Vajra - Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun - (Pink Floyd Cover)!

VAJRA have just released their stunning reinterpretation of the Pink Floyd classic, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. This isn’t just another cover; it’s a profound follow-up that captures the essence of the original while simultaneously immersing you in an eerie sonic journey. Available now via Self Released, this song emerged from the band’s deep exploration of the atmosphere of Pompeii, evolving into something truly special. If you’re a fan of Tool, A Perfect Circle or, of course, Pink Floyd, you’re in for a real treat. Let the music wash over you and feel the weight it carries.

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.”

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.

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 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.

Stream / Buy / Download the album on Bandcamp

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.”

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.

Follow Vajra:
Spotify: Spotify
Apple Music: Apple Music
Facebook: Facebook
Instagram: Instagram
YouTube: YouTube
Bandcamp: Bandcamp

Lineup:
Annamaria Pinna — Vocals
Dave Sussman — Guitar
Sahaj Ticotin — Bass
Jimmy DeMarco — Drums

Mixed by Dave Sussman & Sahaj Ticotin
Mastered by Howie Weinberg

Thank you very much Metal Devastation PR

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Photo by © Vajra promo