Blackened Horde: How did the band get started?
Vlad: Pat and Joel used to play in another band together years ago, they decided to go on their own and start writing original material together, went through a few drummers until we met up, and the rest is history.
Blackened Horde: What kind of music do you play?
Vlad: We play melodic/groove metal with prog influences.
Blackened Horde: How has the fan response been?
Vlad: The fan response has been quite good! With every show and every new release we seem to be snagging some new fans, getting good reviews and selling our products, no complaints!
Blackened Horde: Where did the band name come from?
Vlad: The band name came from a combined effort of Pat’s vision for a name that represented what we are truly going for, and Joel’s discovery of the Latin meaning of Varius.
Blackened Horde: Introduce the band members and what they do in the band.
Vlad: Joey on vocals, Joel on bass and backups, Pat on guitar, and Vlad on drums.
Blackened Horde: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Vlad: Thus far our releases include a 3 song demo from 2017 named “The Red Messenger”, a 4 song EP from 2019 named “The Great Tribulation”, a single release from 2019 titled P.I.S.S. and now in 2021 our second 4 song EP named Concordance is set for release on November 5.
Blackened Horde: Tell me about some of the songs on the latest CD?
Vlad: This latest release is new territory for us, basically each song is written by a single specific band member. So they are all quite different from each other. We decided to do this to showcase each member’s vision and writing abilities, we think it turned out quite well and hope the fans dig it as much as we do!
Blackened Horde: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Vlad: For this specific release each member wrote a song, and the lyrics were a team effort from Joey, Joel, and Pat. In past releases the songs are brought to life by the full band’s efforts, but usually there is a starting catalyst, like Pat will present a riff, or Joel will present a lyrical concept, etc.
Blackened Horde: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Vlad: Most of the lyrical ideas come from Joey’s wild imagination, like the song “Gut Shoveler”. Joel and Pat also have fantastic lyrical ideas, like in the demo track, “Rape of Nature”.
Blackened Horde: What is your view in Satanism and Occultism? (If this applies)
Vlad: My view on Satanism, or any religion for that matter is I don’t really care who you worship or what you believe, if your ideologies and beliefs allow you to be a loving, respectful human being, then hail mother fucking Satan!
Blackened Horde: Do you have any side projects?
Vlad: I am in another black metal band named Temple of Night, and I will do studio and live sessions for bands from time to time.
Blackened Horde: Who are some of your musical influences?
Vlad: Some of my musical influences include, Metallica, Lamb of God, Gojira, Devin Townsend, Snarky Puppy, Mars Volta, Dream Theater, Animals as Leaders, Deftones, Tenacious D, BTBAM, Liquid Tension Experiment and many, many more.
Blackened Horde: What is the band like when you play live?
Vlad: I would say the overall vibe of the band during a show is excitement mixed with some healthy pre show jitters.
Blackened Horde: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Vlad: We have not played in another country, yet.
Blackened Horde: How big of a crowd do you normally get?
Vlad: We usually get a great turn out, especially for a well promoted show around our local area.
Blackened Horde: How is the crowd response when you play?
Vlad: The crowd response during our shows is great. Our head banging sections always get people going hard and the energy increases fast, then we hit them with a typical Varius left hand turn and surprise them with a clean funk section or something like that, it’s a good balance of heavy and melodic.
Blackened Horde: What do you think about the underground scene?
Vlad: The underground scene is full of very kind and hardworking people. There is tons of amazing talent and people releasing quality products. I think one thing the scene can work on is people being more open to networking and dropping their egos when it really matters. At the end of the day we are all here for the same thing, so let’s treat each other as such.
Blackened Horde: What are some of your new favorite black metal/death metal bands?
Vlad: Honestly I wouldn’t say I have any new black/death metal bands, but some of my absolute favorites in that genre include, Dimmu Borgir and Cryptopsy.
Blackened Horde: Since the Covid Pandemic has that hurt the band in making music at all?
Vlad: I would say at first yes, because everyone was a little shocked from the drastic change in routine and hit to their financial situations, but after the dust had settled I think we were hungrier than ever to get into writing mode again, and did we ever.
Blackened Horde: What advice would you as a musician give to a fellow musician just starting out?
Vlad: The best piece of advice I would give to a starting musician is don’t pigeon hole yourself into one genre. Play everything with everyone, once you do find your niche, let’s say, as a metal musician, you will be extremely thankful for the years you spent learning other genres and playing with many different players. Also, always play and write with people that are more skilled than you, you never want to be the most talented person in the room.
Blackened Horde: When do you guys plan on writing any new material?
Vlad: After this EP release, we are definitely going to begin writing new material and going through the early stages of conceptual ideas.
Blackened Horde: What does the future hold for the band??
Vlad: The future for the band is bright. We now have a solid base in terms of the right members, released music and media, and the vibe in the band is just one of excitement for the future. We just can’t wait to play shows again, and see the fans!!! Thank you for the questions.
Contact them at:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/varius/concordance
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7hOYVVYmAyaCJYsPZS34S1
https://www.instagram.com/varius.official/?hl=en (Instagram: varius.official)
https://www.facebook.com/Varius.band
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7QmgA2w4Ssh3EhpfbFF0Sg
