Album Notes

"The Scunge is back with a vengeance....war-torn and reborn." (M.D. Cleveland)

Many people have tried to categorize Scum Scunge. Call it what you want. The best way the band can describe their sound is Southern Alternative Metal. With or without a stylistic label, any fan of heavy music is sure to appreciate the soul and the feeling conveyed through their music at some point. Scum Scunge was initially the brainchild of guitarist Stuart Taylor. He first formed the group in 2002 after only a few years of playing guitar. It is quite remarkable how far he has come as a player in such a short time. "Man, I don't know the first thing about reading music, or theory, or any of that bullshit. I just fuckin' play" says Taylor. He is definitely a natural at it, as many who have seen or heard him play can attest to. After seemingly endless auditions, he finally found a solid lineup which consisted of vocalist Donovan "Dody" Cleveland, bassist Gristle T. Bates, and drummer Brently. The quartet released the self produced album "Five Bucks Ain't Shit" in 2003, which featured a guest appearance from the late Dimebag Darrell Abbott who penned three tracks of his trademark stellar solos to round out the disc.

The disc sold consistently as the band played anywhere that would have them, drawing respectable numbers each time. The band's intense and thought provoking sound was solidified with their high energy stage presence. Scum Scunge clearly owns each and every stage they set foot on.

Unfortunately, toward the end of 2003, personal differences between band members curtailed the momentum they had gained, and the band had all but fallen apart. In early 2004, Taylor opted to find new players and start over again. He placed ads in various local publications and eventually got a response from former Mortifix/Cenobis drummer Steve Simpson. The two began playing together and learning each other's styles and began to polish the old material as well as write new material. After several months and fruitless auditions in the vocal department, Donovan Cleveland decided to come back into the fold which brought back the soul and feeling that was clearly missing in his absence. Several months later Taylor recruited former Rotting Corpse drummer Randy "The Gribb" Cook to fill the vacancy on bass. Some of Cook's past projects in addition to Rotting Corpse include session work for bands like Blockhead, Honest Merchants, and Never; just to name a few.

The current lineup is definitely stronger than ever before and the music has evolved and matured into a heavier, more dynamic, and more polished product. The band is currently in the studio recording tracks for the follow up to "Five Bucks Ain't Shit" which is slated to be released late spring/early summer 2005.


©2002-2005 Scum Scunge