The Power of Scour- John Jarvis Talks, Album Release and More |

]An extreme metal band Bass player John Jarvis of Pig Destroyer, Strong Intention, and Fulgora fame has a chat with us on playing with some of metal’s finest and taking extreme metal to a new level with Scour.

Clash: “John, thanks for taking the time to chat with us on the eve of Scour’s debut EP release. How do you feel right now?”

John: “It feels good. The EP can actually be streamed online right now and it’s pretty exciting.”

Clash: “Rockbrary had the privilege of listening to the EP a couple of weeks back and it’s pretty heavy. You guys sound awesome! So, tell us about the formation of Scour.”

John: “Derek (Engemann–Cattle Decapitation) and I talked about starting a band last year when Cattle Decapitation was supporting Cannibal Corpse on tour. We were at a bar one night after a show and we talked ideas for the group. Jesse (Schobel–Strong Intention) and Chase (Frasier–ex Decrepit Birth / Animosity) came into the picture.

I’ve worked with Jesse in other projects and the same goes with Derek. We wanted a second guitarist so Chase joined and it all made sense. After that all we needed was a vocalist and we asked Philip (Anselmo–Down / Superjoint Ritual / ex-Pantera). Phil said yes and we pretty much took off from there.”

Clash: “Philip Anselmo is one of the greatest metal vocalist of all time. What’s it like working with him?”

John: “He’s a really great guy, very cool, and he’s got a good spirit. Phil is very laid back and down to earth. Not a bad person at all. He’s actually very much into underground metal music. He knew of and mentioned Fulgora when we first met. I was surprised because I would have never thought he’d be into or would even know of Fulgora’s music but he did and he’s very much into it. I thought that was really cool”.

Clash: “How long was this project in the works before the EP single “Dispatched” was released?”

John: “We started around October 11th of last year and it took us around 5-6 months to finish up. This of course includes CD and Vinyl manufacturing. Vinyl won’t actually be available until September this year. I personally prefer vinyl. The music sounds better,of course.”

Clash: “It definitely does. I see pre-orders can be placed at the band’s site already. Now, each of you have a different background in metal music ranging from punk, thrash, tech death, which puts Scour in the extreme metal category. How did you guys come to formulate your sound as unit? What was the song writing process like?”

John: “The music is pretty much Derek’s vision. He wrote all the guitar parts and music and Jesse, Chase, and I just went in and added our parts. The riffs are all awesome so recording was a lot of fun. It all came together well and the process was smooth. We’re very dedicated and very much into making music.

People say we sound like black metal and I mean it wasn’t intentional. I guess we really just went in a different direction than what people thought we would. I’m sure everyone is surprised.”

Clash: “Indeed and what an awesome surprise. The music does have a unique sound. I do hear traces of black metal in there, mostly on the drums. Is this something Jesse incorporated on his own or did you guys decide to have that as a group and like it either way?”

John: “The drum parts were actually written by Derek using a drum machine. Jesse took that and transposed it giving it life. I mean it’s not like he went in with the intention of playing like a robot with the blast beats and all. He basically molded what Derek gave him. Jesse did a great job. He’s an awesome and talented drummer and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves off of this project. He’s actually a good friend of mine and we are doing work together in Strong Intention”.

Clash: “Jesse does sound great in the EP. All five of you sound killer! Coming from more of a grindcore background how did you handle your bass playing with Scour?”

John: “The way it happened was Derek gave me music notations of the riffs he wrote. I played along to the riffs and wrote my parts. Initially I was concerned because Derek plays bass in Cattle Decapitation. He plays with his fingers. I play with a pick and I thought be was going to ask me to use my fingers. I don’t think I can play as fast as he can on the bass with fingers (laughs) He was totally cool with it though and it worked out well.”

Clash: “We are living in tumultuous times trying to persevere through the aftershock of the recent gun violence all while contemplating who our next national leader will be. What kind of impact, if at all, are you hoping to have on society or just in general with the music in Scour? What’s the message?”

John: “There’s no message at all. Phil wrote all the lyrics. Most of his inspiration comes from books and he is very creative in that sense. It all comes down to what the listener makes of it. We don’t expect to have any impact or influence in a bad way.”

Clash: “The track “Tear Gas” has a verse that goes “Let the war be waged, with tear gas” Listening to the song pumped me up! What’s the meaning behind the song?”

John: “Well there are terrible things that happen everyday like people getting killed and terrorist attacks. I mean I think there’s always a war to be waged. A war for freedom, a war against drugs, and people who abuse their power. Of course, violence is not the way to go.”

Clash: “Fans from almost all metal genre’s would flock anywhere to see Scour live. Any plans for touring?”

John. “We’ve definitely been presented with good offers so we’re looking into that. This sort of thing takes time. We don’t have enough material for to perform a full setlist. I don’t think it would be worth doing 10 minute shows on tour (laughs).”

Clash: “Can we expect a full length album anytime in the future?”

John: “Well that’s looking a bit far ahead at this point. Like I said, it takes time. Right now we are just doing this because we want to make music and have fun. We’ll see what the future holds. It’s exciting to think about it.”

Clash: “Thanks again for chatting with us, John. Good luck with Scour and all future endeavors.”

John: “Thanks dude. Talk to you later.”

Stream Scour’s EP here or pre-order the Vinyl at at scourofficial.com . Merch available on the band’s facebook page @scourband. Thanks for reading. See you in the mosh!!!

Reported By: Clash The Impaler

Scour– “Dispatched”–