The Acacia Strain
Wormwood
4/5

Listen To: The Impaler
Skip It: Tactical Nuke

Massive drop-tuned guitars resonate over a slap-happy double bass foundation on Wormwood, The Acacia Strain's fourth studio album. This record's heaviness warrants a backup set of speakers, it's a start to finish firing range of hardcore tinged death metal.

Living up to its name, album opener "Beast" (featuring Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta) is a muscle shirt shredding inspiration. After an eyebrow raising intro with an alien-like voice insisting When someone needs to be killed, there's no wrong, you're bludgeoned with slow-paced war-drum stomping and max-distorted guitar chugs. Vincent Bennett intensely assaults with his fire-breathing, vocal chord snapping microphone punishment.

Track two, "The Hills Have Eyes,” continues the workout. Driving along a straight ahead triplet beat, the song is more hardcore punk than deathcore and the like, a sound consistent on other faster tracks like "Ramirez.” Fans of Raised Fist and other metal-hardcore will fly ass over tits for these circle pit-triggering songs.

The Acacia Strain, aptly labeled deathcore or not, dabble in untreaded zones on Wormwood as well. For example, intriguing you in the forefront of the entire record is an array of delay guitar. "The Carpathian" and "Terminated" play around with the strobe effect tastefully, allowing contrast to cease judgment of this, upon first listen, categorical band. But "The Impaler" takes the cake with the slipperiest guitar lead around. I don't know what produces this possessed hyena shrill, perhaps better described as a cathedral window shattering over a hell-demon's headstone, but it impresses. Yes, there are many times when Wormwood is that good.

Track Listing:

1. Beast
2. The Hills Have Eyes
3. BTM FDR
4. Ramirez
5. Terminated
6. Nightman
7. The Impaler
8. Jonestown
9. Bay of Pigs
10. The Carpathian
11. Unabomber
12. Tactical Nuke

Published by Tangible Sounds Magazine