At the helm of Sri Lanka’s heavy metal music was and is ‘Stigmata‘, a collective of four; Tennyson Napoleon, Thisara Dhananjaya, Hafzel Preena, led by Suresh De Silva, the lead vocalist and the frontman of the band. Since 1998 the band gave birth to some of the biggest metal tracks the country has seen and drove the genre to the masses. Mixed and mastered by the Grammy-nominated UK icon Romesh Dodangoda, Stigmata brings you “Alyssa,” the debut single off of their upcoming studio album.
“Alyssa” is a song dedicated to Stigmata’s frontman Suresh’s departed friend Alyssa Nakamichi–a pet dog who won her life against all odds. Suresh shared with us the story behind Alyssa and her wits;
“She was born to a 3 legged rescue of mine named Cornflakes. Her sibling passed away immediately. She was born half-blind with no life in her rear legs. The vet gave her less than a week to live. She fought for her life even as a tiny runt. At first, she learned to crawl, dragging her rear legs. Then she learned to hop like a bunny. Slowly with great difficulty, she learned to walk.”
And much like any pet, she grew up to be a fierce and loyal friend. For these reasons, it struck hard when it was Alyssa’s time to say goodbye to Suresh. And out of pain and tears come some of the most creative and powerful art. For Stigmata and Suresh, it is “Alyssa.”
While this single is very personal to Stigmata, the band tributes it to all the pets and pet lovers out there. Hence, the music video for the track comes with a beautiful montage of pictures of pets of the band’s fans.
Watch “Alyssa” Music Video by Stigmata
“Alyssa” Lyrics Review and Song Meaning
The lyrics to the track pour out the raw emotions of Suresh De Silva towards his long-gone friend. He even goes as far as to say “If only I could trade places with you…” a feeling mutual to most of us at the demise of our loved pets.
Although Stigmata sings “I will kiss you, I will breathe you, I will see you in my heart” in the first verse of the track, it feels as if the singer is assuming the perspective of a pet. For us humans, we could have several pets throughout our life. But for our pets, we are their whole life. This pet will spend its entire life seeing, loving, protecting, and healing its one owner. But when these feelings become mutual, it becomes true love between a pet and its owner, far greater, stronger, and deeper than that among humans.
“You were the light shining through my darkest night,” sings Stimata about their departed pet. This fact became even more so evident during the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic during which people were forced for self-isolation. For most people, their pets became the only source of psychological therapy and health.
“We carry them with us always, for all eternity,” comments Stigmata about their pets. Although Alyssa Nakamichi is not hopping around Suresh De Silva, she is still alive and kicking in his memory. This is the best “thank you” that we can give our dear departed loved ones!
It is hard to lose a pet who you loved like a family, and it is harder to pen those emotions into a song. This track is one that we can all relate to, which had aided in the track’s phenomenal success ever since its release.
Let us hear your stories with your pets in the comments below.
Check out the complete lyrics to the song on Bandcamp.