Thunder Cult Records, 2021
Music: Alternative Metal
Website: http://www.facebook.com/vajratemple
Duration: 19:31 minutes (6 tracks)
Country: U.S.A
Every year, I promise to explore as many as new bands possible and bring them up to our magazine so that they could get the attention they deserve! 2021 is no different. The best part is that, something tells me that 2021 is going to be a better – I already have my eyes set on a few upcoming releases – which I will be getting on as soon as they are released. But, for today, I have something different.
Based out of NYC, Alternative Metal outfit Vajra released a new album – “Irkalla” – fresh off the press, today. This was an album that I was waiting for since the band released two of its singles – “Maya” and “Sever The Tie”. The band strives to boend melodic rock with some pieces of progressive metal. This combination gives the band a unique tone – crushing yet catchy. The inclusion of Prog gives the songs a unique folk-ish vibe. Another reason for this is the band’s background. The vocalist comes from a diverse background and has spent her life in more than half a dozen countries spanning from India to Italy.
Not just in vocals, this diversified tone can be felt all through the instrumentation. For instance, on “Sever the Tie” the instruments are set in such a way that the folk-ish elements are invoked at the right time – build up to the very catchy chorus. The EP features a total of 6 tracks – and among them the best ones are indeed the singles – “Maya” and “Sever the Tie”. In addition to these, we have a soft – almost like a ballad track(this is where I was wrong), “Crown or Crucify”. The song starts off slow but has some crushing riffage mid-way, and goes back to the softer section.
The only issue I have with this EP is that, the hand could’ve gone added more songs. Because except for three songs, the rest sounds like fillers. “Wavering” that opens up for “Sever the Tie” is just a minute of pure atmospheric music. However, if you sit and listen to the EP, start to finish in one sitting – the fillers add value. To a song such as “Sever the Tie”, ” Wavering” is a much needed opener.
Considering the fact that this is one of the three back-to-back releases that the band is planning on releasing, this is a great start. The three of these albums will be featured around three levels of consciousness. A trilogy is a bold attempt, that too on this genre of music. Kudos to the band to pulling it all together and have a story to go with songs. Really looking forward to see what the band puts out next.
Tracklist:
1. Irkalla
2. Maya
3. Crown Or Crucify
4. Wavering
5. Sever The Tie
6. Wind
Line-up:
Ann Marie Pinna – Words and Music
Rate: 8.5/10
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