Featuring Phil Anselmo (Superjoint, Down), John Jarvis (Pig Destroyer), Chase Fraser (Conflux), Derek Engemann (Catle Decapitation), and Adam Jarvis (Fulgora), Scour boasts a pretty impressive line-up, to say the least. It should come as no surprise that the musicianship is stellar. These guys know exactly what they are doing. Anselmo delivers a most convincing and superb vocal performance. Of that, there can be no doubt. The lyrics are excellent too. The six-string slaughter by Engemann and Fraser is razor-sharp, John Jarvis’ rumbling bass lines complement the guitars nicely, and Adam Jarvis’ drumming is both excellent.

The music conjured up by these gentlemen is highly intense and aggressive with a lot of unexpected twists and turns in places as well as some truly crushing parts that will tear you a new asshole. Due to the in-your-face nature of the tunes, they might be a little difficult to absorb and digest at first, but despite them appearing a tad pummeling and overpowering the couple of times you spin them, they actually contain a lot of interesting shades and nuances. The title track has a slightly epic edge to it due to its melodies while “Piles” borders on the manic. The sinister and dark ambient-like “Sentenced” is brilliant and adds variety to the EP while album closer “Shank” is perhaps one of the band’s most driven, energetic, and memorable compositions to date.

“Red” sounds a little more focused and structured than its predecessor and the song material is simply better and more engaging this time around. “Grey” was solid and cool and all of that, but I dig the fact that “Red” marks an overall improvement and that Scour sounds more disciplined this time around. The song arrangements are also better and the riffs pack a lot more punch, so definitely check this fucker out as soon as you get the chance if black/death metal gets your tiny dick hard.