Launched earlier this month, VindictA is a new band emerging from the chaos and controversy surrounding Dutch metallic hardcore punk, metalcore band Dogma.
Dogma had been originally scheduled to tour Australia last month before promoter Hardline Media postponed the November dates: 'Due to the current situation unfolding, we are postponing the Australian shows for now. We only want to promote the band that we, and you, thought we were getting.'
An update arrived earlier this month from Hardline: 'Thank you all for your patience, understanding and support during this bizarre situation. . . We postponed the Dogma tour and have been working hard to find a solution for all involved – particularly for you, the fans and of course the musicians involved. Hardline want you to get what you paid for.'
Alvaro Rabaquino, a creator, songwriter, and artistic director and co-founder of the original Dogma project also released a statement (which you can scroll down to read in full) earlier this month, which gave light to some of the behind the scenes happenings around Dogma.
"This is not DOGMA anymore," Alvaro says. "For over a year I've watched in silence while the project I co-founded was turned into something I do not recognise artistically, ethically, or humanly."
Now rises VindictA – featuring original Dogma members vocalist Grace Pasturini (Lilith) and guitarists Amber Maldonado (Lamia) and Patri Grief (Rusalka), who left Dogma citing allegations of mismanagement and exploitation – who will honour Dogma's Australian tour dates when they land down under in June, playing concerts in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
"Australia, you'll be the first. THE RECKONING TOUR AUSTRALIA 2026," VindictA posted. "Thanks to Hardline Media for backing us and believing in what's real. This is just the beginning. See you in June. Face to face."
Hardline Media posted: "After quite the saga. . . Hardline Media are stoked to announce the inaugural and triumphant Reckoning tour of VindictA. Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, it's your turn.
"Born from the ruins of greatness, VindictA rise, more original and even greater than before. Australian believers, we heard your call. . . vocalist Grace Pasturini (Lilith) and guitarists Amber Maldonado (Lamia) and Patri Grief (Rusalka) will be descending down under in June 2026.
"Blending heavy riffs, cinematic atmospheres and strong melodic hooks, VindictA deliver a powerful and emotionally driven sound rooted in modern metal, with a strong focus on performance, visuals and storytelling.
"With members based in Italy, the United States and Spain, VindictA operates as an international project with a global outlook. The band recently released their debut single 'The Face Of The Clown', which received an excellent response from fans and marked the first step in establishing VindictA's own musical identity.
"Their live shows combine new original material with selected songs previously performed by the members, including material from 'Gospel I', presented within a renewed concept and sound. VindictA represents a new chapter shaped by experience, creative freedom and ambition, with a clear focus on building something solid, forward-looking and international."
VindictA 2025 Tour Dates
Wed 24 Jun - The Gov (Adelaide)
Thu 25 Jun - Max Watts (Melbourne)
Sat 27 Jun - Crowbar Sydney
Sun 28 Jun - Crowbar Brisbane
Statement issued by Alvaro Rabaquino also known as The Dark Messiah:
This is not DOGMA anymore. For over a year I've watched in silence while the project I co-founded was turned into something I do not recognise artistically, ethically, or humanly.
Let me be absolutely clear: I have no artistic, business, or ethical involvement whatsoever with the version of 'Dogma' currently touring under that name. Dogma started as a project created by three partners: Alvaro Rabaquino (myself), my brother Federico Rabaquino, and Ian Di Leo.
I wrote the music, the lyrics, recorded multiple instruments, and led the musical production. Federico contributed as a songwriter, musician and executive producer, supporting the creative direction, arrangements, and recording process from the very beginning.
Ian's role was management and business. His later registration as 'co-author' of the songs, under his stage name The Light Messiah reflected an internal agreement at the time, not actual musical composition or production. He is not a musician, and he did not write, arrange, or produce the material.
Before Dogma, I had already built a career as a songwriter and producer, including writing music and lyrics for a female-fronted project where the audience consistently praised the songs. For Ian, Dogma was the first time he tried to position himself as a 'creator' in music, despite not composing or producing anything. That distinction matters.
Although I wrote all the music and lyrics, much of the thematic direction was influenced by a single external voice, one that did not reflect the perspective, experience, or identity of the women onstage. Over time, that mismatch became obvious to many fans, who felt the lyrics carried a male gaze while the project was being sold as 'female empowerment'.
The narrative was being shaped by someone who was not a musician, not a writer, and not a woman, someone outside the musical, creative, and lived experience of the performers, and that dissonance became impossible to ignore.
In September 2024, without prior agreement and against the spirit of our partnership, Ian attempted to register the Dogma trademark in his own name. He took unilateral control of social media, communications, and finances, and even took the band on tour, collecting payments and making every decision, despite my explicit objections and without my participation or consent as a co-founder.
After watching him violate my rights as a partner and destroy any remaining trust, I cut all ties and moved the conflict into legal channels. From that moment on, I have not authorised, supervised, or endorsed any of the decisions made under his control. All operational, financial, and public matters rested entirely in his hands and in his one-man company, IDL Entertainment.
So when people refer to 'Dogma’s management' in recent scandals, they are not pointing at a faceless committee. They are pointing at him. What followed is now public knowledge: constant line-up changes and replacements, shows promoted with one group and performed by another, lip-synched performances, postponed shows, cancelled tours, and testimonies of mistreatment, detention, and immigration issues during international tours.
Every piece of chaos you've seen since then came from that same 'management', not from the people who created the music. While Dogma continued to appear on posters and stages, I watched from home as someone else lived the dream I had built. I received nothing for the work I created, and the legal disputes drained the time and energy I should have spent making music.
I invested six years of my life, my money, and my creative energy into building this project from the ground up. Under his control, that investment was never recouped, and substantial amounts were collected in Dogma's name while the main songwriter and producer, myself, received nothing.
What disappeared was not only the money, but also the project I created. The Dogma you once knew, the songs, the sound, the performances that felt real, no longer exists under that name. What is being sold today is an empty shell built on our work, without the original creative team and against the values the project claimed to represent.
In the past days, several of the artists who carried these songs onstage have spoken out. Their testimonies match what I experienced from another angle: Dogma was taken from its creators, stripped of its identity, and redirected to serve one man's agenda, far from the music and far from the truth.
I'm not asking anyone to attack or harass anyone online. That helps no one. I'm asking you to stay informed, to listen carefully, and to support the real artists. I'm not here to feed drama. I'm here to take responsibility for what I create and to offer you a way out of this manufactured narrative.
Now, together with Grace, Amber, and Patri, the original performers who chose to step away from that chaos, we reclaim what was ours from the beginning. Today, we give it its true name: VindictA. They will continue performing the songs we created, and together, we will keep bringing new ones to life.
The first page of this new chapter, 'The Face Of The Clown', is now live on all platforms. Support the real artists behind this story by following the official channels below. Don't follow the noise. Follow the voices that paid the price to tell you the truth. The spirit of the project you connected with is alive. And today, it stands under its rightful name: VindictA.
