Surreal metalheads Evil Scarecrow bring their strange world to Engine Rooms, Southampton

Chapter IV: Antarctica sees them take another giant leap forward, blending metal and melodies with riffs, roars and razor wit.

Frontman Dr Hell explains the album’s themes: ‘We really wanted to push our musical boundaries and create a record that connects with the world we live in today.

‘I think everyone can relate to the endeavours of a sandal-clad monk bravely exploring a sub-antarctic wasteland, on an unknown quest, enduring the extreme elements and battling his inner demons… and an ice slug who shoots frozen milk...If not that, haven't we all had to live with a malevolent Polterghost at some point? Laddering our tights and chucking spaghetti about the place... Swine.

‘Equally relatable is our track Gus, Zag and the Turnip King. The amount of stories you hear up the pub about staunch Satanists accidentally summoning a two-headed turnip monster, instead of our lord Beelzebub, which then goes onto destroy the earth. Then, in a final desperate act of time travel, two people are genetically melded together through a space vortex, horribly mutated to become the aforementioned taproot. It's a classic grandfather paradox tale that speaks to us all.

‘Despite the deep socio-political messages, we also wanted to reflect and record important parts of our recent history. Everyone remembers the devastating Mars invasion of 2017, right? In our defence on this one, we did write the song in 2016, so it could have happened. Or maybe it did and you've all forgotten, too busy with your heads buried in social media, no doubt! 

‘The fact that you have read this nonsense this far is frankly a miracle. Maybe you need to get out more. Y'know, do some outdoor activities or something. We're all going to die, probably much sooner than we would like. The least you can do is get some fresh air and watch the sunset with a loved one, silently reflecting on the darkness that follows the final, gasping rays of the dying sun as a metaphor for the bleak ending of your own insignificant existence...

‘Oh, there's also a song about a cosmic goth moth!

‘Well actually it's sort of about his gong. It’s called Cosmos Goth Moth Gong.’

EVIL SCARECROW

Thursday, January 24

Engine Rooms, Southampton

engineroomssouthampton.com