Vajra is a progressive alternative rock band known for their unique and eclectic sound. Drawing influences from various genres such as rock, metal, alternative, and Eastern music, they create a distinctive blend that sets them apart.
Formed by composer and singer Annamaria Pinna during her self-imposed exile in India, Vajra's music is characterized by a rich tapestry of atmospheric and heavy instrumentation, layered with haunting melodies and powerful vocals. Joined by core bandmates, guitarist Dave Sussman (formerly of industrial metal pioneers BILE) and drummer Jimmy DeMarco (Soultone Cymbals Artist), Vajra incorporates intricate guitar work, driving rhythms, and a strong emphasis on atmospheric textures. The band's music has a dark, mysterious, and introspective quality, often exploring themes of spirituality, consciousness, and personal growth.
Vajra’s debut self-produced album “Pleroma” was created in Pinna’s bedroom in Mumbai, India, and was released on the Summer Solstice, featuring Blake Fleming (ex-The Mars Volta) on drums. Sylvia Massy (Tool, System of A Down, Prince, Johnny Cash) mixed. Tom Baker (NIN, Foo Fighters, Ministry, Prince) mastered. Their EP 'Irkalla' was produced by Daniel 'Sahaj' Ticotin (Ra, Mötley Crüe) and mastered by two-time Grammy winning studio ace Camilo Silva F.
The band has garnered a cult following via grassroots word-of-mouth fan support, and is no stranger to the Billboard chart. Their new single "Love is a Battlefield" follows previously released Top 40 single "Crown or Crucify," which charted at #40 Mediabase Active Rock Chart & #7 Billboard New & Active Rock Chart.
Overall, Vajra offers a unique sonic experience, blending various genres and influences into a captivating and haunting atmospheric sound, touring the US several times, Canada & Europe.
“Must-See Act” -Rolling Stone
“Powerful” -Revolver
FFO: Lacuna Coil, King Woman, Unleash The Archers
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Vajra is a progressive alternative rock band known for their unique and eclectic sound. Drawing influences from various genres such as rock, metal, alternative, and Eastern music, they create a distinctive blend that sets them apart.
Vajra was formed by composer and singer Annamaria Pinna during her self-imposed exile in India. The child of a former monk and school teacher, Annamaria was encouraged to learn about the world around her and to question her assumptions. She believes there is divinity in creativity. Annamaria has a neurological condition called synesthesia, where she attaches color and shapes to sound.
Vajra's music is characterized by a rich tapestry of atmospheric and heavy instrumentation, layered with haunting melodies and powerful vocals. They often incorporate intricate guitar work, driving rhythms, and a strong emphasis on atmospheric textures. The band's music has a dark, mysterious, and introspective quality, often exploring themes of spirituality, consciousness, and personal growth.
Their sound is dynamic, ranging from ethereal and hypnotic passages to intense and explosive moments. The use of unconventional instruments, such as the Tibetan singing bowls and the Indian tabla, adds a distinctive Eastern flair to their music. Lead vocalist Annamaria Pinna's rich vocals are a defining element of Vajra's sound, as her voice seamlessly transitions between angelic and haunting tones, delivering emotionally charged lyrics.
"We are travelers who go outside the bounds of a sense-based perception to catch a musical or lyrical idea and then translate it to the material realm. When we get out of our own ways, we are translators or conduits for energies that move through us. Honoring what comes through is important for us. Musically, lyrically, and visually we explore what we are driven to explore, and we release what we decide to release when the time is right," offers Pinna. "It's mainly instinct. We usually release on auspicious days.
Vajra’s debut self-produced album “Pleroma” was created in Pinna’s bedroom in Mumbai, India, which was the only room in her apartment that had air-conditioning. It was released on the Summer Solstice, 2012 (6.21.12). An exploration in paradox (east vs west, soft vs pummeling, female vs male), ‘Pleroma,’ includes Blake Fleming (ex-The Mars Volta) on drums. Sylvia Massy (Tool, System of A Down, Prince, Johnny Cash) and mixed. Tom Baker (NIN, Foo Fighters, Ministry, Prince) mastered.
