In case you missed it, Varials have kicked off a brand new chapter and they’re doing it with the subtlety of a wrecking ball. The Philadelphia heavyweights have announced their new album Where The Light Leaves, landing 27th February via Fearless Records, and the early signs point to one of their most explosive eras yet.
Their return started with I’ll Find the Dark, the first track featuring new frontman Skyler Conder, which instantly made it clear that Varials weren’t just back.. they were reinventing themselves. Now they’ve released the title track, and it takes that momentum and multiplies it. The song drops in like a controlled detonation, erupting with percussion that feels like concrete falling from the sky and riffs that swing like they’re trying to collapse the room you’re standing in.
Conder explained that Where The Light Leaves is the emotional entry point to the album as a whole. It’s rooted in the feeling of being trapped inside your own head, like being stuck in a mental purgatory you can’t step out of. The video leans fully into that claustrophobic vision, turning the internal struggle into something visceral. Eventually, it reaches a place of acceptance.. not peaceful, but something closer to survival.
Varials have always excelled at merging hardcore ferocity with a darker, atmospheric edge, and the title track shows them pushing that balance even further. It’s deliberately raw, grimy in the best way, and overflowing with the kind of intensity most bands try to polish out. That honesty is a huge part of why this new era already feels so gripping.
The album comes in at 13 tracks, shaped with longtime collaborator Josh Schroeder, whose work with Lorna Shore, Dayseeker and The Plot In You speaks for itself. This wasn’t a simple writing process; the band sifted through dozens of demos, embracing imperfections to keep the songs feeling human and immediate. It’s heavy, but not cold — there’s emotion buried in every groove and breakdown, the kind that turns into a live moment without trying.
Varials’ past releases, from Pain Again to In Darkness to Scars for You to Remember .. built them a reputation as one of the most brutally honest bands in modern heavy music. Where The Light Leaves sounds like the next logical step, only with the dial snapped clean off. And if you’ve ever seen them live with Knocked Loose, Wage War, or Kublai Khan TX, you already know exactly how wild this new material is going to sound in a room.
If the title track is any indicator, this album isn’t just a reset. It’s Varials hitting the accelerator with absolutely nothing held back.