What a creation! Scum
is a unique blend of raw punk sound, slam-dancing with speed-driven metal,
and composed by well-known extreme musicians. If that doesn’t get
you interested already, I don’t know what else would. This intriguing
lineup features Casey Chaos (Amen), Samoth and Faust (Emperor), Cosmocrater
(Mindgrinder), and Happy Tom (Turbonegro). It’s been ten years since
Samoth and Faust have appeared together. It’s cool to see them working
together again. The guitar riffing kind of reminds me of Slayer at times
and at others a rocking punk vibe. Musically it’s a variation of the
two but you may notice a black metal note every so often as well. Putting
those things together will get you this type of remarkable vitality on your
disc. Vocals are a yelling punk variety, that works fine, but a few times
it got a little annoying because of the tones used. If the main lineup for
the band didn’t have enough extreme musicians, you will be happy to
know that there are guest vocal appearances from Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone),
Mortiis, and Knut “Euroboy” Schneider (Turbonegro, Euroboys).
The songs are solid and at times have some really awesome parts, but also
could use a few other choice riffs as well. Ten track and over 40 minutes
only took three weeks to record at Crystal Canyon Studios in Oslo, Norway.
Nothing against their writing ability, but I expected a little more. Sometimes
with super lineups as such, you get your expectations too high even before
you hear the music. Originally when I first listened to this disc I didn’t
get right into it because it wasn’t what I expected. But when I got
into an oldschool vibe, I was glad this was in my CD player. I still like
the metal influenced parts better but this was a cool approach, I hope to
see more.
Rating: 78
Reviewed By: Jeffrey D. Adkins |
