Alluvial – Death Is But a Door (Review)

This is the latest EP from Alluvial, a modern death metal band from the US.

Following on after 2021’s Sarcoma, Death Is But a Door contains four new songs and has a total duration of 17 minutes. Strap in, it’s gonna get heavy.

Death Is But a Door continues Alluvial’s brand of modern extremity, taking components from the progressive, technical, djent, and deathcore styles, and incorporating them into the band’s ferocious, yet considered death metal. Deathcore has assumed a prominent weighting in the band’s formula, but it’s not the only important factor in this music, as we’ll see.

Bog Dweller is the opening cut, and exemplifies Alluvial’s style well. The mix of speed and groove, accessible brutality laced with technicality, deathcore heaviness bolstered by death metal fury…it all conspires to make for an easily enjoyable song that hits the spot.

Fogbelt starts huge, and doesn’t lose any mass throughout. It’s crushingly heavy, and surely designed to slay in the live arena. It’s like a mix of Fit for an Autopsy and Pantera, with a touch of Morbid Angel in the malevolent main riff. And oh my, those Pantera squeals! Very tasty indeed.

Up next is Area Code, which ramps up the speed once more, initially sounding  something like a brutal mix of Meshuggah and At the Gates to my ears, before launching into the sort of heaviness that Thy Art Is Murder would be proud of. Another solid track.

The title track closes the EP, showcasing a different, more textured side of Alluvial. There is a greater emotional aspect to this song, with impassioned clean singing and more of an emphasis on atmospheric immersion. It crowns the release very well, and shows that Alluvial have a few different tools in their toolbox.

Overall, this is heavier, darker, and has more of a deathcore influence in its sound. I like that this has been mixed with some older influences though, (particularly Pantera), to produce an extremely enjoyable collection of tracks. Bringing both old and new tricks to the table, Death Is But a Door is a very strong EP, and I can’t wait to hear what Alluvial’s new album is going to be like. If this is any indication, it’s going to be a scorcher.