(Housecore)
Rating: 7.5
Scour come out of the gates here far more blackened than I remember them being on opener “Cross”, Philip Anselmo behind the mic doing an admirable job while Adam Jarvis steals the show, again, on the kit. “Blades” keeps it going, and makes me think I need to revisit this band’s EPs (Gold is their debut full-length) to see what’s happening here, as I had them categorized as firmly grindcore, but while there’s blasting, it’s all blackened, but I’m still digging it.
“Infusorium” is haunting with its melodies, intense with its grinding, and showcasing a good sense of ebb and flow (as does chilling closer “Serve”); “Coin” has a great whiplash groove and powerful soaring solo; the title track is ruthless and tight with its breakdowns and Jarvis’ frantic performance.
I love the relentless vocal delivery and the atmosphere: even interludes “Ornaments”, “Contaminated” and “Angels”, which normally I’d dismiss as throwaway, seem to serve a horror-movie purpose. I start to zone out by the album’s midpoint, which is a feature of most black metal for me, the relentlessness almost becoming too relentless somewhere around, ahem, “Evil” and “Devil”.
Still, I can connect with this album more than most black metal that comes at my ears, and the production helps, actually a bit more human and warm than I was expecting, a pleasant surprise. Throw in a guest solo from Gary Holt, and even though I’m not the world’s biggest black metal fan, I’m, mainly, sold.
Release date: February 21st, 2025
Source: bravewords.com
