V.A.R. – Thrash That Survived Generations

Some bands come and go. Others survive changing trends, shifting musical tastes and eras when their genre is no longer in fashion. And then there is V.A.R., a band that has been proving since 1989 that true thrash metal does not need trends – it needs character.

Vratislavický Alkoholický Rachot was formed in Liberec at a time when the Czech metal scene was only beginning to breathe the air of freedom. What started as an unassuming group of enthusiasts gradually became one of the most respected and authentic thrash metal bands in the country. Their debut album Personal Destruction from 1992 remains one of the landmark releases of Czech metal, and the records that followed only confirmed that V.A.R. are not a band tied to a single era, but a phenomenon spanning several generations of fans.

Over more than three decades, the band has lived through the peak of thrash metal's popularity, its decline from the mainstream, and the rise of entirely new generations of listeners. Yet they have never sacrificed their energy, rawness or direct approach. Their trademarks remain uncompromising riffs, Czech lyrics and the distinctive sense of humour that has always been an inseparable part of V.A.R.

The band's history is also a story of friendship, perseverance and loyalty to their own path. A defining moment came in 2014 when the metal scene lost founding guitarist Jan "Sznegh" Brtek. V.A.R. carried on—not only for their fans, but also as a tribute to the man who stood at the very beginning of the band's journey.

Today, V.A.R. are rightfully regarded as one of the legends of Czech underground metal. More than 35 years after their formation, they continue to perform live, release new music and prove that real thrash metal never grows old—it simply gains another layer of stories.

We spoke with V.A.R. about the history, present and future of one of Liberec's most distinctive bands.

V.A.R. was formed in 1989 in Vratislavice nad Nisou. Do you still remember the moment when you realized that a pub project was becoming a band with a long-term future?

Actually, the very origins of the band go back to 1987. It was also called V.A.R., but at that time we played cover songs at local dance events. The abbreviation meant Vratislavický Amatérský Rock back then—the later version of the name would not even have been allowed to be spoken out loud during the communist era. Three members from that line-up remained with the band until recent times: Sznegh (who unfortunately passed away in 2014), Jeny, and Vyczka.

At the beginning of 1989, we started getting tired of playing dances and began working on our own material. By the summer of 1989, we were already using the abbreviation to mean Vratislavický Alkoholický Rachot, stopped playing dance gigs and focused solely on our own songs. Berun joined us, followed by Shoopy in the autumn, and the classic line-up was born.

At the time we were opening for Kabát and Kryptor, and we had no major ambitions. Then the Velvet Revolution came and things really started moving. We recorded a demo, sent it to Monitor (now Warner Music), and in 1990 two of our songs appeared on the Ultrametal compilation.

That pushed us into the thrash underground league. We were supposed to record an LP, but we had a serious car accident in 1991 and couldn't perform for almost a year, so the album wasn't released until 1992. Even so, it sold an incredible 30,000 copies, which would be unimaginable today. The rest is well-known history.

The name V.A.R. – Vratislavický Alkoholický Rachot – is legendary today. How did it come about and how do you view it after more than three decades?

The previous answer already partly explains it. Back then it was fashionable either to have an "R" in your band name (Kryptor, Törr) or sing about Satan or alcohol. We somehow derived the name from the fact that our rehearsal room was in Vratislavice, a district of Liberec with a brewery (at the time they brewed Vratislav beer there, today it's Konrád).

So the name naturally connected our rehearsal room with beer—which, of course, we like. Around the same time, the logo and the name were created. Today it may seem a bit amusing, but it's our trademark. Everyone knows us by that name. We even discovered that the English translation starts with the same letters (Vratislavice Alcoholic Roar), so why change anything?

You are among the bands that survived the decline of thrash metal in the 1990s. What kept you going when many similar bands disappeared?

We never planned to make a living from music. We simply wanted to enjoy it. So when album sales dropped around 1994–95, we just moved from bigger stages into clubs, released CDs through smaller labels and carried on.

The music kept driving us forward, so quitting never crossed our minds. We kept writing new songs, some of which remain fan favourites to this day (Bikila, Sudety, etc.), and we met many new bands along the way. There were years when we played only five shows, but things gradually picked up again.

We even experienced club owners telling us that metal was a dead genre and nobody came to those shows anymore—that was during the grunge era. Looking back now, all those clever people were completely wrong!

Your debut album Personal Destruction from 1992 became a cult classic of Czech metal. What do you remember about its creation and the atmosphere of that time?

