Photo by Malcolm Pugh
SCOUR, the extreme metal collective featuring Philip H. Anselmo (Pantera, Down), Derek Engemann (Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals), John Jarvis (Nest, Agoraphobic Nosebleed), Mark Kloeppel (Misery Index), and Adam Jarvis (Pig Destroyer, Misery Index, Lock Up), is pleased to unveil a “history of” mini documentary. The video comes in advance of the band’s Gold full-length, set for release on February 21st on Housecore Records in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe.
With footage shot at Anselmo’s own Nodferatu’s Lair by Mike Holderbeast as part of the band’s “Live From The Lair” live stream, the video provides great background and history of how SCOUR came to be.
Recalls Kloeppel, “Some years ago, before I was in the band, I wrote a column for Decibel Magazine on SCOUR’s unseeming roots in St. Louis, Missouri called ‘Gateways To Annihilation.’ Four of the five members of SCOUR originate from St. Louis. John and Adam were in a band called All Will Fall and Derek and I were in a band called Cast The Stone in the early 2000s. We all met in venues like The Creepy Crawl, Pop’s in Sauget, The Hi-Pointe, etc. We kept in contact throughout the years, and through our journeys in various higher-level bands.
“Around 2012/2013, Philip organically found Adam and John’s side project, Fulgora, through an online blog. That turned into them meeting up and recording at Philip’s personal studio, Nodferatu’s Lair. Around 2014/2015, Derek and John started SCOUR as a fun studio project while John was tour managing a band Derek was in. They sent the music to Philip to see if we would do vocals, and he said he would ‘kill it!’ The guys recruited Adam Jarvis on drums for the Red EP, and shortly after the EP came out in 2017, I was tapped to join the band on lead guitar… and here we are.
“We get asked a lot about how SCOUR came into existence. With the first full-length, Gold, coming out later this month, we thought it would be a great time to give this a wide release to our fans and folks that are just now learning about the abysmal gyre of extremity that is SCOUR!”
Watch SCOUR’s “History Of…” video HERE.
Find preorders at the Housecore Records webshop HERE, Bandcamp HERE, or Nuclear Blast HERE.
Deepening the experience set forth on SCOUR’s previously released EP trilogy, Gold pulls the listener through a blistering vortex of speed, aggression, and, above all, absolute horror. Drawing from a deep framework of literary horror masterworks, Gold guides the listener beyond the realm of death and through the metaphysical anomalies of a disheveled and decaying mind. In-so-which the pall of a savage universe is lifted, an inconceivable puppet master revealed, the remaining self of the listener excruciatingly dissolved, and left asking, “who is it that pulls the strings?”
Musically, SCOUR fuses the raw aggression of black metal with grindcore, punk, and thrash influences, manifesting a sound that honors extreme metal’s roots while pushing it into modern territory. Their minimalist approach is relentless and brutal, perfectly embodying this vision.
Gold, which features cover art by Cain Gillis, will be available on CD, LP, limited edition cassette (US only), and digital formats.
Find preorders at THIS LOCATION.
SCOUR will perform at this year’s edition of Milwaukee Metalfest alongside Gwar, Arch Enemy, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and more!
SCOUR Live:
5/18/2025 Milwaukee Metalfest @ The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI [info]
Forged in 2015, SCOUR quickly made their mark with the blistering debut single “Dispatched.” Their first release, The Grey EP (2016), came via Anselmo’s own Housecore Records, followed by The Red EP in 2017. In 2020, SCOUR unleashed their most aggressive effort yet, The Black EP, released under Housecore and Nuclear Blast Records and featuring guest appearances from notable figures like Erik Rutan, Pat O’Brien, and actor Jason Momoa.
SCOUR elevates their intensity with Gold, which includes a guest solo by Gary Holt (Slayer, Exodus). Recording for Gold began in February 2023 at Nodferatu’s Lair — Philip Anselmo’s personal studio and rehearsal space — which saw the band highly engaged in a concentrated effort toward a truly diabolical composition, with Anselmo leading the charge at every turn. One would often find the entire band in the control room in ecstatic debate, meticulously mulling over every blast beat and divebomb. The album was intermittently refined, and lyrical concepts finalized, over the course of 2023 as touring schedules would allow.
Anselmo began vocal recordings in the Fall of 2023 at The Lair. Backup vocal recordings were then executed by the rest of the band in arena backstage rooms over the course of Pantera’s February 2024 tour, where the full band would also thoroughly review the instrumentation mixes. Once the tracks were finalized by SCOUR and mixing engineer Dennis Israel, they were then passed to Fascination Street Studio in Örebro, Sweden for mastering by Jens Bogren.
“An absolute black metal masterpiece…” – Metal Injection
“…a grotesque flesh-ripper…The steely second single begins with a series of monstrous blasts and blackened guitar heaviness, while Anselmo gets grimy on the track with profane squeals, lungbuttered gutturals, bassy whispers and more.” – Revolver on “Blades”
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