Continent Review

Release Date: August 19, 2008
Label: Prosthetic Records
Genres: Deathcore
Number Of Tracks: 11
The Acacia Strain doesn’t hesitate to shock and awe both lyrically and musically on its new CD Continent.

Sound:	7.5
Lyrics:	7.5
Impression:	7.5
Overall rating:	7.5
Users rating:	8.9
Comments:	25

overall: 8

Featured review by: UG Team, on august 19, 2008

Sound: Like plenty of other bands, The Acacia Strain hasn’t been immune from the revolving-door syndrome. Originally the deathcore band featured 3 guitarists, but it has been whittled down to just Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz taking on all of the shredding duties. One might assume that would take away from the wall of sound, but thanks to layer upon layer of recorded guitar tracks, The Acacia Strain’s new album Continent doesn’t disappoint. Along with the double-bass pedal madness of Kevin Boutot, Laskiewicz’s guitar parts jump to the forefront of the album.

If you’re not familiar with The Acacia Strain, be prepared for the wonderful Cookie Monster-like vocals of Vincent Bennett. He does tend to stay in the same place for much of the record vocally speaking, but he does deliver what can only be described as a sonic scream during the intro of the first track “Skynet.” After the dramatic intro, Boutot lays into his drum set with fury and the rest of the band follows suit. A solid ending is aided by Bennett offering up some truly diabolical-sounding roars that feel straight out of The Exorcist.

Continent rarely lets up in it's intensity, so it’s nice to hear interspersed guitar nuances that break up the monotony of the aggression. “Seaward” has a very creative bit where you think Laskiewicz is going to lay into a held-out pinch harmonic in the style of Zakk Wylde, but he cuts it off short to create a “peep,” for lack of a better word. “Dr. Doom” is another highlight with it's fantastic groove-oriented chorus that transitions to the verse with rapid-fire drum beats. There are solos included in many songs, but it’s actually the random guitar lines that tend to be the most unique.

There have been interviews where the band has stated that Continent is The Acacia Strain’s “darkest” effort yet, and in some ways that is accurate. It’s definitely the most aggressive album yet and it rarely lets up on it's intensity. The closing instrumental track “The Behemoth” is dark in it's own right, but it takes a very different approach. It starts out with a hushed quality and cleaner guitar effects, with the track building layer upon layer. It never explodes in the same way as the other tracks, but that’s the refreshing aspect of it all. The band showed restraint and it just gives a cool feel to the last track. Had they tried something like this instrumental earlier on in the album it may have dragged things down, but it works perfectly as the closer. // 8

Lyrics and Singing: In an interview with VH1 back in June, vocalist and main lyricist Bennett explained, “For this record, I basically exiled myself from everything just to write the lyrics.” It’s definitely evident that he put plenty of focus into the grim, but highly original lyrics on Continent. At times they seem downright anti-female, but Bennett apparently wrote from the perspective of an individual who does a great deal of harm to humanity in general. If you want a raw taste of Continent, check out “Baby Buster,” in which Bennett sings, “I don’t sing f--king love songs because there’s nothing in this world for me to love; I want the world to have my rape baby; So when it’s born I can strangle it to death.” There are some seriously twisted lyrics on the album, and they should definitely make a thought-provoking conversation piece. It’s hard not be offended by some of what’s being sung, but at the same time you know that Bennett has purposely penned lyrics that will make us all squirm a little. // 8

Impression: Even with a pared-down crew, The Acacia Strain continues to produce a frighteningly effective wall of sound. The best moments come when you can hear some of the more intricate parts being played -- whether by the guitarist, drummer, or bassist -- and it gives Continent more of a unique identity. Bennett’s vocals will still be hard for some to swallow, but he certainly hasn’t thrown together just a bunch of random, run-of-the-mill lyrics. The Continent is brutal musically and lyrically, and The Acacia Strain has raised the bar in that sense. // 8

overall: 7

Reviewed by: MustangMan311, on august 19, 2008

Sound: The production on this album is clearer, and more concise than on The Dead Walk. The drums are tight and punchy, the guitar is sludgy, but tight, and the vocals are grating, but defined. Overall, everything is heard much better than on the previous effort, which is a good thing. It's new and clear, but still gives a legitimate view of their down and dirty sound. As for the music, the band's style has “grown”, and while I hate using this term, it is definitely more mature than anything they've done. While their breakdowns haven't changed that much, they're much more fitting of the songs, and not just there to be there. If you're a listener of Meshuggah, you'll hear some open notes that remind you of “ObZen”, and you'll think they're doing a reprise of 'Bleed' in one particular song. Another surprising element that makes an appearance on “Continent” is melody. I'm not going to go into a song by song breakdown, because that kind of ruins the element of surprise, but lets just say that the ending of the album is totally unexpected, especially considering a name like 'The Behemoth'. The sound of “Continent” blends what makes the band the Acacia Strain with a grown-up, more approachable sense of song-writing. In general, I'll give this a 7, but compared to usual Acacia Strain, it'd be an 8. // 7

Lyrics and Singing: If you're a fan of the band, you know that Vincent's writing is very laughable. This doesn't really change on “Continent”. The album's golden lyric is, “Lie in the corner and pray to the god of I Don't Give a f--k,” so you should know what to expect. Shots at Lambgoat, comparisons of abuse to Lifetime movies, and talk of the world being a toilet are just glimpses at the album's brilliance. Laughable? Yes. Awesome? Yes. As for the actual vocals, I can only say this: Vincent sounds inhuman. I honestly don't know how to describe them, except that there's a lasting grate / screech to them. They seem a bit deeper, and all the more monstrous, so you'll just have to hear them for yourself. // 7

Impression: I'm very impressed. I think that some of it has to do with me being insanely excited over this CD, and almost pissing myself when I heard that it had leaked. I've been waiting forever for new material, and the band has delivered. However, I already feel myself getting a little bit bored with it, and it hasn't already been 24 hours since I first heard it. If you're a fan, download it. If you're not, check out the songs on their MySpace, and see how you like it. A download can't hurt, but listen to it before you go out and buy it. I'll definitely be buying this CD, along with some of their hilarious merch. Overall, the album is a welcome addition to my music library, and it's a dawn of a new day for the band. They've taken the first step to becoming a more open band, and it looks like their “new direction” is for the best. // 7

Comments

[SkAsupafly]

sick. i better check this out.