'Irkalla' was produced by New York native Daniel 'Sahaj' Ticotin (Ra, Mötley Crüe). Pinna was introduced to Ticotin in 2018 after both were on different spiritual missions while in India. The twosome hit it off as former expats and with similar interests in music. The majority of the sessions were captured in Los Angeles, with keyboards and some harmony vocals being put to proverbial tape at Pinna's home studio in New York. The drums were also tracked in upstate New York at a different studio by Fleming. Based on his impressive work for the non-album single, "The Mirror" (produced by OH NO! ØKTAPUS at Red 13 Studios), Vajra again worked with two-time Grammy winning mastering engineer Camilo Silva F. Between Ticotin's sage experience as producer/mixer and Silva's deft mastering job, 'Irkalla', with all its hidden caves and spectacular peaks, sounds positively explosive.
The long silence between 'Pleroma' and 'Irkalla' was the product of a rigorous touring schedule and a complex confluence of unexpected life events that paused Pinna’s songwriting. Indeed, the creation process for 'Irkalla' pushed forward in the darkest shadows and the most brilliant of lights.
"Things shift and move throughout the album depending on the song and each moment within the song," Pinna reveals. “Perhaps the music and lyrics of 'Irkalla' reflect an esoteric space to explore the dark night of our souls. What is important is that the music may provide a portal to go on a journey. The journey will be different for each individual. My musical heroes have done this for me."
Conceptually, 'Irkalla' is the first part of a trilogy exploring the various levels of consciousness. Not the medical definition, but rather the philosophical (Eastern and Western) and esoteric. The use of the Sumerian word, "'Irkalla'," which is a mythological Underworld of sorts for which there's no return, is both metaphorical and literal. The trials and tribulations Pinna experienced while writing 'Irkalla' appeared overlapping and ceaseless: her own personal Hell. Like an alchemist, she used her venture into the lowest level of consciousness as a theme that slithered throughout the album's six snake-like songs. The metaphoric association to the ancient Underworld also plays out in the bonus tracks on 'Irkalla', where Vajra deconstruct their influences and spirit animals into a three-part music ritual dedicated to the Shadow Queen (her Sumerian name is Ereshkigal and her Greek counterpart is Hekate).
"'Irkalla' focuses on the lowest level of consciousness," Pinna says. "It is the base, material, selfish, ego aspects of ourselves (i.e., the ego-driven, lie, cheat, steal, aspects of the self). It is the place that we must shine a light and acknowledge before we move to the next levels of awareness. Also, I'm obsessed with the Sumerian history right now. I was contemplating Goddess energy, and when and what prompted what I see as an imbalance between the masculine and feminine energies. I was wondering what it really meant to have a God and why it was considered, by some, a 'He.' I'm also fascinated by what is behind the concepts of heaven and hell."
The band has garnered a cult following via grassroots word-of-mouth fan support. Their new single "Love is a Battlefield" follows previously released Top 40 single "Crown or Crucify," which charted at #40 Mediabase Active Rock Chart & #7 Billboard New & Active Rock Chart.
No stranger to the Billboard Chart, Vajra’s single “Maya” went #2 Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator Most Added Chart and #26 Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator Chart. The music video for “Maya”, which they produced, shot, and edited themselves, won several film festival awards. Vajra’s single “The Mirror” went #1 Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator Most Added Chart and #27 Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator Chart. Vajra’s “Inside the Flame” went #1 Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator Most Added Chart and #27 Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator Chart.
Overall, Vajra offers a unique sonic experience, blending various genres and influences into a captivating and haunting atmospheric sound, touring the US several times, Canada & Europe.
“Must-See Act” -Rolling Stone
“Powerful” -Revolver
FFO: Lacuna Coil, King Woman, Unleash The Archers
