The Acacia Strain
American metalcore band
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Acacia Strain is an American metalcore band that was founded in 2001 and originally based in Chicopee, Massachusetts, but now based in Albany, New York. The group is currently signed to Rise Records[1] 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. The band has released thirteen full-length albums throughout their tenure.
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- Rise
- Closed Casket Activities
- Prosthetic
- Devil's Head
The Acacia Strain | |
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 The Acacia Strain in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Chicopee, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels |
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| Members |
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| Past members |
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Touring
The band has taken part in several tours and festivals over the years. In 2023, the band supported Dying Fetus on tour in North America along with Despised Icon.[2] In February 2026, the band was announced as part of the lineup for the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, scheduled to take place in September.[3]
Artistry
Musical style
The Acacia Strain's music has been primarily described as deathcore[4][5] and metalcore,[6] and has been noted to include heavy influences from sludge,[7] doom metal[7][8][9] and death metal[10] along with some punk rock-style aesthetic and sensibilities.[11]
AllMusic characterizes the band's musical style as "utiliz[ing] a bone-crushing rhythm section, apocalyptic samples, and a unique triple-guitar assault to deliver their signature blend of hardcore punk, noise, death metal and doom metal."[7] 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 and Pantera."[12]
Vocalist Vincent Bennett has denied that The Acacia Strain is of the "deathcore genre", going as far as expressing dislike for the label,[13][14] though Bennett was later more ambivalent towards it, stating "sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't."[15]
The Acacia Strain's influences include Candiria, Integrity, Dismember, Crowbar, Meshuggah, Hatebreed, Slayer, Arch Enemy, and Overcast.[16][14][17]
The Acacia Strain's music videos were also known for being humorous, and generally not taking the deathcore scene seriously.[citation needed]
Lyrics
Written by lead vocalist Vincent Bennett, the band's lyrics generally center around misanthropy[18] and nihilism.[19] Bennett employs misogynistic 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.[18][19][20]
Band 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, backing vocals (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
- 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
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [21] |
US Heat. [22] |
US Indie. [23] |
US Rock [24] |
US Hard Rock [25] | |||||
| ...And Life Is Very Long |
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— | — | — | — | — | |||
| 3750 |
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— | — | — | — | — | |||
| The Dead Walk |
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— | 40 | 47 | — | — | |||
| Continent |
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107 | 2 | 13 | — | 18 | |||
| Wormwood |
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67 | — | 6 | 21 | 8 | |||
| Death Is the Only Mortal |
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51 | — | 10 | 21 | 5 | |||
| Coma Witch |
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31 | — | 4 | 8 | 1 | |||
| Gravebloom |
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146 | — | 4 | 29 | 8 | |||
| It Comes in Waves |
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— | — | — | — | — | |||
| Slow Decay |
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87 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Step Into the Light |
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— | — | — | — | — | |||
| Failure Will Follow |
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— | — | — | — | — | |||
| You Are Safe from God Here |
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— | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||
Live albums
- The Most Known Unknown (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 and Fit for an Autopsy (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
- The Most Known Unknown (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)