After two decades of toiling around the doom/stoner underground on a variety of small labels, North Carolina's Sourvein finally get their chance to really shine with their Metal Blade Records debut Aquatic Occult. Somewhat of a concept album, as every song deals with 'oceanic topics' , Aquatic Occult contains 14 tracks of beefy fuzz, tempos mixed between slow, doom laden dirges and more furious, groovy/psychedelic rave-ups. These guys certainly studied their classic Black Sabbath/Saint Vitus/Blue Cheer riffs while growing up, evident by such distorted mashers as "Aquanaut", "Avian Dawn", and "Ocypuss", each one chock full of some serious fuzz toned riffs that will instantly delight genre fans. Crushing sludge such as "Hymn to Poseidon", "High Tide", and "Urchins" lumber along with devastating intent, T-Roy's massive riffs and tortured vocals slaying everything in sight. And, check out that irresistible groove to the upbeat "Coral Bones", another fun tune in the grand Sabbath & Saint Vitus tradition.
If there's a downside to Aquatic Occult, it's that there are too many tracks, a few of which are short throwaway filler, and I think the album would have been tighter leaving a few of them off. However, there's a ton to like here for fans of doom/stoner metal, and the lo-fi, claustrophobic production only adds to the 'below the ocean depths' concept. Good stuff, and a great way to kick off their career on Metal Blade.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
- Tempest (Of Desire)
- Avian Dawn
- Ocypuss
- Aquanaut
- Hymn to Poseidon
- Mermaids
- Urchins
- In the Wind
- Cape Fearian
- Capsized
- High Tide
- Bermuda Sundown
- Coral Bones
- Oceanic Procession
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