Harrowist / Thosar / Mossadeq / Justice Lost – Murska Zadruga Split CS (Grazil Records)

We have some heavier underground names on our pages today, thanks to Grazil Records. This time, this prolific Austrian label gathered four bands known for their heavier sound to participate in a four-way split release. “Murska Zadruga” includes familiar names such as Harrowist, Thosar, Mossadeq, and Justice Lost. As far as I know, all the groups except Justice Lost were already part of the Grazil Roster for many years. This split release comes on a grey cassette decorated with a typical J-card. The cover artwork is a clever combination of cut-n-paste technique, graphic design, and illustration, but in the end, it carries the DIY vibes, which is always a plus. Each band is present on this cassette with two compositions, except Thosar, who appeared with one longevous number.

Harrowist are opening this tremendous cassette with their version of hardcore. This band never ceases to amaze. Perhaps the group explores the aesthetics of hardcore music, but you’ll hear the strong presence of metalcore, post-hardcore, hardcore punk, death metal, thrash metal, sludge metal, grindcore, and crust punk. Their music carries something for everyone who ever touched extreme underground genres. Grazil Records made a wise decision by putting them as the opening act on this tape. You’ll hear the slight resemblance with greats of the genres, such as Catharsis, but with a more modern approach to metalcore sound. Thosar are coming up next with their catchy metal fusion. Many things are going on in the singular track, and the closest classification of their music could be sludge metal. However, other ingredients lurk around, such as doom, stoner, metalcore, and hardcore. The entire composition is thoughtfully structured, arrangements define this composition from scratch to finish, and each segment represents a part of the pleasant sonic voyage. Thosar are one of those bands you should pay attention to if you’re profoundly into the beforementioned genres.

Mossadeq makes a bit of a difference with his experimental approach to rock music. It’s a fine blend of echoic ambiance, choirs, abrasive guitars, and post-rock rhythmic sequences, but as the song progresses, Mossadeq’s sound becomes even luxurious, colossal, and heavier. You’ll notice some black metal screams above the clean chants while the classic black metal guitar maneuvers lurk in the background. Mossadeq plays with the textures during his set. However, he tries a slightly different approach on the second track, based upon dark ambient and drone music. It comes as calm after the storm and a perfect overture for the next band. Justice Lost is the only band I wasn’t familiar with before, but they sound superb as the remainder of the line-up. The band explores crossover thrash with touches of hardcore music. Their sound comes close to the greats who played this style of music during the eighties, but the band also incorporates some contemporary trends in the thrash metal genre. You’ll notice the similarities with Anthrax, DRI, Gothic Slam, Municipal Waste, and many other well-known names. Still, Justice Lost leaves enough space for some signature moves, arrangements, accentuations, virtuosities, and rhythmic acrobatics. Therefore, these two tracks sound fresh and entertaining.

Murska Zadruga is definitely a four-way split release worth checking out. The tape is hot from the press, but it comes in limited quantities. Therefore, you should grab your copy as soon as possible. Head over to Grazil Records for more information about ordering.