Impressive Musicians With Contained Song Structure
Scour only formed back in 2015 and are already drawing eyeballs in. The supergroup is composed of members of Pantera, Pig Destroyer, Cattle Decapitation and so on. Altogether, this band has a lot of different influences as it showcases ex-Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo at the helm.
Since Pantera disbanded in the aftermath of the death of metal icon Dimebag Darrell, Anselmo has pursued projects such as Down and Superjoint. Scour is his latest supergroup effort, and he digs deep on this release by giving listeners a taste of a new vocal style. Scour primarily exudes a black metal aura, but there are also some thrashy elements at play, which are no doubt a result of Anselmo’s influence.
Scour’s second batch of songs only drive home the fact that the band can make a great one-dimensional collection of songs. Not at all taking away from the band’s abilities, but the music they produce is far too consistent to find any true highlights or hits in their portfolio. Most every song on Red has the same exact feel as the next, but that does not mean that the EP lacks any redeeming qualities.
To start, the musicianship on Red is absolutely baffling. There are no songs that hit or surpass the three-minute mark, and they are all lightening fast bloodbaths in their own right. The tracklist from “Red” all the way to “Shank” encapsulates what anyone would imagine to be what a pack of zombies would sound like if they could play music. It’s gruesome, terrifying and exhilarating.
“Red” starts off the EP in an expected fashion. The title track serves as an easy way for listeners to identify what the rest of the EP has in store. With it’s raspy vocals, spastic guitars and forever-thumping drums, the song puts listeners in place for a one way ride. “Piles,” “Bleak” and “Barricade” essentially follow the same formula and produce comparable sounds and emotions. However, the pace is halted near the end of the EP with “Sentenced.”
The unexpected “Sentenced” is a refreshing break from the gripping chaos of the rest of the EP. Even though the song is mostly ambiance and clearly just an intro to “Shank,” it is nice to see what Scour can do with orchestral elements. The result is a haunting melody that dives right into “Shank.”
“Shank” molds together with most of the other songs on the album, but the introductory snare rolls are impressive and not easily matched in metal. The drumming on this EP by Adam Jarvis seems impossible for a normal human being to execute. The hits and the double bass frenzies of every song certainly captivate and show spectacular talent.
Overall, the EP excels at one thing and one thing only. There isn’t much variety to this work, but the songs all at least evoke emotion. Scour brings together insane tempos to make an EP that is truly exhilarating, but also one that is a victim of it’s own consistency.
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