VAJRA WALKED THROUGH THE RUINS OF POMPEII. WHAT THEY BROUGHT BACK WILL STOP YOU COLD.
“SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN (POMPEII REIMAGINING)” — OUT NOW
New York, NY — Progressive metal/art rock band Vajra has released their haunting reinterpretation of Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” available now on all major platforms. Arriving as a Pompeii Reimagining , the track stands as something rare: a piece of music that earns the weight it carries.
This is not a cover. It’s a continuation.
Originally sparked by the practical need to extend a live set, the song evolved into something far more immersive. Inspired by the stark, elemental atmosphere of Live at Pompeii , Vajra spent years living inside the composition before recording it. Replicating it would have been easy. That was never the goal.
“The song feels alive… like a portal. It asked something of us. We realized that to carry it forward, we had to enter its heat.”
Pilgrimage
Vocalist Annamaria Pinna and guitarist Dave Sussman traveled to Pompeii and Herculaneum, walking the same streets, standing in the amphitheater where the original performance was filmed. They studied Pliny the Younger’s firsthand account alongside archaeological and volcanological records of the eruption’s final hours.
“My family is from that region. Maybe they were there, or knew of it when it happened. I don’t know. But I feel that story in my cells. If we were going to reinterpret this song, we had to honor the people of Pompeii as fully and honestly as we could.”
The Music Video
The accompanying video was written, shot, edited, and produced entirely by Pinna and Sussman. Blending original footage captured in Pompeii and Herculaneum with AI-assisted visuals, it reconstructs the city’s final 24 hours through a first-person lens. What begins as an ordinary day quickly turns catastrophic.
It doesn’t just tell the story. It puts you inside it.
Echoes Through Time
More than five decades after its creation, the original composition still resonates. Vajra expands its architecture into something heavier, slower, and more cinematic. Pinna’s ethereal vocals drift through the mix like smoke through stone, while the hypnotic pulse remains intact.
The ritual is still there. The tension builds differently. The silence at the end lingers longer.
“We feel that the song is sacred, and it is still echoing. So are the images. There’s something unfinished in it. Something still moving.”
Why This Song. Why Now.
Pompeii didn’t fade away. It vanished in less than a day. An ordinary morning turned into total destruction with no warning.
That idea doesn’t feel distant anymore.
“There are forces that can reroute our lives overnight. What feels stable can shift instantly. Our time here is brief. That awareness changes everything, including how you create.”
Released on the Spring Equinox, a moment of balance between darkness and light, this reimagining stands as both remembrance and a wake-up call.
The song is out now. The video is out now.
Listen. Watch. Then sit with it.
Lineup:
Annamaria Pinna — Vocals
Dave Sussman — Guitar
Sahaj Ticotin — Bass
Jimmy DeMarco — Drums
Mixed by Dave Sussman & Sahaj Ticotin
Mastered by Howie Weinberg
Music video written, shot, edited, and produced by Annamaria Pinna & Dave Sussman
Featuring original footage from Pompeii and Herculaneum, reconstructed with AI tools
Stream Now:
Spotify:
https://show.co/tbEhjOH
All Platforms:
https://found.ee/vajra-set-the-controls
Bandcamp:
https://vajraofficial.bandcamp.com/
About Vajra
Vajra is a New York-based progressive metal/art rock band blending cinematic soundscapes, ritualistic intensity, and philosophical depth. Previous singles include “Truth Has Many Lies,” which premiered on Revolver and charted #2 on Mediabase Activator, “Love Is a Battlefield,” featured on MTV Live’s Metal Thrashing Madness , and “Crown or Crucify,” which reached the Top 40 on the Mediabase Active Rock Chart and #7 on Billboard’s New & Active Rock Chart.
Fans of Tool, Pink Floyd, and A Perfect Circle will feel right at home in Vajra’s immersive, hypnotic world.
Connect:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2GZkiezbrxn2yCuBfRgS6y
https://www.facebook.com/vajratemple
https://instagram.com/vajra_music_official
https://youtube.com/VajraOfficial
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vajra/80747373
https://vajraofficial.bandcamp.com/
https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/1070584
Contact: vajratemple@gmail.com
https://metaldevastationradio.com/thebeast/blog/28818/vajra-walked-through-the-ruins-of-pompeii-what-they-brought-back-will-stop-you-cold?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger
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