Sliptrick Records
Review by Tatianny Ruiz
The colors and nuances of the human emotional, this is the focus theme for the Italian prog/core band from Caserta, Italy, LED BY VAJRA. “ΨΥΧΗ“, the unusual album was released on November 11, 2017 by Sliptrick Records and it pours a shower of sensation into a darker setting that works the listener’s mind to the most infinite feelings.
Written in ancient Greek, ΨΥΧΗ means psych (psychè) and exactly where these musicians set out to play, in the listener’s mind, a crystalline sound as the band name itself symbolizes, “Vajra” means diamond and this is surely a gemstone in the italian scene.
This is a band of musicians with flowering minds, enlightened they associate the heaviest metal with different genres and themes in order to convey a warm and positive message even in the shadow of melodies or even the world as the reality we all live.
One of the details that catches my attention most is this exotic mix and you can understand that on tracks like “White Dress” that practically twist your brains with heavy guitars intertwined with a profuse bass. Luca is an extraordinary bassist and contributes much to a firm base for Marco to discharge pure energy while Athena and Mariano bring their vocals to the dance between the classic and the dark. There are many bands that use the term of using different elements as a differential, but one thing is to say that and another thing to really fit it in without being just “more of the same“. We all know the public is thirsty for differentials and LED BY VAJRA shatters it all together to bring it back to its fullest, generating graceful passages, pianos, elements and contrast as in “Dependency“.
The description says “this is an album to surprise you“, well, they do it, from the lucidity of classic moments and clean vocals to hallucinated screams in the fervor of the most aggressive hardcore. From circus moments to timeless atmospheres the band offers a delightful mental delivery that often culminates in duels between keyboards, guitars and jazz…what? Jazz? Exactly that, my reader friend! Turn up your volume and enjoy “The Awakening“.
“Chains” becomes an underworld on a powerful track, the trail’s initial plains are so sparkling but disrupted by an invasion of fury, a hurricane of fury for vocals, and the lyrics are very emotional. This is a wonderfully special band, they go beyond the proposal to merge genres, there are piano solos, backbeats, a really wide opening space for all the musicians to function and be featured.This writer who writes to you is now far from appreciating Hardcore and his heirs but my ears are numb by ΨΥΧΗ.
“Golden Palace” and “Shards Of Crystal Skin” continue to amaze me minute by minute and I get lost in all this vastness of pigmentation that just like the cover and intro of this album is a magic formula for the unconscious and another point that should be noted is really here, I often mentioned in reviews about the feel that some albums provide for listeners and Led By Vajra knows how to work it out, relieving frustrations and serving as a catharsis for listeners ΨΥΧΗ. Sad that I haven’t heard about them before, they would probably be great candidates among the best of 2017, for the genius, profusion and sensitivity that this band offers us. Highlight for the tracks “Oh Sorry (I Didn’t Think You Were Listening)” and “Inborn Invaders“.
Rating – 100/100
Tracklist:
- Colours Of Thought
- White Dress
- Inborn Invaders
- Chains
- The Awakening
- Golden Palace
- Shards Of Crystal Skin
- Colours Of Soul
- Oh Sorry (I Didn’t Think You Were Listening)
- Dependency
Line Up:
- Atena Fedele – Vocals
- Mariano Esposito – Raw Vocals
- Walter Orlando – Guitars
- Gabriele Quaranta – Guitars
- Marco Cantiello – Drums
- Luca Muneretto – Bass
Links:
Led By Vajra Official Facebook page
Instagram
Spotify
Sliptrick Records