We had already released two demos that sold very well through our fan club, and Monitor offered us the chance to release an LP. We recorded it at the end of 1991 in Petr Janda's studio.

Apart from perhaps three songs, we re-recorded nearly all the tracks from those demos. To this day, songs like Vratislav, Prdel Evropy, Proti vizím and Poslední sen are practically mandatory at every show.

At the time, everything felt completely normal. After the revolution, previously forbidden genres finally had space to exist. We could sing about whatever we wanted, and neither lyrics nor music had to be approved by any committee. For us, it was absolute freedom.

The album sold around 30,000 copies, which ironically was considered too few by Monitor, so we recorded our second album elsewhere. Still, it put us on the map, and today we're seeing a second generation of fans attending our concerts—children of the people who bought that first album.

V.A.R. are known for singing mostly in Czech. Why did you decide to stick with your native language when many metal bands switched to English?

It happened quite naturally. We never had ambitions to perform abroad and wanted fans in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to enjoy the songs more.

We did release the Like Bikila EP, where Martin Brňovják translated four songs into English. It was interesting, but it didn't really move us forward in any significant way, so we stayed with Czech lyrics.

You've released many albums over the years. Which one best represents the essence of V.A.R. and why?

Each album has its own importance and contains at least one "hit" that we still play live today.

Of course, the most iconic is our first album, Personal Destruction. While Sznegh was still alive, he composed most of the material. He loved extreme forms of metal—death, grind and thrash—while the rest of us were more into classic heavy metal and hard rock.

That mix naturally found its way into our music. After Sznegh passed away, Shoopy and Vyczka took over the songwriting, and you can clearly hear the shift towards a heavier, Sabbath-inspired style, especially on our latest album Temná. That's our current face, although the thrash elements are still there.

In 2014, founding guitarist Sznegh passed away. How difficult was it to continue, and what do you think he would say about V.A.R. today?

It was very difficult. Our music is built around two guitars. But we knew we wanted to continue.

At the time, Pepino, guitarist of local band Pikodeath, contacted us and joined the band. He fit right in and even contributed to our latest album Temná. After ten years, however, his enthusiasm faded and he started focusing more on his main band.

When scheduling conflicts became frequent—and Pepino didn't want to step back from his own band—we decided to use recorded second guitar tracks from a MiniDisc. So for the last two years we've been performing as a four-piece and will probably remain that way.

We're currently preparing a new album that will continue in the direction of Temná. And Sznegh would certainly be pleased—we found one of his old ideas on some tapes, reworked it, and it turned into a classic thrash song exactly in his style.

You've played at the biggest Czech metal festivals. Which performance remains most memorable and why?

There have been so many shows that it's hard to pick just one. We approach every performance responsibly, whether it's in a club for twenty people or at a festival for thousands.

Usually, the most memorable are the recent ones. Brněnská bouře is very close to our hearts. Masters of Rock is a classic. Obscene Extreme was an interesting experience—"Play for twenty minutes and only your fastest songs."

But we also love the smaller, almost family-like festivals where the atmosphere is great, the food is good and the beer is cold.

Your motto "Thrash and Drink Till Death" is known by virtually every fan. How much does it reflect real life in the band, and how much has it become part of the legend?

I basically took the phrase Thrash Till Death and adapted it to fit us. And yes—the drinking part still works!

When we started out, one of our requirements was twenty beers on stage, and we could still play perfectly well. Nowadays we mostly save the drinking until after the show.

These days we often travel to cities a day early and combine gigs with good food and drinks. We simply enjoy it more now.

After more than 35 years on the scene, what still motivates you to write new songs, rehearse and keep touring?

We simply can't imagine life without it. As long as we're healthy and people still enjoy what we do, we'll keep going for a while longer.

Looking back at the history of V.A.R., what legacy would you like to leave to the Czech metal scene, and what would you say to young bands from Liberec?

We're not really concerned about leaving some grand legacy. What matters more is showing that it's possible to stay together in the same line-up for many years.

To young bands: play as much as you can. Today you have incredible opportunities. On one hand, anyone can release music instantly. On the other hand, competition is much tougher because there are so many bands.

But stick with it. It's worth it. We can't even imagine life without music.

As a bonus, our music was recently released as a double CD in Japan, proving that even Czech lyrics can reach the other side of the world.

If you had to describe V.A.R. in one sentence to someone who has never heard you before, what would that sentence be?

Honest music, Czech lyrics and an alcoholic aroma!

Thrash and Drink Till Death!

Denča