Genre : Technical death metal
Released : January 12th, 2024
Label : Nuclear Blast Records
FFO : Psycroptic, Fallujah, Entheos
For the uninitiated, Alluvial is a technical death metal supergroup formed in 2016 by respected extreme metal guitar virtuoso Wes Hauch (Glass Casket, ex-The Faceless, ex-Black Crown Initiate) and features Kevin Muller (The Merciless Concept, ex-Suffocation) on vocals, Tim Walker (ex-Entheos) on bass and Zach Dean on drums who replaced former drummer Matthew Paulazzo (Aegaeon, ex-The Zenith Passage).
Alluvial initially started out as an instrumental project with their 2017 self-released debut full-length "The Deep Longing for Annihilation" and further developed their distinctive sound on 2021 sophomore album "Sarcoma" with the addition of vocals and after signing to Nuclear Blast Records.
As an EP, "Death Is But A Door" feels like a natural extension and continuation of that sound, where Alluvial excel at making technical death metal sound more approachable and palatable to broader audiences, without overwhelming listeners with excessive displays of technical prowess and knowing when to slow things down for a unifying, crushing breakdown or veer into a more melodic direction with surprisingly catchy vocal hooks for the genre.
Opening track "Bog Dweller" immediately goes straight for the kill, ticking every box of what makes a memorable tech-death song that gets the heart pumping and showcasing new drummer Zach Dean's chops from the get-go with that impressive intro of explosive blast-beats. It wouldn't be surprising to see this one become a staple opening track for live-shows given how it contains everything to get a crowd moving as well as catch its attention, from the circle-pit inducing frantic riffs and drumming to down-tempo breakdowns with a complementary fiery guitar solo to top things off.
"Fogbelt" is perhaps the standout track of the EP and boasts what is easily the most iconic riff of the start of the new year.
Between the repeated shrill siren-like whammy riff followed by hulking dissonant chords and the ambient sound design, "Fogbelt" has an incredibly eerie and suffocating atmosphere that is maintained from start to finish and has the potential to haunt your worst nightmares for days on end.
"Area Code" further toys with industrial sound design, weaving it in and out of its "stop-and-start" song structure that keeps the listener guessing throughout and contains another masterful, squealing guitar solo before the full band pulls back in order to better mercilessly pummel any unwary eardrums.
The EP's closing title-track is perhaps its most divisive, as the band alleviates the pressure on the gas pedal (which was pressed all the way to the floor thus far) in favour of a somber ballad-like approach that makes full use of Wes Hauch's semi-clean vocals, while still containing bursts of animalistic aggression for the sake of contrast.
Hauch's vocals have a very unique timber, sitting somewhere between a gritty sung voice and a powerful bellow, which is further highlighted by the way they are layered and engineered to obtain this sorrowful, melodic and somewhat purposefully deadpan style of vocal delivery.
The only negative aspect of this release is that it is only an EP.
Given the quality of the material, it is only natural to wish for more.
However, each track on "Death Is But A Door" stands on its own and has something both memorable and unique to offer, confirming Alluvial's status as an essential modern tech-death act with a decidedly singular vision that distinguishes itself from the rest of the crowd.
"Death Is But A Door" sees Alluvial further refining their songwriting skills, expanding their creativity and focusing on their strengths while also tackling the difficult subject of addiction and its destructive impact on both the afflicted and those closest to them.
If this EP is anything to go by, it's safe to assume that Alluvial are set for nothing but greatness in the future, but for now, the two albums and EP that form their short but high-quality discography prove to be more than plenty to discover or return to in the meantime!