Vajra Is Building the Temple and You Are Witness To Its Foundation

New York, NY (PRWEB) August 29, 2012

NYC-based band Vajra is building the temple, and you are witness to its foundation. The band is quickly generating a buzz since their first show in November 2011. Virgin America selected Vajra?s single ?Erode The Will? for their In-Flight Entertainment Series in December, 2011, and the single was also included on the Red Gorilla SXSW 2012 Compilation. Vajra was selected to be a Supercuts Rock The Cut Music Ambassador, and the band sponsored a team at the 9th Annual Goals for Hope Women's Soccer Tournament, a benefit to raise money for the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation.

Vajra?s music was added to regular rotation at 200 radio stations nationwide, including syndicated radio shows, podcasts, and music websites.

All the while, the band has been busy, having recently returned from a successful West Coast tour, performing at Sylvia Massy?s 4&20 Blackbird Music Festival, The Bottom of The Hill in San Francisco and The Roxy in Los Angeles. Vajra performed two shows at SXSW 2012 in Austin, TX and recently played to sold-out audiences at The Bowery Ballroom, The Mercury Lounge and The Bowery Electric in NYC. The band signed licensing deals with The Discovery Network, MTV, Showtime and Bravo.

Vajra released their debut album ?Pleroma? on the Summer Solstice (6.21.12) to sizzling reviews. Here's what they are saying about Vajra, and their debut album 'Pleroma':

"If you were thinking how a melange of Dead Can Dance with Tool would sound like, don?t dig further, Vajra is the most perfect possible match for it. ?Pleroma? is kind of a collection of 10 ?sonic postcards? which painting up by sounds this mystic journey to self-conscience filled with hypnotic mysticism and some explosive sonic hurricanes." -By Brushvox, http://brushvox.com/2012/08/vajra-pleroma-2012/

"Care to listen to something original and interesting? Allow me to introduce you to Vajra. ?Vajra really have something unique. ?Pleroma? is a spiritual awakening in rock, providing sensual and soothing lyrics, deep and moody atmospheres, and some fine music. Expect to hear them on soundtracks in the very near future". ? The Music Mag, http://www.themusicmag.com/music-reviews/vajra-pleroma-review/

"Vajra's debut LP, Pleroma, seems to draw correlation between underlying feeling, sound and time period, regardless of the cultural genesis of either. Most interesting is how the album itself can have different sonic interpretations. Were it to be released in the mid-'80s, one might say that it has new age tendencies. But, in 2012, its hallmarks are nearly drone metal. Based around a soaring, but heavy low end, the album draws from the introspective mass of thick stoner rock like Sleep and OM, but doesn't have the nasty edge of most metal bands. Rather, despite its massive, hypnotic grooves, the album isn't aggressive, but soothing, suggesting more introspection and less outward projection?.Often, when merging the East with the West, musicians make the mistake of being too direct and make it seem that they are using Eastern sounds to be more "deep." That's not the case here. Rather, instead of bringing in Eastern elements to Western drone in order to add a certain etherea l quality to the sound, it seems as though Pinna is showing that like colors, certain tones evoke images, despite their geographic origin. The trick is difficult to pull off but the band mostly succeeds. Yet, as trippy as this album gets, it makes one wonder that now they've mastered sounds from across the globe, their real leap might be when they start creating sounds that no area has heard before." ?PunkNews, http://www.punknews.org/review/11400/vajra-pleroma

"The music Vajra does is beyond what you hear. I did have to do some research beyond the tracks and I loved to find that there is a concept behind the tracks I?ve heard and more to learn. The music was great but her history is just as intriguing which shapes the songs on this album. Be prepared when you enter the world of Vajra because it may change you forever". ?Indieband Guru, http://indiebandguru.com/vajra-dark-progressive-rock-with-east-indian-themes-to-wrap-your-mind-around/

"Vajra?s latest release entitled, ?Pleroma? was released about a month ago. We finally got the chance to listen to it and the general reaction seems to be oh so good. This is quite an interesting release and is one of my personal favorites of the year. Imagine if Tool was fronted by a woman. That?s basically what you get with Vajra. However the dramatic difference of vocal timbre is a huge contribution to what sets Vajra apart from the rest. Musically, this album is incredibly solid. Homo phonic melodies are constantly present whilst dark, swirling rhythms suck you in to Vajras charm. The amount of Indian influence is fantastic as well. This record also has such a heavy, east meets west type of vibe. Annamaria Pinna?s vocals soar over the top of Vajra's intricate and complex guitar work. Everything flows with meaning and purpose. The rhythmic foundation is incredibly solid whilst being complex and melodic (if you?re a bassist, listen and learn from this album). Each song is a powerful example of what Vajra is all about, nothing feels wasted. ?Pleroma? is a record that can hold its ground to even the most high budget records out in the market today. The band sounds tight and has that desirable ?Wall Of Sound? vibe. Well mixed, well produced and well written, ?Pleroma? should be considered an engineering success for the band. This is an album that was done right. If you?re a fan of Progressive Metal, Heavy Metal or even certain aspects of Gothica, you should check this album out, for sure. This is a great representative of Progressive Metal and I?m glad I had the chance to have a listen. Vajra?s, ?Pleroma? is a fantastic record and should definitely be in your collection." ? The Raffo Review, http://therafforeview.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/plemora-vajira/

