VAJRA – The Mirror

VAJRA - The Mirror
  • 7/10
    VAJRA - The Mirror - 7/10
7/10

Summary

Independent
Release date: June 29, 2017

Sending
User Review
4/10 (1 vote)

The lead single “The Mirror” off of New York City based Vajra’s forthcoming EP Ikralla features haunting, relentless Prog Rock elements highlighted by lead vocalist Annamaria Pinna’s impassioned delivery and a strong, thick, modern metal production.

As a band that has honed its sound throughout countless live shows, the tightness and consistency that one would expect of a band that has carefully ironed out its chemical seams, is found here without any weaknesses. Fans of modern groups such as In This Moment or Lucuna Coil will enjoy the prog tinged heaviness of “The Mirror” while enthusiasts of more traditional Metal and Hard Rock will be pleased with Vajra’s overall melodic content. The band has established a somewhat new-age / spiritual vibe and style and although this may make the band less accessible to certain audiences, it has the advantage of giving them a well defined attitude with a strong direction and brandible image.

One departure that “The Mirror” makes from the typical Prog Metal approach is in its use of a dynamically soft, clean guitar mid-song instrumental passage, as apposed to a heavy breakdown or guitar solo. This breaks up the flow of the song nicely and is perhaps an encouraging sign in the road ahead for Vajra. While a 90’s-esq lack of guitar solos would probably sink the band, certainly a fresh approach to arrangements and song structures will help Vajra step out from the, currently very crowded, pack. As it gets more and more difficult for new bands to distinguish themselves from their peers, having the combination of a clearly defined image, high level album production, and consistent songwriting should help Vajra on their quest for world-conquering rock stardom.

With “The Mirror” being the first track released ahead of Vajra’s debut EP (scheduled for release this Fall), only time will tell if the band can follow up this track with equally strong efforts. Should they succeed in this task, Vajra will likely find itself playing larger and larger stages and commanding more rabid and fanatical audiences.

Author

  • Maxxxwell Carlisle

    Maxxxwell was a reviewer and the host of The Maxed Out Metal Hour here on Metal Express Radio. He is the current lead guitarist for LA based metal veterans Hellion. In addition to his ongoing role in Hellion, he has also released 5 albums as a solo artist and appeared as a guest writer and soloist on Michael Angelo Batio's Intermezzo album, named one of the Top 5 shred albums of 2014 by Guitar World Magazine. He continues to collaborate with various Metal musicians and teaches guitar technique and Metal composition via Skype. Additionally, he is a former competitive bodybuilder and enjoys a lifestyle based around health, fitness and Metal.

    View all posts

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.