Sourvein

Sourvein reached their tenth anniversary in 2002, by which point the southern alternative metal group had undergone substantial transformation since launching in Cape Fear, NC, back in 1993. Contemporary members have recalled the early material as merging the Melvins with Millions of Dead Cops and Black Flag. By the start of the 2000s the sound had shifted toward Black Sabbath-inspired guitar lines paired with death-metal-flavored vocals. T-Roy Medlin, an alumnus of Buzzov-En, delivered the anguished, throat-ripping style associated with death metal, black metal, and grindcore, yet the tempos remained slow rather than frenetic. Guitarist Liz Buckingham, previously of the New York-based 13, supplied the deliberate, heavy riffs that evoked Tony Iommi and placed Sourvein in the doom-metal realm alongside acts such as Candlemass, Saint Vitus, and Grief.

Frequent personnel turnover has defined the band’s history. Buckingham joined in 1998, the same year Sourvein relocated from Wilmington, NC, to New Orleans. Several drummers rotated through the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Jimmy Bower of Eyehategod, Crowbar, and Down as well as former Mason Dixon Overdrive member Slim Spencer, before Henry Vazquez settled into the position. Bassist JC participated during the late 1990s but was succeeded by Miguel Veliz after the move to Texas. In 2001 the band signed with San Francisco’s Man’s Ruin Records, an imprint known for stoner rock, alternative metal, and punk releases, though no recordings appeared because the label encountered financial difficulties. Southern Lord Records became the new home in 2002; the Medlin/Buckingham/Veliz/Vasquez lineup tracked the intense Will to Mangle that year. Emerald Vulture, an EP issued in 2005, preceded split 7-inches with Church of Misery. Two further EPs, Ghetto Angel and Imperial Bastard, followed in 2007 and 2008. Black Fangs, the next full-length studio album, arrived via Candlelight Records in 2011, and Aquatic Occult was released on Metal Blade in 2016.