
(ASPR) Philadelphia's Varials re-entered the chat in a massively metallic way in 2025 by announcing their new album WHERE THE LIGHT LEAVES. The album will arrive on February 27 via Fearless Records. Today, they share the video for new single "The Hurt Chamber."
The song moves at a measured and deliberate pace, and it's one of the most melodic songs in the band's catalog. With this track, Varials, known for erecting impenetrable walls of sound and for trafficking in pure metallic fury, prove that heavier-than-granite music doesn't always have to mean fast. Heavy can also be slow and steady - and memorable. The beautifully eerie, keys-driven fade out could serve as the background music in the creepiest scene in your favorite psychological thriller.
"'The Hurt Chamber' is a song strictly about being addicted to a high that is inevitably difficult to break," says Skyler Conder. "Whether that be love, drugs, or a certain type of situation, you become blind to what's happening, all of the bad disappears because it always feels amazing. But it's doing nothing but harming you throughout every time you become close to it. The ache becomes a salvation of sorts. You enter the hurt chamber and you never want to leave."
Fun fact about the track - Conder cut his vocals in one take and on his first try. That's a rarity but the immediacy is felt in the song. And it just...worked. The band recalls, "We debated amongst ourselves on trying different ideas and melodies and adding/changing small things, but ultimately decided the original take was too good and shouldn't be messed with."
Sometimes it's best to leave things are they are.
Alex Miller - More Country Than You
5 Star: Nuclear Messiah - Black Flame
Peter Case - Peter Case at McCabe's: My Life to Live
We Kid You Not: You'll Love These Items for Children
Megadeth Play Live Debut Metallica Classic
Ghost Win At Swedish Grammis Awards
A Static Lullaby Announce 'And Don't Forget The Breathe' Live Album
American Football Stream Their New Album LP4
Jared James Nichols Plots 'Louder Than Fate' Album Release Events
Letdown Says 'Do It For The Love' With New Single
Big D And The Kids Table Deliver 'Right Now' Video
Judas Priest's Richie Faulkner's Elegant Weapons Unleash 'Evil Eyes'