Varials emerges from the shadows.
Following the addition of their new vocalist Skyler Conder, him and Shane Lyons (guitar), Mike Foley (bass) and Sean Rauchut (drums) unveil their new album, Where The Light Leaves, on Fearless Records.
We kick things off with Where the Light Leaves, the first track, which starts off noisy and then explodes, featuring ultra-saturated, detuned guitars accompanying Skyler‘s vocals, showcasing the band’s sonic evolution. Nu Metal, Hardcore, and Industrial roots come together to beat us up until No Lie Untouched takes over, giving us a few more ethereal moments between the increasingly violent assaults, as well as bringing a raw groove. No sooner has the song ended than Illusions of Loss follows suit with its abrasive, modern but very jerky rhythm that goes straight to the point, just like Conscious Collapse, which adopts the same patterns and rolls over us with ease. The riffs are simple but very effective, diversifying a little with Your Soul Feeds, which gives us a few moments to catch our breath while intensifying the eruptions of violence made up of heavy palm mutes in almost continuous succession. The volume gradually drops, joining The Hurt Chamber, where trap elements and clean vocals blend naturally with violent metalcore that draws us into its accelerations, then tranquility and anguish merge to create [wouldyoufollowme], an interlude worthy of the greatest horror games, but the aggression returns with Silent Demise, which explodes without delay. We find the lively, choppy patterns we love, traces of oppressive dissonance that continue with Blissful End and its contagious energy that makes us want to bang our heads, with an obvious unifying power for future live shows. Romance II (echoing the track Romance from the 2019 album In Darkness) strikes a perfect balance between rage and gentleness, taking the form of a ballad with energetic choruses, then we continue with Metanoia, which returns to its permanent fury with passages clearly dedicated to gratuitous violence in the pit. We approach the end with I’ll Find The Dark, which literally explodes in our faces and tramples us mercilessly, leaving only short, slightly less dense passages as moments of respite, such as the final feedback that leads into [intothequiet] and its disturbing noises that close the album.
Fans of simple, modern, ultra-saturated riffs are already excited about this new album from Varials, and you can be sure that Where The Light Leaves will give you a great time, both on stage and through your speakers!
80/100
