Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
Metal band Varim brings doom to Korea's scene
The four members of Varim / Courtesy of Lee Hyun-woo @boiledpic
By Jon Dunbar
By Jon Dunbar
Varim, a Seoul-based band encompassing elements of fuzz, stoner rock, doom metal, sludge, psychedelic and classic heavy metal rock, is holding a release party for its latest single “Die Or” this Saturday.“
“It is about choosing to distance yourself from degenerates and toxic people,” Varim guitarist Chris Bubp told The Korea Times.
"I'd rather die than be with people who are selfish and have filthy desires,” said the band's bassist and vocalist Yoon Ju-hyun, who wrote the song.
All parts of the recording were made, edited and mixed by the band members themselves, at Doom Saloon, Yoon's rehearsal space and recording studio, which has also released music by GetBetter and Pigeon Grinder, the latter of which is Yoon's other band. Yoon also plays in the band Green Frog with Varim drummer Barend.
“We used only our own equipment,” said Bubp, who used to be in the local
and is also a member of the mega-metal band Rogue Warriors. “All of us are learning the recording process while recording songs. We used zero samples, only real drums and guitar amplifiers. Even the artwork was designed by our drummer, Barend.”
He added that the only outside contribution was the mastering, done by Kang Seung-hee.
Varim, gets its name from an art term for color gradation and shading. “It is a word many of my Korean friends don't know either,” Chris said. “Like a vignette, the colors fade to black. The name seemed to match the darker elements of the band and the genre.”
Doom metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that falls back on slower tempos and thicker or heavier sounds compared to other genres. “In general, it means going back to the source, Black Sabbath and 1970s rock, and not trying to catch current trends,” Bubp said. “It is a genre that embraces a lo-fi sound. The fuzzy guitars play big, caveman riffs. It is often slow or groovy music. Compared to other forms of hard rock or metal it has more of a punk rock-like attitude and DIY aesthetic. And of course, the lyrics often focus on dark subject matter.”
The four members of Varim / Courtesy of Lee Hyun-woo @boiledpic
The band got its start in 2020 amid the pandemic, founded by Yoon.
“The band … had a revolving door of members during the pandemic,” Bubp said. “It was nice to build a social circle and do something meaningful during the pandemic that the government restrictions could not destroy. We decided to stay humble, not have a lead singer and share the vocal duties. All members are encouraged and write or contribute parts. This actually gives the songs a lot of variety. We have slow dirges, groovy and swinging songs, and a few up-tempo numbers.”
The latest single, “Die Or,” was released on the band's 2020 demo, but Bubp said the more recent addition of Jose Kim on guitar really completed the song.
“When Jose came on as lead guitarist in Varim, he was able to complete the arrangement of 'Die Or' and make it feel like a completed song,” Bubp said.
Kim leads his own band, Teardrop, and also runs the
music instrument shop Soundgen
. “He really is a veteran of the Korean metal scene,” Bubp added.
The release party will be held at Club Bender near western Seoul's Hongik University, which is a small basement venue with a surprising amount of history. In the 1990s the space was known as Club Drug, where the first Korean punk bands including Crying Nut got their start. In early 2004 it became the second location for Skunk Hell, run by rival punk outfit Skunk Records, until 2009. The show costs 25,000 won in advance or 30,000 won at the door. Opening the show will be the otherworldly metal band Vampire Hotel.
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