Review Summary: In the cesspool of a genre that metalcore is, The Acacia Strain are the health department handing out prophylactics to stop the inbreeding.
Let’s get one thing straight, I’m a man who enjoys his metalcore, and I’m not ashamed to admit that. And yes I do occasionally indulge in the really bland and generic band here and there, but this review isn’t about one of those bands. This review is about the Acacia Strain.
Coming to you from Massachusetts are The Acacia Strain with their third album, The Dead Walk, and their no compromising, no BS way of writing albums is on full display here. I won’t lie to you, yes it has breakdowns, yes it has songs that are strict “tough guy” anthems. But they not only pull it off well, they ALMOST succeed at integrating them into an album that walks the line between technical and simple chugging.
The vocals on this album are definitely a hit or miss. For some, Vincent Bennett’s voice can tend to grind, it doesn’t fluctuate tone, except for the very rare half-a-step higher shout. He delivers his vocals in the hardcore vein, and they compliment the instruments well. Lyrically, it’s been done before, typical meathead subjects that you would expect from hardcore music, but it’s not too decipherable so it doesn’t become a problem.
Instrumentally is where The Acacia Strain really shine above the rest of their peers. As stated before, the guitar can go from being borderline technical and then in an instant be playing a 1-0-1 chugging pattern, but they transition well so it doesn’t subtract from the song or sound like an entirely new song is being juxtaposed together through a breakdown. The tuning on Daniel Laskiewicz’s guitar is immense, it is so low that it makes his simple chugging sound different then everyone else’s. Kevin Boutot’s part isn’t as noticeable as it is on Continent, but he plays decent fills complimenting the guitar and making the already heavy and crunching guitar sound even heavier. The bass is almost entirely inaudible, save for a few seconds here and there, but did you really expect anything else?
Standout tracks such as 4x4, Angry Mob Justice, See You Next Tuesday, and The Dead Walk, all show a good representation of The Acacia Strain’s sound and sound unique to themselves, whereas some of the other tracks tend to blend together after a few listens.
Overall this album is a very good release from The Acacia Strain, and was a foreshadowing of things to come from this band. In the cesspool of a genre that metalcore is, The Acacia Strain are the health department handing out prophylactics to stop the inbreeding.
