Scum

Gospels for the Sick (2005)

Brandon Sideleau

Scum are a "super-group" of sorts formed by Amen vocalist Casey Chaos, Fuast and Samoth of legendary black metal band Emperor, Cosmocrator of MindGrinder, and Happy Tom of Turbonegro. Gospels for the Sick is their brutal new album and, as you might expect, bridges the musical gap between hardcore punk and black metal, much in the same way bands like Discharge and Nausea helped bridge the gap between punk and metal.

The combination of these two styles is so intense and snug that it's a miracle no one has tried it before. According to the band, "the blueprint for the project was the spirit of Norwegian black metal mixed with a punk rock attitude," and I honestly couldn't say it better myself. Songs like "Truth Won't Be Sold" and "Protest Life" combine a menacing and at times political punk rock sneer with the speed of hardcore and black metal song structure/rhythm.

There's very little I can actually compare the album to musically, although I've heard people compare it in sound to the band S.O.D. (whom I have not listened to). There are definitely hints of Discharge's chaotic noise and, of course, Casey's own band Amen.

The band themselves call their style "Death Punk" and it's a much needed, brutal "take no prisoners" album during the current drought of good hardcore records. A must buy for fans of black metal, extreme-hardcore punk, grindcore, crust, etc., or bands like Amen, Discharge, Poison Idea, Emperor, Black Flag, Nausea, Destroy, etc.