so far Vije had managed to just record 4 songs taking over two months, and much to Shobi’s and our chagrin and horror those 4 tracks were all over the place; inconsistent, messy and clearly there was a BIG problemo. Now you wonder why this is never spotted live. That’s because it’s always the vibrations and the low end of the Bass that you feel (more than hearing it) in a live setting, and with Jacky’s thunderous drumming and the guitar virtuosity of Tenny and Andrew it’s nicely and safely concealed. It’s true, you watch his fingers crawling about in swift motion but you never really hear note for note of what was played.
I mean he kept saying he was practicing but his actions didn’t compliment his words. Listening to the tracks Shobi finally told us that we would have to get Andrew or Tenny to record the bass parts because it simply wasn’t up to standard and didn’t sit well with the quality of what was recorded so far. Why should the Guitarists in the Band record the Bass parts when we had a Bassist in the Band? How was that going to materialize?
So we addressed this issue and told Vije that we have this problem and he has to work hard. All what happened was this. The bass recording for Spiral Coma was delayed and postponed week after week in September because Vije kept asking for more time. Finally it came down to a scenario where he would spend 4 or 5 hours in the studio (which was financed by Andrew, Tenny and I) and without any improvement. He seemed to give it his all, but then by the time of a recording no musician should struggle. You should be relaxed and in a confident frame of mind to deliver the goodies. The bass was recorded for 4 songs that needed to be re-recorded. Plus the next track Spiral Coma wasn’t likely to be pinned down anytime till 2009. We started asking Vije to rehearse at our practice hub in Rajagiriya so we could record the sessions and see the improvement. Finally it was indirectly suggested that we record the bass for one song each month and that’s just not done anywhere in the world. When you gotta record, you’ve gotta give it your all. Not to mention the time there was to be ready for it. Where’s the money coming from? What about the time we are losing? What about the Album being delayed? I mean Andrew has he’s rhythm parts, then Andrew and Tenny both have their leads to record, then my vocals, backing vocals, whatever additional instruments…then the mixing, remixing, the mastering… Stigmata was starting to get worried.
Not seeing any improvement we had to confront Vije Dhas and tell him to get his shit together and gear up in a week or two to record his parts without any fuss or complaint. We had Band meeting after Band meeting and finally in September we decided to record the new songs at home off a digital recorder and hear how things were. Spiral Coma wasn’t in a recordable standard nor were any of the other songs. He couldn’t play the 4 songs he had recoded so far either and finally Andrew asked him to play Forgiven, Forgotten from SCS to see how it was.
That was it basically.
Then we had a meeting and then after a lengthy heart to heart discussion Vije told us that he feels it was the best thing if he left because the recording was being delayed and the progression of the Band was marred. When we asked him how it had come to this and why, he then told us on that day that he had suffered nerve damage after the chemo therapy he had received for his cancer. This came as a shock to us all, because he returned and had been with us for over 2 years (after telling us that he was cured & the treatment was successful) we share even the scratches in our asses with each other and he decides to give us this info on that particular day of all days. So Jacky asks him why after being through so much together why he never mentioned this to us before the recording began, during the recording or at any of our Band meetings/discussions. He said he didn’t want to appear like he was making excuses. He said he’d suffered nerve damage and was finding it difficult to play our kind of music. We accepted that as a reason till all the rumors, back stabbing, family cult intervention and bullshit started to surface in the past few weeks.
Now let’s get a few things straightened out shall we:
After the ordeal of his Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and us standing by him as best as we could there was no reason for him not to inform the Band about this new medical condition.
If he had informed us of this medical condition then we would have obviously stalled the recording process in its entirety till he was ready. Make note that we only hit the studios after getting a thumbs up from EVERYONE in the Band that they were ready to record.
His own Band was to find out about the nerve damage ironically only on the day he felt it was best to choose to part our separate ways, after the delay in recording and everything we had succumbed to up to that point.
He took nearly a month to send his official statement to the fans as to his decision to leave Stigz and why. It doesn’t really mention anything about the recording, him deciding to leave or that he informed us of the nerve damage only on that day. What it looks like is that Stigmata fired an indisposed individual without any support.
There was no reason for him to take and need so much time because Jackson and Tenny recorded their parts while tackling day jobs, family commitments and personal obligations. All this time Vije remained at home not furthering his musical knowledge, his education or working. In effect he therefore had more time than any one of us to master his instrument.
Stigmata are not in any way a part, involved or related to the mumbo jumbo, heal the world by brainwashing people by altering their perceptions crap secret society that is a network guised as an event management, talent recruiting agency and a supposed body promoting Rock music in Chennai and in Sri Lanka. We have no association or affiliation with this humanitarian venture of fanaticism and radicalism integrated as a sideline business with a sardonic approach to help errrm Rock ‘n Roll. We wish the cult/record label/event management/therapeutic cash cow enterprise/you are your own God circle well in conquering the world.
We don’t want things to get ugly. It shouldn’t be that way. But Stigmata has stood and faced adversity, tremendous hardship and gone through too much to just sit aside and let this become another Soul Skinner/Whirlwind episodic drama where stories will loop and then become exaggerated fiction. Mud will turn to blood and then friendships are questioned and ties are broken asunder.
Shobi has all the documented evidence of the dates and the studio times we’ve recorded. We have with us the audio recording of the final conversation on the night that Vije said it was best if he left the Band along with the demo recordings of his playing. Shobi has the original bass tracks if anyone feels they need further clarification. We will resort to this only if more stones are unnecessarily cast our way and accusations fly regarding this dilemma.
Javin has once again stepped into the Stigmata fold to help the Band, except this time he’s here to stay. Javin is Stigmata’s new bassist. He’s a great musician, a brilliant performer, he’s dedicated beyond comprehension and he will continue to front Tantrum but play with Stigmata as well. He helped us out in Maldives and for other gigs we played when Vije was getting treatment in India and the chemistry is just fantastic. He’s killing himself to learn all the new tracks and should begin recording sometime in November. Let me tell you right now to expect a heavier Stigmata with an ominous low end to peel your faces off.
I hate drama and choose to not endorse it unless I have to. But this is a necessary post. Ciao.
