MARTIN VENGADESAN & THE STALEMATE FACTOR

Crossover Prog • Malaysia

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Martin Vengadesan & The Stalemate Factor biography
MARTIN VENGADESAN & THE STALEMATE FACTOR is a Malaysian folk-rock, progressive rock and psychedelic rock band based in Kuala Lumpur which was formed in 2010, and as of the end of April 2025, had released four full-length studio albums - all of them having chess-related titles.

Martin VENGADESAN was previously the vocalist/keyboardist for the progressive rock band SAMARKAND, which released an album called 'Spinning In Infinity' in 2002. After several years away from the music industry, he teamed up with drummer/producer Ashwin GOBINATH (NADIR, CATS IN LOVE) in 2010 and formed THE STALEMATE FACTOR, as both a studio recording project and a live band.

The initial core of the group was VENGADESAN on lead vocals, acoustic guitar & keyboards, Andrew SAGAYAM (BENT WAVELENGTH) on drums, and Hisham ZULKIFLI on bass. THE STALEMATE FACTOR's debut album 'The Queen's Gambit' was recorded over eight years and released in January 2018. The music on this album is folk-based to a large extent, with compositions that are based around personal stories, and the album includes contributions from a number of guest musicians.

This was followed by 'The Bishop's Sacrifice' in December 2018, again after being recorded over a number of years. This is a more rocking album with songs that focus on politics, philosophy or religion, and it contains the 22-minute progressive rock epic 'The Battle Of Emerald Skye'. The album features Joshua RAYAN on electric guitar, with sitar player Kumar KARTHIGESU from the fusion/rock band AKASHA contributing as a guest.

The band's third album 'The Knight's Flight' was recorded during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and released in December of that year with the help of NR LOHAN (CATS IN LOVE) on guitar & vocals, Edward GOMEZ on bass & vocals and Joanne TIMBUONG on vocals. This album is heavily influenced by the psychedelic music of THE BEATLES and PINK FLOYD, and features guest performances by Balamurugan RAMAKRISHNAN on percussion, Sridhar GOPALARAMAN on Venu (Carnatic flute) and the Czech violinist Karolina SUSTOVA.

The fourth STALEMATE FACTOR album 'The Rook's Siege' was released in May 2023, with a line-up that included VENGADESAN on lead vocals, acoustic guitar & keyboards, Wong Lip KEE on guitars and Ashwin GOBINATH on drums. There were once again contributions from a number of guest musicians, and the album is more progressive rock-focused than its predecessor, with epic songs such as 'The Horizon Myth' and 'The To...MARTIN VENGADESAN & THE STALEMATE FACTOR is a Malaysian folk-rock, progressive rock and psychedelic rock band based in Kuala Lumpur which was formed in 2010, and as of the end of April 2025, had released four full-length studio albums - all of them having chess-related titles.

Martin VENGADESAN was previously the vocalist/keyboardist for the progressive rock band SAMARKAND, which released an album called 'Spinning In Infinity' in 2002. After several years away from the music industry, he teamed up with drummer/producer Ashwin GOBINATH (NADIR, CATS IN LOVE) in 2010 and formed THE STALEMATE FACTOR, as both a studio recording project and a live band.

The initial core of the group was VENGADESAN on lead vocals, acoustic guitar & keyboards, Andrew SAGAYAM (BENT WAVELENGTH) on drums, and Hisham ZULKIFLI on bass. THE STALEMATE FACTOR's debut album 'The Queen's Gambit' was recorded over eight years and released in January 2018. The music on this album is folk-based to a large extent, with compositions that are based around personal stories, and the album includes contributions from a number of guest musicians.

This was followed by 'The Bishop's Sacrifice' in December 2018, again after being recorded over a number of years. This is a more rocking album with songs that focus on politics, philosophy or religion, and it contains the 22-minute progressive rock epic 'The Battle Of Emerald Skye'. The album features Joshua RAYAN on electric guitar, with sitar player Kumar KARTHIGESU from the fusion/rock band AKASHA contributing as a guest.

The band's third album 'The Knight's Flight' was recorded during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and released in December of that year with the help of NR LOHAN (CATS IN LOVE) on guitar & vocals, Edward GOMEZ on bass & vocals and Joanne TIMBUONG on vocals. This album is heavily influenced by the psychedelic music of THE BEATLES and PINK FLOYD, and features guest performances by Balamurugan RAMAKRISHNAN on percussion, Sridhar GOPALARAMAN on Venu (Carnatic flute) and the Czech violinist Karolina SUSTOVA.

The fourth STALEMATE FACTOR album 'The Rook's Siege' was released in May 2023, with a line-up that included VENGADESAN on lead vocals, acoustic guitar & keyboards, Wong Lip KEE on guitars and Ashwin GOBINATH on drums. There were once again contributions from a number of guest musicians, and the album is more progressive rock-focused than its predecessor, with epic songs such as 'The Horizon Myth' and 'The Tomb Of Osiris'.

From early 2022 until 2024, THE STALEMATE FACTOR had a stable live line-up based around Martin VENGADESAN (vocals/keyboards), Thomas TOH (guitar), Harrie SAHRM (bass), Joanne TIMBUONG (vocals) and the former SAMARKAND drummer Rudolf FRANK, who was replaced by DRU on drums in early 2024. The band has since begun performing regularly at a number of popular Malaysian indie music venues, such as Merdekarya, Angguk Studio, Kind A Blue, Moutou and LiveFact.read more