Level 6

V.A.R., founded in 1989 and now a well-established act in the Czech Republic scene, have released their sixth album “Level 6” in the last quarter of 2014 via their country fellows Pařát Magazine. For curiosity, V.A.R. means Vratislavice Alcoholic Roar, because of the brewery in the Vratislavice district of Liberec.

The album kicks off with a hallucinating and energetic guitar solo of heavy metal taste until the voice, that’s influenced by the punk genre, emerges accompanied by tense and groovy riffs. Guitar solos have a solid presence in this record and are always delivered through an avalanche of notes that, in spite of being fast, are perceptible being a notable piece during the album. In turn, the bass guitar is also a cool part of the album’s body due to its groovy sound that sometimes emerges with preponderance – it can be strongly distorted, but also comes to surface through a more metallic sound like if they were beating on iron or zinc pipes, but always nicely audible.

In spite of the velocity that characterizes thrash metal, we can find mid-tempo moments in “Černej had” [Black Snake] which are, of course, alternated with a hurricane of diverse solos that are carefully inserted in the musical phrase that builds up the track. In “Hvězda Lucifer” [Lucifer Star] an arrangement of keyboards comes to surface giving to the track a more symphonic touch without deviating from the album’s original path. And if until now the band has wandered between a more traditional thrash and heavy metal – always with a pinch of punk –, “Vránami rozklován” [Pecked off by Crows] appears to be the fasted song in the album, yet with brief melodic sections. On the other hand, and contrasting the exciting rhythm that’s majorly present in the record, “Esahej na nás” [Don´t Touch Us] gives an obscurer musicality.

Finally, “Level 6” is also guitar player Jan ”Sznegh” Brtko’s final statement since he has unfortunately died in August 2014 – two months before the album’s release – with cancer at the age of 49.

Originally written at www.againstmagazine.com