VARIALS - Exclusive Interview and Album Review

I stumbled across these guys a two weeks ago as a was going through the day's press releases and I think these guys deserve our attention. Hailing from Philadelphia PA this quintet recently released the music video for the track "Anything To Numb". Being the fantastic writer that I am, I listen to everything that comes across my desk. It's a great privilege for me to discover gems like this every day. Right off the bat I was astonished at how well each instrument was recorded and engineered. This album is heavy! Heavy to the core and these guys are extremely tight and there is a heaviness to the groove that I really dig. With today's metal scene being oversaturated with shredders letting too much of their ego's bleed into a record, this was quite interesting.

What also garnered my attention were the fantastic video's that accompanied the first two singles, "Anything To Numb" and "Pain Again" that live on this record. The subject matter made me think a lot about the uptick in mental disorders that I believe are a result of an ever growing narcissism in our culture that has been introduced by social media, trauma, and substance abuse.

This is what I observed in these videos. From my perspective I am seeing a relationship between the above mentioned two songs. It seems the video for "Anything to Numb" expresses the inner turmoil a person, whom is suffering from severe mental illness, experiences when they cannot adequately express or process the interior pain and suffering due to their condition. Without having an outlet for it, or 'Anything to Numb' if you will, the suffering ends up being too much and manifests itself as self-harm.



With "Pain Again" it seems to be the perspective of the friend or loved one of the person who is suffering and perhaps self-harming. And in that way the inner turmoil is transmuted by way of not understanding what the other person is going through.



The title track, "Pain Again", may be from the perspective of the friend or loved one of the person who is suffering from severe mental illness. Both perspectives from both singles. I had to get my hand on this record and write about it.

I had an opportunity to sit down with the Travis during an INTERVIEW and asked him about it. He shared with me the direction he was going with this thematically.

I love the opener "New Damnation". The lead vocalist sounds like he is the circus ring leader from hell. The sound of the guitars are tuned way the fuck down and are dirty as shit. Every instrument, bass, guitars, drums, and vocals are mixed beautifully. If you like big fat dirty to in a deathcore metal record you have to check this one out. It sounds so live that can hear the presence of early 80's hardcore punk vibe tied together with the monstrous sound that has left us spellbount when Korn dropped their self-titled debut in the early 90's.

Here is a link for all of my Spotify people HERE!

Then we have the single, "Anything To Numb", to which I can hear the early Korn influence strongly on this one. This entire record is a joyride with my JBL headphones. Tonally it is a masterpiece. At this point of the record I have to take the headphones off and run this through the studio speakers. I have to feel this track punching me in the chest! Mega dittos to producer Josh Schroeder aka King 810. There are so many great bands out there in dire need of his services. I wish I was more proactive and got the lyrics for this album before I started this review. That being said I appreciate the fact that I can understand almost everything that the vocalist is expressing and saying in this music. That is hard to come by in today's scream to be seen metal scene.

Lyrically, the album is self-loathing turned inside out and then back in again - much in the way that I gathered earlier on the two singles from this album. The time changes on the track "Colder Brother" just drew me in harder into the music. There is a dark interlude three minutes into the song that is gut wrenching. The thundering bass solo is relieved with the main riff of the single "Pain Again". There is an organic feel to this record that I am absolutely savoring. Both guitars are so grimy that it's as if you can almost reach out and touch the rust coming off the strings. I love that about this record. I can hear the bass guitar strings vibrate back and forth across the fret board to such an extent that I can see it in my head.

I'm going to wrap it up with the final track "To Lay in Sin". A finale that equals the opener in its thundering ferociousness. This entire album is a banger beginning to end. Get off your ass and purchase this record HERE.. It's worth every nickel. I had the privilege of covering their show at the Aftershock in Merriam, KS this past Friday. Check out the video below of an Interview that I had with
Mitchell Rogers and Travis Tabron. There's also some pretty tasty live coverage as well. These guys don't take any shit!



A special thanks to The Aftershock in Merriam, KS for their kindness and being a fantastic venue for all extreme metal genres and Travis and Mitchell for hanging out with me for a bit. I give this record four horns to the sky for sure.

I'll leave everyone with this sick ass video for the track E.D.A.



Click HERE to download a digital copy or purchase the CD.

The track list is as follows:

1. New Damnation
2. God Talk (feat. Chad Ruhlig)
3. Anything to Numb
4. E.D.A.
5. Colder Brother
6. Pain Again
7. Abacus
8. Empire of Dirt (feat. Bryan Garris)
9. Deadweather II
10. Deliverance
11. To Lay in Sin

VARIALS TOUR DATES

w/ Wage War & Gideon
Aug 14 - Syracuse, NY at The Lost Horizon
Aug 16 - Worcester, MA at The Palladium
Aug 17 - Hartford, CT at Webster Underground
Aug 18 - Amityville, NY at Revolution
Aug 19 - Virginia Beach, VA at Shaka's
Aug 20 - Charlotte, NC at Neighborhood Theatre

w/ Left Behind, Vicious Embrace & Mercy Blow
Aug 26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge [Record Release Show]

VARIALS are:
Travis Tabron - vocals
Mitchell Rogers - guitar
James Hohenwarter - guitar
Sean Rauchut - drums
Mike Foley - bass


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Tags:  Varials, Pain Again, Anything to Numb, Travis Tabron, Mitchell Rogers

Brian Biggerstaff    August 14, 2017