American/French progressive doom project Ammonoid share a visualizer video for Soundgarden cover »Hands All Over«

American/French progressive doom project Ammonoid share a visualizer video for Soundgarden cover »Hands All Over«.

Recorded and mixed by Emma Newton at Big Nice Studio in Lincoln, Rhode Island, USA.
Vocals and violin recorded by Emily Palen in Paris, France.
Cover art by Vinaya Saksena and Stephen LoVerme.
Video by Stephen LoVerme.

Unique metal project from both US coasts with doom, prog and psych elements. Founded in 2022 by guitarist Vinaya Saksena and vocalist Emily Palen, Ammonoid strive to create a sound not quite like any other band, with lyrics tackling core issues behind the world’s current strife.

Ammonoid’s cover of Soundgarden’s »Hands All Over« is a standalone single, recorded during the sessions for the American/French progressive doom project’s 2024 debut EP, »Pierce The Veil«. The song is available on all major streaming platforms, while the EP is available in digital form on Bandcamp.

Ammonoid started life in 2022, as a recording project by guitarist Vinaya Saksena (formerly of The Grey Curtain, Critical Mass and Briar Rose) and vocalist Emily Palen (also a classically trained violinist and founder of the French metal band Knightress). Seeking to make an adventurous and creative form of metal not quite like any existing band, they began writing songs that combined elements of doom, progressive rock and psych, with lyrics carrying a pro-social justice, anti-authoritarian message. By the end of 2022, they had released a self-produced demo of the song »Pierce The Veil«, with Saksena handling all instruments on this recording.

Since then, they have been joined by bassist Stephen LoVerme (also of SEA and Lunar Ark) and drummer Randy Odierno (formerly of Disrupt, Grief and The Under, among others) and continued writing material. In October of 2023, they began making their first studio recording at Rhode Island’s Big Nice Studio, with engineer Emma Newton at the helm. The result is Ammonoid’s debut EP, »Pierce The Veil«, featuring a rerecording of the title song and an exhilarating new track called »Heart Of A Bird«.

The EP establishes the basic elements of Ammonoid’s style, allowing a base on which to add a diverse array of musical ideas in the future. Riffs combine power, catchiness and unusual time signatures. Vocals soar clearly above the fray, delivering their messages with passion and power. Thunderous heavy sections make way for atmospheric, sometimes jazz-influenced quiet passages.

Line-up:
Emily Palen – Vocals, Violin
Vinaya Saksena – Guitar
Stephen LoVerme – Bass
Randy Odierno – Drums

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well