The Acacia Strain – Continent
The underground has been buzzing about The Acacia Strain for the better part of two years. The band’s last album, The Dead Walk took a lot of people by surprise. The Massachusetts band’s blend of metal precision and hardcore informed tempos definitely struck a nerve with fans when they hit the road to support the record. To help capitalize on the momentum, the band entered the studio with uber-producer Zeuss (Municipal Waste, Hatebreed) and worked on what vocalist Vincent Bennett promised to be their, “darkest” effort to date.
Continent, the resulting album, gets started with the doomsday sounds of “Skynet” which really sets the tone for the remainder of the material. The first thing that pops out is the vocals. Bennett’s sandpapered growls have never sounded as vicious as they do here. “Dr. Doom” has some of the album’s most inspired guitar playing with DL laying down the riff goodness. His chugging on “The Combine” somehow combines the mid-tempo groove of Obituary with the dissonance of bands like Converge and Century. This song in particular will surely incite kung-fu styled kicks when they play it live.
The standout track on Continent has to be “Balboa Towers” with its forward thinking arrangement and infectious bass lines expertly provided by Jack Strong. “The Behemoth” closes the album with a completely stylistic left turn showing off dynamic bursts of ambience and powerful use of space within the mix. It’s doubtful this album will get a fair shot in the eyes of the metal purists but it’s hard to argue with its potency.
Rating: 7/10
Label: Prosthetic Records
Website: www.prostheticrecords.com
By Carlos Ramirez
(+100 rating, 25 votes)
You tend to be very critical of metal “purists.” Sorry for having some standards.
Huge difference between “standards” and stupidity.
yeah i mean read their lyrics, it has nothing to do with metal purists or being open minded, the acacia strain is just a bad band, musically and lyrically
carlos ramirez, beaners obviously dont know metal
Yeah, “beaners” don’t know metal. I wonder what Tom Araya, Dave Lombardo, Pete Sandoval, Craig Locicero (Forbidden), Black Tide, and countless others would say about that.
lol @ black tide statement
Saw this band last year at Sounds of the Underground. And thought they fucking sucked.
I am so burnt out on all these bands that do a fast death metal part, then a boaring ass breakdown part. So all the scenester fags can fling thier arms around.
Id much rather listen to the Red Chord!!
Screw you all this band is fucking great. and if its so bad why are you looking at reviews of its cd? i mean hell i dont like emo bands and you dont see me looking up shit on there cds cause i dont give a fuck. but yeah fuck you guys this band is great.
I grew up/around with these guys, first cd was incredible, the dead walk? eh, but this cd has caught my attention once again. As far as the lyrics? If you have seen, or know these guys than you will understand that’s how they have always been…my cousin was thrown up on once at a show in our hometown by an old bass player…funny shit. They have many cds, someone thinks their ok.
I look at these reviews and make critical comments, because 99% of this site gives metal a bad name.
Hear that boys, Mike K is coming to clean up metal as we know it!! With nothing more than his mom’s laptop, an ipod full of obscure bands, and a dream
Come on over to TheSaltyPirate.com kiddos, where whiners are bitched out on sight
i cant even beleve these stupid ass blogs..i dont know what im even bothering with wasting my time in a bnch of faggots who think they even know fucking music for that matter..so all you little scencester mohawk wearing douch bags need to get a life and stop bloging about shit you dont even know about
listen to actual metal ppl. suffocation, morbid angel, vader, napalm death, black dahlia murder, at the gates,behemoth,decapitated, necrophagist and some new bands.. y are gay bands like acacia strain even being discussed. it seems that the old bands are the ones who are actually playing actual metal these days. acacias days are numberd
hey eternal, necrophagist and bdm get old quick. I listen to those bands and I listen to The Acacia Strain.
“I am so burnt out on all these bands that do a fast death metal part, then a boaring ass breakdown part. So all the scenester fags can fling thier arms around.
Id much rather listen to the Red Chord!!”
LOL the most contradictive statement EVER LAWWWL
There’s 2 good songs on this album! Listen to Sylosis!
fuck all you motherfuckers.
the acacia strain is fucking raw. period.
i’ve seen them countless times and they always put on an amazing show.
i fully understand that you gay ass butt metal kids don’t quite have the mental capacity to grasp their music, so stfu you obviously don’t know what ur talking about.
don’t dis it till you go to a show and actually give it a chance.
acacia is here to stay, suck my dick. peace.
Acacia is a bad ass band end of story! very BROOTAL I mean I much more loved it when Acacia was in the Hardcore scene more so than the metal scene where they are not understood.
if your open-minded like me, you’ll like the acacia strain and “pure” metal bands. I listen to suffocation, morbid angel, dying fetus etc. And i listen to hardcore bands like Ceremony, Trash Talk, Bracewar etc. Dont give it a bad review cause your not into that type of music. and for all the people that hate hardcore dancing should shut the fuck up. people hardcore dance to hardcore, push mosh to metal, and skank to punk, that simple. just because your not in the scene means its stupid. respect all forms of moshing, to the outside world, it looks same lol.
If you’re in the mood for a heavy album, this is a good to get into.
Good review.
this band sucks balls, their riffs are utter garbage, and the lyrics literally make me embarrassed for them whoever wrote this review is a douche
the new faceless cd leaked, shits all over anything on this garbage ass cd
fuck all you faggets
behemoth,decapitated, necrophagist?
they all fucking suck
fuck you fuck your mother fuck your life
acacia strain rules
They are like emmure’s retarded step sister
except this band has been around longer than emmure, and has called them out for stealing their riffs. but okay.
thanks for the info
ringofedwin
making retards look intelligent
Fukin haters.
Hardcore is for a certain type of person, if it was for the average mainstream music listener… the genre would suck and would definitely seize to exist. If one is a true music lover, one should respect what this band has to put out. What The Acacia Strain has done for the hardcore community cannot be expressed for words. Their live show is intense and brings in people from all over the east just to get a taste of this genre which we all call “metalcore.” Don’t hate, this is not your everyday tight pants and wrist slitting band. This is a band of talent, maturity, and of course what we all love brutality in its finest form. Fuck all your headbangers and pushpitters. This is the real shit.
THIS BAND IS AMAZING ONE OUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES!!!!! FUCK YOU PUSSY ASS CUNT BAGS THAT HAVE SAND IN THERE PUSSIES!
metal evolves, it always has. Metal = biggest genra with soooo many sub-genras…….
Here’s the deal: Most of your precious “real metal” bands suck, and many of them have been sucking for quite a few years now. Even bands like Slayer, Megadeth, In Flames, CC, Dimmu, Bodom, etc – none of them have put out truly good records in recent years.
Don’t even get me started on the likes of Black Tide, Steel Panther, or the slew of Anthrax circa 1987 ripoffs that are playing thrash again, as if to further perpetuate this strange 80s revival gimmick (music, fashion, republicans) that this decade has seen.
On the other hand, bands like The Acacia Strain are putting out quality records and playing great live shows. The kicker for me is that virtually all “extreme” metal has some degree of hardcore influence, yet most of you here hate on anything with the suffix “core” in it.
In any event – music evolves, music changes. Hell, metalcore isn’t really even metalcore anymore – it’s now turned into deathcore, mathcore, techcore, or whatever you want to call it. You can either evolve with music and find something that you like, or you can sit with your arms crossed and listen to Rust In Peace while clamoring for the days of old. They aren’t coming back, folks. So move on with the times.