V/A – Grazil Records & Friends Vol. 1. (Grazil Records)

Back in the pre-digital era, various artists’ compilations and samplers acted as the crucial source for discovering fresh music. It was a convenient way to promote the latest singles, announce albums or introduce brand new artists/bands to the broader auditorium. Then the digital era commenced, and digital singles replaced regular 7″ records, compilations, and samplers. The comps were nearly forgotten, but there were always labels that nurtured this type of promotion. It seems like this format just awaited its time to jump in the spotlight once again. Judging by the growing demand, samplers are gradually becoming popular once again, and there’s a decent amount of labels that are putting them out here and there.

Grazil Records is one of these labels that recently released the first edition of Grazil Records & Friends, a various artist compilation that carries twenty diverse bands and artists. This edition includes names such as Black Yen, Mandaground, Dark Nativity, Saturnists, Gravpel, Another Home, Necrodeus, Tortured Souls, Pest Hole, Mossadeq, Caloris Impact, Plaguepreacher, Heckspoiler, Mother Morgana, The Snub, Deumus, Harrowist, 8082, Thosar, and Violenţă Domestică. I am familiar with Caloris Impact, Heckspoiler, Harrowist, and Mosadeq, but the remnants on the list are new to me, and that’s the best part about this compilation. It gives so many opportunities to the listeners to discover some fresh music, dig deeper and discover more about these artists/bands.

This particular compilation also encapsulates a vast universe of underground music genres. You will stumble upon grindcore, neo crust, blackened crust, speed metal, black metal, metalcore, modern hardcore, melodic hardcore, post-hardcore, hardcore punk, beatdown, alternative rock, stoner rock, doom rock, space rock, post-rock, grunge, blackgaze, shoegaze, but you may also discover some other genres along the way. This various artist compilation showcases a tremendous diversity in styles, and the probability you won’t find anything for yourself within these twenty bands is nearly impossible. Grazil Records paid a lot of attention to picking up appropriate bands and assembling the entire material in a very logical order. The first edition of Grazil Records & Friends is probably one of the best samplers I had to chance to listen to in years, and you should give it a chance as well. Head over to the Grazil Records website or Bandcamp page and order this outstanding sampler.