Interview - SCOUR
For an introduction to Scour, see here.
Songwriter and guitarist Derek Engemann did us the honour of answering these questions.
1. Scour has a very original sound, how would you describe it?
Scour’s sound is a mix of relentless brutality with an intentional minimalist approach. It’s very theme driven, comprised of heavy amounts of buzzsaw guitars, and an unquenchable thirst for the blast.
2. You've composed all of the music, so far at least; it’s a clichéd question, but who are your main influences (if indeed you feel you have influences)?
Musically speaking, there is an obvious Scandinavian influence for sure, as most of my favorite metal bands hail from that area. Bands like Emperor, Marduk, and Dark Funeral to name a few. Although, we will never claim to be a Black Metal band for many reasons. There are traces of punk and grindish elements in there as well, along with a whole melting pot of all extreme music. I also draw a lot of influences from various movie scores, and composers like John Murphy, and John Williams.
3. How has the response to ‘Grey’ and ‘Red’ been?
The response to the Grey EP was very positive for the most part. Possibly more so from the fans of other extreme bands. I think for some of the older Pantera fans, they had never really been introduced to blasting metal like this before. Phil laid down some pretty brutal vocals as well, so it may have been a bit of a shock for some. Those that are into it though seem to love it. I’ve actually come across several Scour tattoos already, which is just incredible. With Red, the response has been even better. I feel that it’s a more solid effort, and that we stepped up our game for sure. Which seems to be the general consensus amongst the fans as well. Red saw Scour land on #8 of the Billboard Heatseeker charts, which is pretty amazing for an extreme metal EP.
Absolutely, 'stick to the plan' as I always say. We are currently working on the next release that we have some big plans for. So far the music is retaining that Scour sound, while pushing the envelope even further. Some of my favorite material to date.
5. How did the band form?
I had written a couple of songs that weren’t really in the vein of my former band, Cattle Decapitation. So I wanted to build a side project around it. Especially utilizing a dual guitar attack. At the time, our bass player John Jarvis was tour managing Cattle while we were on the road with Cannibal Corpse. I showed him the songs, and he was on board right away. Since I was writing the songs, and I knew I wanted Jarv to be in the band, I decided to stick with the guitar as opposed to my usual bass duties. Being that this was intended originally just as a side project, we wanted to enlist some of our good friends that we’ve known throughout the years. So we asked Chase Fraser and Jesse Schobel to join up on lead guitar and drums. When it came time to find the right front man, we thought who better than Philip? John’s band Fulgora had recently signed with Housecore Records, and he had a good rapport with Phil. He actually put him in touch with me to do a guest vocal on the latest Cattle record, which turned out really well. So he sent Phil the songs and he dug it. I believe he said he could “Kill it”, which he most certainly did. Once we had the lineup secured, I finished up writing the Grey EP on the road, which was a challenge, but a lot of fun at the same time. Then once everything was tracked, we had Dave Otero mix and master the EP, and we decided naturally to release it on Housecore Records. So what was intended to be just a side project, Scour has now taken on a life of its own.
6. What’s it like working with the legendary Phil Anselmo?
Phil is probably one of the easiest individuals to work with that I’ve come across in the music world. There hasn’t really been any negative feedback of the music that I send him, and I couldn’t be happier with the vocals he lays down in return. We’re pretty much on the same page with the musical vision I think, so it doesn’t require lengthy discussion over every little detail. There’s also great camaraderie within the band. We like to have a good time, and I think that comes across in everything we do.
7. Is there any chance you’ll be playing in the UK any time soon?
There have been some offers to come to the UK, but it just hasn’t worked out logistically yet. At some point we definitely would like to make our way over the pond, it’s just a matter of making it happen.
More interviews: Spectral Voice / Morta Skuld / Solothus / Memoriam / Ataraxy / Soulskinner / Necrot
