I can't remember the first time I became aware of Holy Roar Records - it may well have been around 2009, when Rolo Tomassi's début full-length 'Hysterics' was turning heads from the basement circuit to the NME, and Throats were just starting to gain momentum for their mind-bogglingly heavy and intense live show. Even that small subsect of the miasma of bands HRR has released provides an insight of the sort of music and ethos Holy Roar represent; while "mainstream" attention is always a nice bonus, their modus operandi has always been to release challenging, interesting and uncompromising records from all corners of sonically heavy music. Throughout their ten years of existence, Holy Roar has released music and brought bands to our attention without agenda or cynical cash-cow pandering; it has simply released the bands they love, in the hope that someone out there might like them too, and invest in the mutual passion felt by both parties.

This isn’t the tale of a fervent vinyl nerd’s joy at picking up that rare Brutality Will Prevail original press that was an absolute bargain on Discogs. Nor is it a overview of every release the label has brought out, timelining every band from Abolition to Youves. Instead, this is about how a label has been a facilitator for bands that have, at one time or another, meant the world to myself and my peers, and has left an indelible and important mark on the British underground scene, specifically in the wide realms of hardcore.

And oh, what glorious hardcore it is that has come from HRR’s roster. Hardcore that makes you want to pump your fist and bang your head. Hardcore that makes the meekest of us want to maul someone’s face off. Hardcore that takes your breath away and makes your heart want to burst out of your chest. Hardcore that… well, almost invariably, is a million miles away from the meathead clichés the scene is associated with.

Holy Roar has consistently formed and shaped trends in UK hardcore, from the early releases of bands like Gallows and The Ghost Of A Thousand, to the merch-fueled minor phenomena that was Brutality Will Prevail and Last Witness, to bringing releases by the likes of Touché Amoré and Make Do And Mend to these shores and putting forth British equivalents in the form of acts like Kerouac, Bastions and Goodtime Boys, each act bringing their own approach and impact.

However, if you’re reading this piece uninitiated in the world of HRR, don’t mistake it for a one-dimensional hardcore label. It may surprise you to learn that the label was once home to the likes of indie-poppers Dananananaykroyd and noise-rockers Pulled Apart By Horses; two bands who, at first glance, belong in a part of the overall underground “scene” worlds away from the aforementioned, but somehow also feel right at home with the HRR family’s general aesthetic.

That’s perhaps my favourite thing about Holy Roar Records – the fact that they won’t just release the same bands over and over, or stick to one thin band of the musical spectrum, but will constantly release something different to expose followers of the label to something they might not have heard before, and do it because their music absolutely merits the “puppet baby” adorning its sleeve.

Take some of their latest signings for example; they’ve picked up Wren, who play soaring, coruscating post-metal in the vein of Isis and Neurosis, Conjurer, a doom/sludge metal band who take cues from the likes of Opeth and Sabbath, and Giants, a punk band who put you in the mind of early Offspring. You wouldn’t put these bands on a bill together, or necessarily get into all three, but while they may have their own unique approach they are the product of HRR’s DNA.

The label an album comes out on may not be the first thing you look for as a consumer of music, but on a personal level, it’s certainly something that makes me sit up and pay attention. The seal of approval that implicitly comes from an independent label that you admire releasing an act means they’re probably worth giving a fuck about; if the label feels they’re worth the investment of time and money, they feel strongly enough that they’re worth the time of you, the fan, too.

That’s why 2015 was such an incredible year for the label – not only was there an astonishing returning effort from the band that perhaps best surmise Holy Roar, Rolo Tomassi, but there were amazing records from the likes of Svalbard, Employed To Serve and We Never Learned To Live. Each represents a different side of the multiple facets of HRR’s catalogue, but all contribute to the label’s re-ascendance to prominence with their strongest crop of bands for a long time. I had known of the latter three bands for a while, but the fact that they were coming out on Holy Roar meant they were something I needed to hear or get down to a show and see instantly.

These may seem like the actions of a slavish fanboy to some, and I won’t deny that statement holds some semblance of truth, but when a label has built such a solid foundation of trust from years of great music, it’s almost without exception something I’m going to want to hear and will probably enjoy.

I think what’s most important to me is the sense of belonging brought on by the shows of Holy Roar’s bands. I know that’s a pretty universal thing across the board of punk rock as a haven for the outcasts and the alienated, but the little “community” brought together by their loose bracket of artists has been an opportunity to hang out with some cool people, chat about music, sink a few beers and all lose our shit to the band on stage. It’s an escape from the banalities of everyday life, and for myself, a place to shake off the pressures of “fitting in” amongst a cabal of those who share your interest in musical acts and, to some extent, a lifestyle staunchly leftfield of the so-called norm.

The perfect example of this was the “#UKSWELL” scene from the early part of this decade; sure, it came into being from a silly in-joke, but it represented a collective of bands and people who were unified in their lack of pretension and bullshit, just driven by their urge to create great music and have a great time doing so. Those shows, and the shared experiences, have created many fond memories and a tonne of “gig buddies”; an unmistakeably important chapter in my young adult life, which isn’t too bad an achievement for something named from a fucking hashtag.

Holy Roar is more than just a record label. That may seem like a hackneyed puff-piece pull-quote, but you only have to look at the evidence before you. It has an excellent podcast, presented by Mazz Gambardella (formerly of Pariso) that I listen to when I go out running. It’s a part of the Pink Mist collective, whose gigs are effectively a cornerstone of my social calendar. Finally, while it might only be a part of my overall musical taste, it’s an incredibly significant one; in terms of importance to the formation of my taste over the years I would put Holy Roar forth as a British equivalent of Deathwish Inc, the record label owned by the singer of my favourite band of all time, Converge.

The last decade has seen me go from 18 to 28 – in essence, growing up alongside Holy Roar, their bands, records and gigs being an influential and essential part of my life and my identity in that time. This may be a personal point of view, but I feel it’s a sentiment others share, a steadfastly independent (in every sense of the word) label that means enough to some that it’s been able to exist for 10 years without ever having to compromise their vision or ideologies. Bands may come and go, but the name of Holy Roar Records and all it represents remains strong, and will hopefully continue to do so for some time to come. Here’s to you, Holy Roar – carry on moshing.

The lineup for HRR’s 10th anniversary all-dayer in May. C U in da pit.