"Vajra is an interesting band that combines elements of symphonic metal with more rock related elements. This is a band that is fun to listen to, but difficult to give a genre too. So I will describe as best I can. The guitar playing is an interesting mix of metal, rock, shoegaze, and more psychedelic sounds. The bass playing is very solid and there is a lot of heaviness to be found in the lower end of the sound. The drumming is often very psychedelic and laid back. There is a really interesting element in the rhythm section of this band. Finally, the vocals are at once in your face and powerful and laid back and calm. The combination is potent and adds a lot of flavor to the songs....With an album that takes multiple listens to full comprehend and lyrics that are beautiful and epic. The guitar playing is at once heavy and psychedelic. There are entire arrangements based on loose and bizarre guitar solos. The bass playing often takes the lead here and really can dominate t he sound. He adds a lot of flavor to the band. I also really like the drum work with its' relaxed and simple playing that adds a lot to the songs. Finally, the singer has an excellent voice that shows some major symphonic metal influences, yet she always manages to deliver. So go check out Vajras' album Pleroma, it is truly excellent." ? Two Guys Metal Reviews, http://twoguysmetalreviews.blogspot.fr/2012/08/vajra-pleroma.html

"There is a mix of goth with Eastern Indian themes on Pieroma from VAJRA, the brainchild of Annamaria Pinna. This record is polished and complex and you will get lost in her haunting vocals. Watch out Amy Lee!" ? New York Waste, http://nywaste.com/nyw_main/music/StarrTucker/spring2012.html

"Wait 'til you see how this amazing debut sounds right here! The luxurious bass is steady-pumpin', guitar-work is ferociously heavy, vocal delivery is superb, sitar and Eastern themes are genuinly conceived and atmospheric. In my head, their whole approach brings-up the music of Tool. Just how much better can a debut be? Its weak spot is that it will be hard to surpass. Big ups for the mind-blowing artwork cover as well."
Let's Go Get It! ?Most Def Blogspot, http://most-def.blogspot.ca/2012/08/vajra-pleroma.html

"Sonically, you can hear the Eastern Indian influence on quite a few of the songs on Pleroma, although there are a couple of songs that sound more like ?traditional? rock songs. Besides the Eastern Indian influence, another thing that stands out is Annamaria Pinna?s vocal performance. I think she has a very powerful voice that complements the band?s sound. When I finished listening to Pleroma, I thought the songs on the album flowed together really well and made it sound like a cohesive unit. The combination of the music and Annamaria Pinna?s vocal performance makes Pleroma sound like a strong debut album. I can definitely hear that the band has a lot of potential, and I hope to have the opportunity to hear more from Vajra in the future. If you enjoy bands like Tool or Dead Can Dance, I think you might also like Vajra?s Pleroma". ?Aesch Tunes, http://aeschtunes.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/aeschtunes-extra-album-review-vajra-pleroma/

"The band deftly maneuvers territory, both vocal and instrumental, in the vein of Dead Can Dance, Enigma, and A Perfect Circle. Pinna?s smooth vocal delivery sits atop Eastern alternative orchestration. We found ourselves comparing her annunciation to be similar, at times, to Black Album-era James Hetfield. Some stand out tracks include ?3.14?, ?See Through You?, and ?Almost One.? Instrumental offerings include ?India? and ?Akkord Pleromy? in which the musicians explore rhythms, textures and sounds that really diversify overall tone of the record in the esoteric direction." ? Speaker Cone, http://www.speakercone.net/index.php/reviews/34-music-review/87-vajra-pleroma-review

"Headed up by the lovely and super-talented Annamaria Pinna (she handles duties including, but not limited to production, writing, vocals, keys and midi), this powerful progressive rock band has a sound splattered with Eastern Indian elements and a wonderful dark/melodic balance. Their debut effort is titled Pleroma and features the added talents of Blake Fleming (ex-The Mars Volta) on drums, The Dirty Pearls' Doug Wright on bass, Will Dahl (ex-Harley?s War) on guitar and Tabla Jon on tabla. Released on the Summer solstice (June 21st) with a total of ten solid tracks, Pleroma is an intelligent album that will have listeners deep in thought and awe." ? PureGrain Audio, http://puregrainaudio.com/audio/vajra-inside-the-flame-free-download#.T9q3i388hyI.facebook

You can follow Vajra on their website at: http://www.thevajratemple.com and on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/vajratemple.

Vajra's music is available on ITunes and Bandcamp.

The headline The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 10pm. Tix $ 10Advance // $ 12 DOS (Ticket Link: http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/146087?wrKey=8EDBBCE2AFE372AB56C3777CD5A69658)

Vajra Is Building the Temple and You Are Witness To Its Foundation
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