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Helm wrote:What's the proper songlist? And the website has 9 songs though MA tells me the LP has 8?!

Right! DaN also states only 8 tracks ...

Noisenik wrote:

Helm wrote:What's the proper songlist? And the website has 9 songs though MA tells me the LP has 8?!

Right! DaN also states only 8 tracks ...

Yeah, I was surprised to see that too, but when I listened to the mp3's I didn't hear anything I hadn't heard before. I think they split one of the songs on the LP in two.

Is this LP hard to find even in Russia?

I would imagine so. Never seen it offered apart from the time I got it off eBay. <500 copies and a population of umpfteen xillon people - go figure. I know of one more person here in Sweden who owns a copy though.

Damn, I'll keep an eye out nevertheless.

You never know when the devil might break his leg.

I have to agree with most on this one: this album has TONS of melody, and awesome, memorable riffs. AMAZING album.

Azaras wrote:I have to agree with most on this one: this album has TONS of melody, and awesome, memorable riffs. AMAZING album.

This album may or may not be amazing but the amount of melody it has is really questionable. And clearly relative. I mean if you're a fan of grindcore then probably it has not only TONS but MEGATONS of melody. On the other hand, if you usually listen to classic heavy metal and the more melodious bands of the kind like TYTAN, early PRAYING MANTIS, MESSIAH (US) etc then it's more probable to find that VARVAR rather lack in melody than have more than necessary.

For me if a band has a lot of riffs the majority of which are not chromatic or two-note riffs, while this doesn't make them super melodic by default, they cannot be accused that they lack melody. This is the distinction between early say, Sodom and Varvar. They're both savage, but Varvar have the melody scale riffs, they're not just three fret descending riffs, a couple make a song.

I understand your point and maybe my sense of melody doesn't work well on the case of Varvar, but saying that this album has tons of melody is a bit exaggerated imo.

I don't think it's super melodic either. It's just right for the sort of atmosphere it creates!

ION BRITTON wrote:This album may or may not be amazing but the amount of melody it has is really questionable. And clearly relative. I mean if you're a fan of grindcore then probably it has not only TONS but MEGATONS of melody. On the other hand, if you usually listen to classic heavy metal and the more melodious bands of the kind like TYTAN, early PRAYING MANTIS, MESSIAH (US) etc then it's more probable to find that VARVAR rather lack in melody than have more than necessary.

A lot of the riffs in VARVAR, I would say, are as melodic as least many classic heavy metal recordings like the songs of very first IRON MAIDEN(with one notable epic exception ), and so on (though not bands DROWNING in melody like PRAYING MANTIS, good as they are). Wait let me explain!

The thing about the melodies in VARVAR are they aren't high or mid-ranged notes on the scale, or reserved for harmonized guitar solos (or for any kind of harmony, for that matter), like they are in IRON MAIDEN, PRAYING MANTIS etc. The melody in VARVAR is played in the power chords, or often is atonal, or on lower notes, or notes which are closer together (and therefore the whole pattern doesn't sound as sweeping).

It's still melody though. Speaking from the perspective of the music definition, melody can be disharmonious, or have grit and ugliness to it too. VARVAR don't thrash the same single note over and over, like some thrash bands.

So if you think "melody = TYTAN, IRON MAIDEN, LEGEND, etc", then no, you're not going to hear any. Doesn't mean it isn't there, or that's the only way to be melodic. VENOM for example was very melodic in "Countess Bathory", "Warhead", etc., they just weren't pretty doing it.

Helm wrote:For me if a band has a lot of riffs the majority of which are not chromatic or two-note riffs, while this doesn't make them super melodic by default, they cannot be accused that they lack melody. This is the distinction between early say, Sodom and Varvar. They're both savage, but Varvar have the melody scale riffs, they're not just three fret descending riffs, a couple make a song.

Exactly!

Just because a band is very savage and brutal, and the guitar playing is buzzsaw cutting death, doesn't mean they aren't melodic.

Since i'm not a musician, I cannot be familiar with those scales, disharmonies, power chords etc, i don't understand what they mean and i'm not able to spot them when i hear music. However, according to what i think/know/consider to be melody, this thing is not very frequent in the music of Varvar. Maybe i'm wrong, i hope i'll learn someday.

hehe azaras although I agree generally with what you say, there's absolutely nothing atonal about Varvar music.

regarding the website, well there's no info whatsoever regarding rereleases or reformations.

All I could learn is the origina of their name, apparently Varvar was some orthodox saint, hence the name Holy Varvar and the chrisian lyrics.