REVIEW: Varials - Where The Light Leaves
- Alix England
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
VARIALS have turned aggression and chaos into unfiltered yet hypnotic audible rage. From brutal bass to savagely harsh vocals, this album is sure to leave hardcore fans in awe. From Philadelphia, VARIALS harnesses their unrelenting ferocity to bring us Where The Light Leaves. Known for their explosive sounds, the band have toured with the hardcore giants such as KNOCKED LOOSE and THROWN. The band is considered accomplished at intertwining nu-metal, beatdown, hardcore, and metalcore to create albums with musical variety.
The title track, Where The Light Leaves, sets the tone for the whole album with its relentlessness, smothering the listener with unyielding bass and ferocious vocals. Opening with an eerie atmosphere of guitar feedback and industrial tones, it shatters the expectation with explosive drumming, leaving listeners stunned and ready for the raw mayhem that’s about to transpire. Lyrically and instrumentally the song feels like a nightmare encasing you into its pure viciousness. The song bursts through the speakers into the listeners chest, invoking what feels like unfiltered hostility.
In what can only be described as a punch to the gut, SKYLER CONDER’s unapologetic vocals blare outwards, preparing you for the rage to come in I’ll Find The Dark. The song contains a surprising, yet captivating guitar solo, allowing SHANE LYONS to demonstrate his prowess as a guitarist. Erupting into a colossal breakdown, the track effortlessly leaves the listener yearning for the mosh pit to harness this beast of a track. Throughout the album VARIALS harnesses the true potential of its bassist, SEAN RAUCHUT, creating bursting bass lines with a remarkably forceful bass tone, this song is the ultimate example of that viciousness. For the final song of the album, it leaves the desire to go back and listen to the album again and again.
Showing the band's natural duplicity as musicians, Hurt Chamber combines alluring clean vocals with heavy instrumentation, evolving into a crescendo of unbridled brutality. The contrast between the harsh and clean vocals demonstrates a standout track, showing the band’s incredible range as they diversify the feelings of the album. The track’s shoegaze-ified vocals are reminiscent of sounds from artists such as DEFTONES, THORNHILL and MOODRING, and add to the songs overarching ambience.
Romance II shows VARIALS’ progression in sound with the song starting with a reflection of its predecessor Romance. As the track unfolds it transforms into a bundle of forceful ruthlessness unlike the original, which maintains its clean sultry sound. It shows the band's confidence in both their ability to harness monstrous fierceness and settle into enticing seductive cleans. Romance II manages to keep its authenticity to the original while creating something unique and impactful as an expansion to the original while conjuring the same emotions.
Where The Light Leaves is a metal fan's dream. VARIALS have generated a memorable masterpiece filled with rage and unapologetic lyricism. The album achieves the atmosphere it sets out to induce through divisive choices in instrumentation, creating an inescapable wall of uncomfortable aggressive sounds. The band takes an unconventional approach to writing, playing on their unique choices such as the use of dominating bass tones to create an unforgettable performance. Where The Light Leaves sets the precedent for the standard of modern metal going forward in 2026, with high production value, unique mixing, and a large diversity of track content.
Score: 10/10
Where The Light Leaves will be released on February 27th 2026 via Fearless Records.
Words: Alix England
Photos: Varials
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