It's been a crazy month since I last posted on here. After two weeks of general tomfoolery consisting of furnishing and moving into my new apartment in Montreal, school kicked back up again and, with it, a sudden realization of just how much work there is to do. Being the stressed, overworked, exhausted college student that I am, I haven't had much time to listen to music or get caught up on what's been going on in the heavier genres.
In any case, fall is here, and with it some brand new music from some old, maybe less popular faces now that the post-Warped craze has died completely and school is back in session for all the Kellin Quinn fangirls. Texas in July's new album is set to drop in about a week, Motionless in White and Woe Is Me have albums due out in November, but today I'm going to focus on possibly the heaviest, ugliest, most bone-crunchingly ridiculous new release: the Acacia Strain's Death is the Only Mortal.
Chicopee, Massachusetts natives, the Acacia Strain have maintained a small but incredibly devoted cult following since their release of ...And Life is Very Long in 2002. Despite their affection for breakdowns, and frontman Vincent Bennett's iconic mid-range roars, the band is quite possibly the purest form of metalcore. With an emphasis on rhythmic simplicity and an unquenchable, nearly cathartic anger that permeates every song they play, and their unflinching misanthropy and utter disregard for the norms of the music industry. In an interview, Bennett called out the idea that the band was deathcore "deathcore is the new nu-metal. [...] It sucks. And if anyone calls us 'deathcore' then I might do something very bad to them(Source: http://www.metalsucks.net/2008/12/30/exclusive-interview-with-the-acacia-strains-vincent-benett/).Thus, it was a complete shock that, after nearly twelve years with Lamb of God label Prosthetic, The Acacia Strain abruptly shifted record labels to the scene-happy, chug-friendly, homogeneous mess known as Rise Records for their release of Death is the Only Mortal. Fans were shocked and, expectedly, furious, fearing one of the angriest bands out there would be lost forever. Nevertheless, the band proved that signing onto a new label (even one as infamous and reviled among their fans as Rise) wasn't proof of a drop in quality.
Earlier criticisms of Death's predecessor Wormwood noted the continuous loss of originality as the band matured, from their debut album ...And Life is Very Long through the release of three more records. Wormwood's lyrics bordered on so angry they were silly, and while the band has a marked sense of humor, they seemed to be trying too hard in Wormwood, which was ultimately deemed a step down from 2007's Continent (which, as an aside, featured several Arrested Development references as song titles). In any case, Wormwood was my entry to the band, and the mysterious atmospheric effects, crunchy guitar riffs, and Bennett's unique voice all awed me. That's not to say it was a bump-free ride - three-minute breakdown 'Unabomber' can never hold my interest.
Death is the Only Mortal takes Wormwood's sound and, to put it simply, improves on it. Beginning, as Wormwood did, with an eerie, modulated voice in the first track, 'Doomblade', the band combines their bone-crushing rhythm section frequently with high guitar whines that drip with tension and make for a nearly frightening experience. The entire album leaves you feeling out of breath and claustrophobic. In some ways, the addition of technicality as a backdrop heightens this urgency - something that was remarkably absent in Wormwood and Continent; both albums relied on Bennett's furious lyrics to compensate for their simplicity.
Synthetic effects are at a minimum - the band continuously strives to create as organic a sound as possible, and their ability to do so is phenomenal and awe-inspiring. Djent elements add to the overall nearly 'crunchy' guitar portion, itself an Acacia Strain staple, while the entire record's overall slower tempo is almost doom-like in its monumental way. A beautiful piano portion on 'House of Abandon' gives me chills every time. Just as well, Bennett's mixture of high screams, low growls, and his characteristic mid-range growl keep you on your toes and make for an auditory delight.
Lyrically, the Acacia Strain stray from the path by taking a stab at misanthropy from a philosophical point of view in addition to the typical 'fuck everything, punch somebody' approach so prevalent in previous records. 'Victims of the Cave' preaches apathy, and the grand futility of existence, while 'Go to Sleep' (itself a reference to the infamous Jeff the Killer creepypasta, which I'm too pussy to link to) is a classic fountain of fury, and unsurprisingly the record's strongest play. Lyrics as a whole are an improvement on Wormwood, which dropped more F-bombs than an angry Guido, with the sole exception of a wince-worthy one-liner on 'the Mouth of the River': "Give em an inch, they take a mile. All you were was a big butt and a smile." with all the colorful ways the band has expressed their anger, the use of 'big butt' is just laughable.
Additionally, riff structure has undergone a bit more creativity. A brief interlude in 'Brain Death' sounds like it wouldn't be out of place on a softer album, but the refusal to stick to an established song structure is still a good one - it keeps the listener entranced as Bennett roars out his hatred of mankind.
But the question people want answered remains: has the Acacia Strain changed since their signing with Rise. Unsurprisingly not. This sounds as it should: a sequel to Wormwood with the bad parts improved upon and, while not completely fixed (it still gets a little repetitive), it's still a great release. Support the band and pick this record up. You won't regret it.
I'm going to try and update Idiot in Remission as often as I can. I'll aim for Monday and Wednesday afternoons, but if I'm too bogged down it might get a little pushed back. Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment