Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
A basic rundown of the history of Varius is this: Joel and Pat used to play in a band together, then decided to start working on original material, went through a few drummers, then found me. We were a great fit, so we played as an instrumental band for a while with a keyboard player. Then we found Joey and we turned into a 4 piece, guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Since then we've had a 3 song demo, 4 song EP and a single release, videos, and some great shows in Ontario. Now we have our second 4 song EP ready to go!
How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
I would say we are somewhere in the melodic European death, and American groove range, with some prog sprinkled about. Personally, the bands that first influenced me where Metallica, Megadeth, Dream Theater, Tool, Iron Maiden, Mudvayne, Deftones, bands like that. Then I discovered bands like Zappa, Tower of Power, Steely Dan, Hendrix, Miles, The Doors, and alot of the 60s, 70s, funk, rock, jazz, Latin, classical, and hiphop stuff from back then up until now. That really helped shape my style early on.
Why should a metalhead buy your demos/albums?
A metal head should buy our music because we have a unique sound, we are heavy as fuck, and we put on one hell of a show.
What have you released so far and how were your releases received by the public/media?
So far Varius has released, a 3 song demo named Red Messenger, our first 4 song EP named The Great Tribulation, A single called P.I.S.S., and now our second 4 song EP Concordance is due to be released on November 5. I would say our reception keeps getting better and better with each release, which I would attribute to recording quality improvements and the natural evolution of our songwriting.
Do you play live as well? How's your live activity so far?
Varius most definitely plays live, but unfortunately, that has come to a screeching halt since the start of the pandemic. The shows we played in the London and St. Catharines area before the pandemic hit were received quite well, and we acquired some new fans and made some merch and music sales.
What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?
Labels, zines and promoters should know that we are a hardworking metal band from Southern Ontario, we write good songs, put on one hell of a show, and work hard and independently to write, record, release and promote all of our own music to date.
What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
Our current plans are to promote this current EP release, we have tons of things coming down the pipeline in terms of promotion. Then it's time to buckle down and get back into writing mode. If shows come back, great, if not, we are totally ok with being creative and writing more material for our current fans and finding the new ones.
Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can listen to Varius and purchase our music and merch on Bandcamp, and stream our music on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and any and all other streaming outlets that you can name. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@varius.official) for news, updates and to be part of our metal army!
Thanks for the questions, that was fun. Stay safe and see you in the pit......eventually.
October 2021