[Corey Taylor]

skynet...

[ACFCPatrick]

Corey Taylor wrote:

skynet...

it has become self-aware.

[jonathanonfire]

im glad this wasnt given a 10. it's nothing too spectacular. the breakdowns just seem to fit better with the rest of the song imo... other than feeling a bit tacked on, like in previous releases. they are still good but now it all flows better. my favorite lyric is "i am the end of the world." and also.... the acacia strain is hardcore not deathcore.... theyre not touching death metal at all...

[Tedward]

not a huge fan of the genre but these guys are pretty intense literally.

im definitely gonna check this out.

[YamiJoey]

Definately a great album. I gave it a 9, but that is affected by the fact that it is "The Acacia Strain's new album". One of my favourite bands to date, I'd say.

The new album is a lot heavier than most, and that's why they're good, so it makes sense for it to be their best album to date. I hope that it goes that way. (I'm still undecided, myself.)

YJ

[joemurderscene]

Forget-Me-Now is sooooo sick.

I want your legs behind your head. haha. genius.
also, the behemoth is a really good instrumental song.

[sowhat360]

death-core.....man these genres are getting ridiculous. whats next, personalized music?

[playmetal5150]

Great Album. The lyrics are pretty nasty. The sound is real good. Just wondering what it would have sounded like if they stayed with Adam D producing instead of going to Zeuss. They definitely put alot of work into this album. It took awhile to get used to but I am loving it now. I still prefer the dead walk but thats just me. Also anxious to hear the live sound with all the guitar tracks being reduced to only one. 8.5
and to sowhat360 deathcore is only a subgenre its just a way of classifying music. people blow these sort of things out of proportion. get over it, forget genres, and enjoy the music.

[guitargodderyck]

sowhat360 :
death-core.....man these genres are getting ridiculous. whats next, personalized music?
POSTED: 08/19/2008 - 03:29 pm / quote
i agree

[bcruesch]

guitargodderyck wrote:

sowhat360 :
death-core.....man these genres are getting ridiculous. whats next, personalized music?
POSTED: 08/19/2008 - 03:29 pm / quote
i agree

How is this ridiculous? I think it's fairly helpful to have terms to differentiate from death metal infused hardcore and hardcore. It's really just the same thing as any other genre name.

[MustangMan311]

Hey, UG: This is a ****ing hardcore / deathcore CD, so don't ****ing talk about the lyrics being "hard to swallow". If people don't like the whole package, then **** them- They don't have to listen. Quit ****ing talking about vocals.

[RFer]

Looks like its an intense album...gonna look for it some time

[BiZarrosandwich]

This album is frightening. Like, it seriously is scary to think about some of the songs. But it's just so good. The Combine is The Acacia Strains best song to date.

[Neverhead666]

Good band. And a cd release on my birthday, such a good day for me. If you haven't seen these guys live, do so. They put on an amazing show.

[Shredder Guitar]

the combine and jfc are my favorites off this album

[frazdeezie]

sick cd,
cthulhu is amazing, what a name tho eh...

[sigur_ros6]

I really like this cd. JFC is definitely my favorite song of the album.

Best lyrics "I want the world to my rape baby, so when its born I can strangle it to death."

so brutal

[patsyxcore]

The half-step up tuning dissapoints me, and their songs are really annoying to tab. I've spent three days on Dr. Doom alone, and I still got the rest of the album to go.



Fantastic album though. Five stars.

[VIRUSDETECTED]

This album is terrible in my opinion. One of the few things I've actually deleted off my computer.

[YamiJoey]

Myb favourite Acacia Strain album, and one of my favourite albums to date. Absolutely adore it.

Who is the end of the world? I am. Who thought they were dead? I did. What moves in the land of death? Nothing. What moves in the land of decay? Nothing.

Yeah. Best lyrics evarr! xD

YJ

[RazorbackCody]

these lyrics are so funny. i found myself listening to this in my car and most of these songs sound the same. he uses to many open notes. dont get me wrong i love these guys and this has what made them popular but i think they need to re-invent themselves because it is starting to sound to alike. behemoth kicks so much ass

[alanaxxhxc]

Overall I think this Cd was a waste of money. The songs generally sound the same, and they seem to run into each other. It just sounds like one giant breakdown. As a fan of the band I was very disappointed, with the exception of The Combine. That song is freaking brutal!

[bite_the_bullet]

I feel like the vocals, in the mix, lost some punch as opposed to Dead Walk. They are, however, more grating which is more accurate to his live shows but he still maintains the throaty punch that was on Dead Walk.

Great Cd overall, and I love Vincent's approach to writing. Sick bastard

[xDeathxMetalx]

This Cd is a masterpiece plain and simple from start to finish. and im not a fan of Deathcore but these guys actually impress me. just saw them at the Harmony Grange a few days ago. they were ****ing brutal.