Philip Anselmo's extreme metal collective SCOUR descended on Poland's Mystic Festival in Gdańsk on June 6, 2026, delivering a set drawn primarily from their 2025 full-length Gold — and fan-filmed footage circulating online makes clear that the performance was everything the band's reputation promises.
SCOUR occupies a unique position in heavy metal. The project brings together some of the most credentialed players in American extreme music: Philip H. Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN), Derek Engemann (PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS), John Jarvis (NEST, AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED), Mark Kloeppel (MISERY INDEX), and Adam Jarvis (PIG DESTROYER, MISERY INDEX, LOCK UP). On paper it reads like a fantasy league roster for grindcore and black metal obsessives.
Live, SCOUR are a different entity entirely — a focused, minimalist machine that fuses black metal rawness with grindcore's velocity and punk aggression. There are no frills, no elaborate production, no nostalgia. Just speed, aggression, and a kind of absolute sonic horror that Gold describes in its own press material.
Gold was released in February 2025 through Housecore Records (North America) and Nuclear Blast (Europe). The album features a guest guitar solo by Gary Holt of SLAYER and EXODUS — one of the most natural guest appearances imaginable given the shared DNA between the bands — and cover art by Cain Gillis. The record was available in multiple vinyl variants for a fanbase that clearly couldn't get enough.
Mystic Festival continues to prove itself as one of Poland's most important metal events, consistently drawing international acts of real weight. That SCOUR appeared on the lineup alongside other extreme metal heavyweights is entirely consistent with the event's identity and ambition.
Despite forming only in 2015, SCOUR has performed at Roskilde, Hellfest, Tecate Metal Fest, and Maryland Deathfest — a résumé that speaks to the respect the project has earned in the extreme metal underground in a remarkably short time.
For fans who missed Mystic Festival, the fan footage is the next best thing. For everyone else: SCOUR on a festival stage is a reminder that American extreme metal still has some of the most ferocious live performers alive.