Last year wasn’t exactly kind to the devilish nuns of DOGMA.
Several members — now former members — came forward accusing the band’s management of manipulation, pressure, unfair contracts, low pay, and abrupt dismissals. The band’s entire concept also came under fire. According to those musicians, decisions about who actually performed as DOGMA were made behind the scenes, while one painted nun after another quietly stepped into the same stage personas. Because, apparently, what was underneath the makeup wasn’t supposed to matter.
The situation later took another turn when DOGMA co-founder, songwriter, composer, and artistic director Alvaro Rabaquino (aka The Dark Messiah) publicly addressed the controversy. He stated that he had long since parted ways with the current incarnation of DOGMA and accused former business partner Ian Di Leo of taking control over the project’s finances, social media, and overall operations.
For the sake of a good headline, he also argued that the band’s supposed message of female empowerment had actually been shaped by someone who was “not a musician, not a songwriter, and not a woman.”
Alvaro eventually joined forces with three former DOGMA members — vocalist Grace Jane Pasturini (Lilith II), guitarist Amber Maldonado (Lamia II), and guitarist Patri Grief (Rusalka) — to launch a new band called VINDICTA.
As for DOGMA, plenty of questions remain unanswered. Who is writing the music now? Who is actually behind the masks? Has anything changed behind the scenes, or is the same management still pulling the strings? Whatever the answers may be, the project is evidently still profitable, and the “church business” appears far too successful to shut down. That said, after the allegations surfaced, some promoters chose to replace previously announced DOGMA appearances with VINDICTA instead.
The lineup pictured above is yet another fresh incarnation of DOGMA, and whoever is steering the ship clearly has no intention of giving up. The band has now released a brand new single, “My Matricidal.”
The band’s current Lilith commented:
“The themes explored in ‘My Matricidal’ are not really about betrayal. They are about recognition. There comes a moment in every person’s life when something they believed, trusted, or accepted can no longer withstand reality. Most people spend their energy focusing on the deception itself, but I think the more important question is what happens after the truth becomes impossible to ignore.
Some people retreat into anger or denial. Others choose to learn from it and move forward with greater clarity. That moment of choice has always fascinated me because it ultimately shapes the direction of a person’s life.
The truth reveals itself in time. What you do with it is your responsibility. You shape your fate.”
