The Acacia Strain Bring Their Towering Aggression On The Road (Photos)

With two albums on the way, the deathcore giants prime audiences for the new extremity.

Photograph by Joshua Alvarez

Text, Photos by Joshua Alvarez (@joshua.jam3s) at The Observatory in Santa Ana:

May 12th is a date that deathcore connoisseurs have highlighted on their calendars for The Acacia Strain will release a full-length duo, Step Into The Light & Failure Will Follow, via Rise Records. Until then, the madness has hit stages across North America and we were among the lucky hundreds present once the band's explosive live performance hit The Observatory this past March 20th.

Beyond it being a celebration of The Acacia Strain's celebrated discography, it was a showcase of the genre's incredible breadth and strength with supporting cast Fit For An Autopsy, Full of Hell, and Primitive Man delivering big on their respective ends. Excitement was through the roof as lights dimmed and the Massachussetts ensemble walked onto The Observatory stage. The Beast from 2010's Wormwood stormed on and attendees erupted into a frenzy, building off of the band's commanding presence.

Photograph by Joshua Alvarez

Frontman Vince Bennett made use of every inch of the performing area, cupping the microphone and ripping through blood curling vocals that carried the performance forward. Kevin Boutout's drumming excellence and Griffin Landa's bass work kept an exquisite rhythmic pulse as Devin Shidaker and Mikael Mulholland let their guitars roar through past greats and contemporary hits such as 4 x 4, Ramirez, Dr. Doom, and Crippling Poison. No matter where you stood in The Acacia Strain timeline, the band pleased all with little to no breathing room throughout the celebratory set. Fresh Bones & Unintended Graves from the forthcoming Step Into The Light also got their shine and fit right in with the rest of the band's offerings.

The Acacia Strain were tight knit and composed throughout an otherwise an explosive outing that further cements the band among the elite of deathcore's revered history. They took it back to Carbomb from 2004's 3750 to put a finishing touch on the thrilling evening, which concluded with arms high and raucous praise. With few dates remaining, we'd be remiss not to recommend indulging in this stacked touring bill spearheaded by leaders in their field.

Enjoy photo galleries of the performances and check out remaining tour dates below.

Primitive Man Photo Gallery

Full of Hell Photo Gallery

Fit For An Autopsy Photo Gallery

The Acacia Strain Photo Gallery

The Acacia Strain Tour Dates (Tickets)

March 29 — Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Heaven)

March 30 — Greensboro, NC @ Arizona Pete's

March 31 — Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage

April 1 — Worcester, MS @ The Palladium

May 19 — Syracuse, NY @ The Lost Horizon

May 20 — Albany, NY @ Empire Live

May 21 — Portland, ME @ Free Street

June 17 — Birmingham, AL @ Sloss Furnaces