The EP Trilogy Livestream - 29 January 2021

Written by: Tom Wilson - Sense Music Media

In August 2019, Michigan grinders SHOCK NARCOTIC released their debut full-length, called I’ve Seen the Future and it Doesn’t Work. The title seems oddly prescient now, given the events that have transpired since its release, and the fact that they’re playing their first show of 2021 to no audience. Their set tonight at The Crofoot is a flickering, epileptic nightmare of gunmetal grey hues and strobe light, and as they erupt into Erratic Smearing Visuals, the sheer power of their sound is undeniable. A warping maelstrom of abrasive riffs and vocal spite, frontman Shawn Knight is immediately bent double, screaming so loud he sounds like he could eject his own vocal chords. Guitarist Jeff Tuttle showcases the kind of intensity that served him so well during his time in THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, sending riffs hurtling over Don Slater’s basslines, and the discombobulating rattle of drummer Zach Gibson forms the shuddering, irregular heartbeat that keeps SHOCK NARCOTIC moving. With his flannelette shirt, beard and swivelling eyes, Knight looks like he’s channelling BRUTAL TRUTH’s Kevin Sharp, and he showcases his dexterity through a second microphone and a bank of effects tools, morphing their grind into unexpected shapes and textures. The temperature rises, and they debut some material from their upcoming sophomore release. At one point a woman’s distorted voice warbles through the P.A., and it takes a second to recognise Sarah Connor from Terminator 2. “You’re already dead. Everybody. Him, you, you’re dead already. This whole place, everything you see, is gone!”

As they slam through their finale, a frenzied, spasmodic guitar solo devolves into chaos, and their set collapses into sonic wreckage – the SHOCK NARCOTIC logo left dancing in the cold flickering of the strobe. It’s exhilarating stuff, and I cannot wait to hear what they do next.

SCOUR open tonight’s proceedings with a series of interviews with the members, talking about the inception of the project, and their individual journeys to the collective. Tonight they will be playing all three EPs back to back, live from Nodferatu’s Lair, Phil Anselmo’s private studio built on his rural property in Louisiana. The Grey, Red and Black EPs (three sets of six songs, or 666) have seen SCOUR’s savage black metal thicken and expand. The term “minimalist” is thrown around when describing their style, but it feels like that might be selling it short. “Stripped back” might be a better description, because while they might not have the sonic extravagance of some of the bigger black metal acts – no DIMMU BORGIR-inspired orchestras here – they more than make up for it with punishing endurance. This shit takes stamina, and from the opening of Dispatched, they barely let up. PIG DESTROYER and LOCK UP sticksman Adam Jarvis’ blasting shakes the floorboards. The art of SCOUR isn’t in the complexity, but the sheer weight of their sound. John Jarvis’ bass is almost subterranean. Each track is a short, sharp burst of bristling hostility, and in the dim lights of the Lair, you can almost see the volume shake the air itself.

Back surgery has seen Phil Anselmo’s stage presence transform somewhat. In his PANTERA days, he was a stage-diving acrobat with a chip on his shoulder. Now, his intensity is in the movements he doesn’t make. Like SLAYER’s Tom Araya, he doesn’t even need to bang his head. His eyes say it all. He knows exactly who the fuck he is, and he still looks like Satan’s bodyguard.

Removing the audience affords the band a unique opportunity to turn inward, and project all of their energy at each other. We aren’t their reason for being there anymore. We’re voyeurs, peering at them as they lose themselves in the moment, and the cameras silently float amongst them. It’s simultaneously detached and also incredibly intimate. Unless you’ve tumbled across one of their stages before jumping back into the crowd, you’ve likely never seen the band this close before. The performance is intercut with several vignettes of the band chopping firewood and carrying it ritualistically through the trees before setting up a fire on a dark riverbank. It’s the perfect setting – bringing a Scandinavian chill to the woods of Louisiana.

A big advantage of livestreamed concerts is that the artists have full control over the sound and how it reaches the audience, and for both of these performances, the audio is amazing. Recent single Doom is the set highlight – an apocalyptic barrage of blasting and scything riffs from Derek Engemann and Mark Kloeppel that opens, fittingly, with an air raid siren. Aside from the occasional song title, nary a word is spoken during the performance. Finally, after three EPs worth of crushing black metal, the credits start rolling, and the frostiness of their music thaws to show their sense of humour, as outtakes show them joking about headlining Jazz Fest (which they absolutely should, by the way), and adding their own spin to Then He Kissed Me by THE CRYSTALS (complete with blast beat).

Where SCOUR goes from here is anyone’s guess, but it’s a fair bet that it’s going to be worth listening to. Horns up.

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