‘Shrine’ is a personal, introspective song that shows a different side to Suresh by deviating from the usual heavy metal music his legions of fans have been used to over the years.
Music and lyrics of the track are by Suresh and he also plays the guitar while delivering his customary strong vocals.
Expressing his thoughts about the creative process behind the song, Suresh stated,
"Shrine was composed a couple of months ago while I was jamming along and strumming away on my box guitar.
If I am focused on telling a story I tend to write visually and I generally envision what I am writing about.
So, this catchy and yet sorrowful melody poured out which I knew immediately was to be the chorus.
I then had an idea visually based on what I was feeling at the time what the structure would be, and it all came about pretty quickly.
I teamed up with the brilliant Malcolm Boteju, our brilliant Live Engineer for Stigmata, to create the track.
When we went to the studio and recorded the song it started taking on a life of its own.”
Having shared the track with a few of his closest and most trusted musical contacts, the song went through several iterations of the final version as Suresh incorporated a number of thoughtful ideas and creative inputs from his team and perfected it until he felt it was ready to be released to the world.
'Shrine' is available on all leading streaming platforms around the world including Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube.
It has been aired on US-based platform iHeartRadio and is also receiving radio airplay here in Sri Lanka where it has got good reviews from fans of all ages.
Suresh reiterated that the release of the single by no means signals the end of his time with Stigmata, adding,
“This is not me trying to embark on a solo career.
I am extremely happy with Stigmata.
Stigmata is my life and light from the darkness.
But there are some things I can't do with the band and this is one of them.
I needed to express my personal thoughts in a different way and this track certainly allows me do so."
With a career spanning over a quarter of a century, Suresh has long been known as a key figure in shaping the sound and identity of Sri Lankan heavy metal music.
As the frontman of Stigmata, Suresh's captivating lyrics and powerful stage performances have enthralled audiences in Sri Lanka and abroad.
His lyrics reflect on the complexities of modern-day life and touches upon themes of the human condition and psyche, social justice, personal struggle, apathy, abuse and resilience.
Under Suresh’s dynamic leadership and passion for all things heavy metal, Stigmata has been able to successfully release several albums, with the fifth studio album, due to be released in 2025 supported by a plethora of overseas tours and festival appearances.
Since inception, 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.
Stigmata will celebrate their 25th anniversary next year, a mega milestone.
Meanwhile hopes run high that Suresh will also work on and release his solo album in 2025.