The Acacia Strain is an American

deathcore Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore Breakdown (music)#Heavy metal and punk rock, breakdowns. While there are some precursors ...

band that was founded in 2001 and originally based in

Chicopee, Massachusetts Chicopee ( ) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in western Massachuset ...

, but now based in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

. The group is currently signed to

Rise Records Rise Records is an American record label currently based in Beaverton, Oregon, mainly focusing on alternative rock, heavy metal, and punk rock music artists. History Rise was founded in 1991 by Craig Ericson in Nevada City, California. He relea ...

and initially consisted of high school friends Vincent Bennett, Christopher Daniele, and Ben Abert, Karrie Whitfield, Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz, and Daniel Daponde joining shortly after. They recorded and released their debut album ''...And Life Is Very Long'' in 2002 via Devil's Head records. Since then, the band has released eleven more full-length albums.

Artistry

Musical style

The Acacia Strain's music has been primarily described as

and

metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

, and has been noted to include heavy influences from

sludge Sludge (possibly , or some dialect related to slush) is a semi-solid slurry that can be produced from a range of industrial processes, from water treatment, wastewater treatment or on-site sanitation systems. It can be produced as a settled sus ...

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

and

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

along with some

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

-style aesthetic and sensibilities.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

characterizes the band's musical style as "utiliz nga bone-crushing

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm ...

, apocalyptic samples, and a unique triple-guitar assault to deliver their signature blend of

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

, death metal and doom metal." The site's review of '' Wormwood'' elaborates on the band's sound as "an inelegant and unstoppable juggernaut fueled by memories of the unchecked aggression unleashed on the world by the likes of

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera.Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. They were a major force in the groove metal, thrash met ...

and

Pantera Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...

." Vocalist Vincent Bennett has denied that The Acacia Strain is of the "deathcore genre", going as far as expressing dislike for the label, though Bennett was later more ambivalent towards it, stating "sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't." The Acacia Strain's influences include

Candiria Candiria is an American band from Brooklyn, New York, mixing progressive metal, metalcore, jazz fusion and hip hop. They are part of the precursors of the mathcore genre with bands like Deadguy or Lethargy.Kevin Stewart-Panko, "The Decade in N ...

Integrity Integrity is the quality of being honest and having a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and Honesty, truthfulness or of one's actions. Integr ...

, Dismember,

Crowbar A crowbar, also called a wrecking bar, pry bar or prybar, pinch-bar, or occasionally a prise bar or prisebar, colloquially gooseneck, or pig bar, or in Australia a jemmy, is a lever consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flat ...

Meshuggah Meshuggah () is a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Umeå in 1987. Since 2004, the band's lineup consists of founding members Jens Kidman (lead vocals) and Fredrik Thordendal (lead guitar), alongside rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, drumm ...

Hatebreed Hatebreed is an American metalcore/ hardcore band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, formed in 1994. The band released its debut album ''Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire'' in 1997, which gave the band a cult following. The band signed to Universa ...

Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...

Arch Enemy Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a Supergroup (music), supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass (band), Carcass, Armageddon (Swedish band), Armageddon, Carnage (band), Carna ...

, and

Overcast Overcast or overcast weather, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization, is the meteorological condition of clouds obscuring at least 95% of the sky. However, the total cloud cover must not be entirely due to obscuring phenomena near ...

Lyrics

Written by lead vocalist Vincent Bennett, the band's lyrics generally center around

misanthropy Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, or distrust of the human species, human behavior, or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. Misanthropy involves a negative evaluative attitude t ...

and

nihilism Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that Existential nihilism, life is meaningless, that Moral nihilism, moral values are baseless, and ...

. Bennett employs

misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...

and sexually deviant imagery in his lyrics, but usually only as metaphors to help get his points across while keeping the songs' overall meanings open for interpretation.

Members

Current * Vincent Bennett – lead vocals (2001–present) * Devin "Big Slime" Shidaker – lead guitar, backing vocals (2013–present) * Griffin Landa – bass (2015–present) * Mike Mulholland – rhythm guitar (2022–present) * Matt Guglielmo – drums (2023–present) Former * Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz – lead guitar, programming (2001–2013); rhythm guitar (2007–2013) * Daniel Daponde – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2001–2006) * Christopher Daniele – third guitar (2001–2005) * Ben Abert – drums (2001–2004) * Karrie Whitfield – bass (2001–2003) * Jeanne Sagan – bass (2003) * Seth Coleman – bass (2004–2006) * Kevin Boutot – drums (2005–2023) * Jack Strong – bass (2006–2015) * Richard Gomez – rhythm guitar (2013–2016) * Tom Smith Jr. – rhythm guitar (2016–2022) Touring musicians * Mark Castillo – drums (2004) * John Preston – bass (2003) * David Sroka – rhythm guitar (2009) * Mike Casavant – rhythm guitar (2009–2010) * Tim Cavallari – lead guitar (2010–2012) * Tony Diaz – rhythm guitar (2010–2012) * Matt Guglielmo – drums (2018) * Terrance Pettitt – drums (2023)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

*''

The Most Known Unknown ''The Most Known Unknown'' is a DVD recorded by The Acacia Strain on December 28, 2008, in Worcester, Massachusetts at The Palladium. The band shared the stage with The Red Chord, Whitechapel, Shipwreck AD, Cruel Hand, and Thy Will Be Done. It ...

'' (2010)

EPs

*''When Angels Shed Their Wings Volume 3'' with Loyal to the Grave (2003) *''Money for Nothing'' (2013) *''The Depression Sessions'' with

Thy Art Is Murder Thy Art Is Murder is an Australian deathcore band from Blacktown, Sydney, that formed in 2006. The band consists of vocalist Tyler Miller, guitarists Sean Delander and Andy Marsh, bassist Kevin Butler and drummer Jesse Beahler. Thy Art Is Murde ...

and

Fit for an Autopsy Fit for an Autopsy is an American deathcore band from Jersey City, New Jersey, formed in 2008. The band consists of guitarists Will Putney, Pat Sheridan and Tim Howley, drummer Josean Orta, lead vocalist Joe Badolato, and bassist Peter "Blue" ...

(2016)

Singles

*"Jonestown" (2010) *"Servant in the Place of Truth" (2012) *"Above" / "Below" (2013) *"Bitter Pill" (2017) *"Big Sleep" (2017) *"D" (2020) *"E" (2020) *"C" (2020) *"A" (2020) *"Y" (2020) *"Untended Graves" (2022) *"Fresh Bones" (2023) *"Chain" (feat. Jacob Lilly) (2022)

Demos

*''Demo 2001'' (2001) *''Demo 2002'' (2002)

DVDs

*''

'' (2010)

Music videos

*"Smoke Ya Later" (2004) *"3750" (2005) *"Angry Mob Justice" (2006) *"Skynet" (2009) *"The Hills Have Eyes" (2010) *"The Impaler" (2011) *"Cauterizer" (2014) *"Send Help" (2015) *"One Thousand Painful Stings" (2020)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Acacia Strain, The 2001 establishments in Massachusetts Heavy metal musical groups from Massachusetts Metalcore musical groups from Massachusetts American deathcore musical groups Musical groups established in 2001 Musicians from Chicopee, Massachusetts Musical groups from Springfield, Massachusetts American musical quintets Rise Records artists