If you know Phil Anselmo’s history, you’ll know that while fronting the mighty Pantera, he developed a deep love for extreme metal of the blackened kind. As a result, Phil decided to get into the game and quickly formed the black metal band Viking Crown, who released one EP and two full-length albums between 1994 and 2001. At some point along this black path, Phil would ingratiate himself with the personalities of the Nordic contingent of black metal. In fact, Pantera would bring legendary Norwegian black metallers Satyricon out on the road with them as direct support on Pantera‘s Reinventing The Steel tour. A friendship would blossom between Phil and Satyricon frontman Satyr, which eventually led to the formation of the lo-fi/raw black metal band Eibon back in the late 90s/early 2000s that featured Darkthrone‘s Fenriz, Necrophagia‘s Killjoy, Satyr, and Phil. The supergroup contributed one song to Moonfog Records’ (Satyr’s label) A Different Perspective sampler and were working on a debut album (which was shelved due to Phil’s struggle with drug addiction at that time as well as some drama between the Norge natives).

So, it should come as no surprise that Phil would again find his way back to extreme metal, this time with the band Scour. Getting their start back in 2015, the band released a trilogy of color-titled EPs (Grey, Red, and Black) that were very well-received. Which brings us to the release of their debut full-length, Gold. Now, I could go into a track-by-track of this latest album, boring you with every detail and nuance of the thirteen tracks on display, or I can just describe how the album, as a whole, is one of the finest/freshest slabs of Nordic-inspired extreme metal in a very long time. Let’s stick with the latter.

First, let’s dig deep in an effort to unearth a musical blueprint that could very well have served as the catalyst for Gold (and the band’s discography as a whole). On the surface, there is a hell of a lot of extremity to be found, with black metal being the primary sub-genre contained within (followed by smatterings of death, grind, and thrash). If one listens closely, an underlying ethos can be heard that threads itself throughout the entirety of the album. To these ears, that ethos recalls turn-of-the-century Norwegian black metal, specifically albums such as Rebel Extravaganza-era Satyricon and Thorns‘ self-titled debut album from 2001. Gold‘s opening track, ‘Cross’, is an absolute homage to the unyielding intensity, discordant riffing, and unconventional rhythmic patterns employed by the Nords of this period. Tracks such as ‘Hell’, ‘Invoke’, and ‘Gold’ are great examples of this atonal, jagged style of riffing that avoids the conventional tremolo-picked harmonies of some of the more melodious black metal albums of the mid-to-late 90s.

While a good chunk of Gold rides waves of repetition and cyclical rhythmic structures – that lends it a slightly cold, clinical, and industrial-like vibe – there is also a good amount of warmth. Take, for example, the tracks, ‘Infusorium’ and ‘Devil’, which inject a refined sense of melody and resonance, creating some of the album’s most memorable moments. Adding to this sense of melody are a handful of haunting and evocative solos, contrasting the album’s primarily aggressive flavour; while the atmospheric-yet-crushing production reminds me of contemporary Dark Funeral, cold yet somehow comfy. The real winner here is Phil’s vocal performance. The man is a veritable beast, laying down some of the most disgusting swamp-ified gutturals alongside some truly unnerving blackened shrieks. His screams sometimes remind me of Shagrath’s venomous vocal performance on Dimmu Borgir’s 2001 album, Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia.

Is it surprising that a black metal band from the swamps of America’s deep south can go toe-to-toe with anything out of Scandinavia? Perhaps. That said, much like 1349‘s The Wolf & The King album of last year and Tsjuder‘s Helvgr the year before, Gold stands loud and proud as one of the best-blackened metal albums thus far in 2025.