Stigmata

In 1989 the New York metal outfit Stigmata came together when vocalist Bob Riley joined forces with guitarist Mike Maney and bassist Dan Walsh, three musicians who had earlier played together in the fleeting Cranial Abuse. Frequent personnel shifts disrupted the band throughout its early period, yet after issuing the initial pair of full-lengths, The Calling of the Just and The Heart Grows Harder, second guitarist Jason Sunkes joined in late 1992 and drummer Jason Bittner arrived in early 1994. Once the third LP, Hymns for an Unknown God, appeared, Maney departed, leaving the remaining members to continue as a quartet. Buddy Armstrong stepped in on bass for the Redemption Songs EP, after which Bittner took a temporary break in 1997 to tour alongside Crisis. Following the live release Pain Has No Boundaries, both Maney and Bittner rejoined the lineup in time for the 2000 album Do Unto Others...