Year: 2020
Total Time: 15:57
Label: Nuclear Blast
SCOUR is a rather new project band and this is their third EP, they don’t have a full album out yet. Also SCOUR is not just another band, it’s a super group of the extreme sound. Let me introduce you to their line-up so you can all stop wandering. SCOUR is the elite collective of Philip H. Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN), John Jarvis (AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED), Derek Engemann (PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS), Mark Kloeppel (MISERY INDEX) and Adam Jarvis (PIG DESTROYER, LOCK UP). In the end of this review I will also mention the guest appearances they have in their opening track too. They were formed in 2015 and made its debut with the ferocious single “Dispatched.”
So, in order to get more deep into things, SCOUR is the latest creation of the multitalented personality that is Mr. Anselmo and are moving into the paths of extreme black metal with grind elements and their range of topics is of course occult/horror. The EP “Black” that is coming out now is the third in the series after the EP “Grey” and “Red” which were released in 2016 and 2017 respectively. It has 6 songs of a total running time of only 16 minutes, so you can assume that this is nothing else than a black plague that comes, conquers and leaves the remains without any resistance in its path.
The opening track is “Doom”, the top one in my opinion, after a small intro with the war sirens warning you, the total chaos is unleashed. Then we get “Nail” and “Propaganda” continuing the destruction but entering one more top notch tune, the ultra high speed “Flames”, before the instrumental “Microbes” which I guess will be used as an intro for the band to enter the stage at their live appearances, when those will be a reality again. The EP will close deafening as it started with “Subprime”, a tune with nothing unnecessary in its 3:33 minutes of mayhem.
The truth after diving a lot into it that my feelings are somehow mixed. If this material was released by a new “normal” band it might have passed by possibly unnoticed. The huge history of those who are involved in it though makes more demanding. I don’t know of course if their purpose here is just to play more minimal music just for their fun, without being stressed or having any obligations towards anybody. Nevertheless I cannot stop believing that if they take this more seriously they will definitely release and album that will be of historical value someday.
Now the icing on the cake that I promised before is that on the opening track “Doom”, we get the special guest appearances of Eric Rutan (HATE ETERNAL), Pat O Brien (CANNIBAL CORPSE) and the bigger surprise, the great Jason Momoa on backing vocals!
I am really looking forward to seeing what the future will bring with all those guys!
Rating: 6/10
Editor: Antonis Livanios
Related Link: SCOUR – Facebook Page
