The Acacia Strain will release two new records on May 12 – Step Into The Light, which is more of the driving and fast material you know and love from The Acacia Strain; and Failure Will Follow, which is three tracks and 40 minutes of nothing but sludgy doom.
So why release two records? The Acacia Strain vocalist Vincent Bennett explained in an Instagram post that ultimately it's about artist expression. Bennett said both albums share some riffs and lyrics, but are contextualized in completely separate ways. Frankly, more artists should follow in the footsteps of The Acacia Strain – this is an extremely cool way to frame new material, and we're stoked to see how it all shakes out!
"I know it's confusing; why two records on the same day? Why not just do a big long record? Well, they are legitimately two separate records – written and recorded separately. One being a fast and hard ass beater, the other a slow, sad, emotional rollercoaster. It's all a big 'what if?' It's about human evolution on one hand, and human devolution on the other, and how every small decision we make can affect us in big ways. What if we leave the earth? What if we all evolve beyond our bodies? What if we go nuclear and fight for the final scraps of civilization? What if the earth fights back and reclaims itself?
"It's also about TAS. What if this riff went here, with this lyric? What if we were a completely different band? Mindset and environment can come into play in making a record, and we took that ALL into consideration. You may hear a familiar riff on one record or the other, you might hear similar lyrics shared on both records. It's about a split in time. The diverging paths we all take along the way, and the similarities we might encounter. How the decisions we make may cause breaks in reality, and what new realities they may create.
"We spent the better part of a year conceptualizing this into completion; we put everything into these records. You can buy one, both, or neither. You can listen to it on your streaming service of choice for free. We don't want your money, we just want your attention. I just want you to hear it, I care mostly that you listen; and you understand what we were trying to accomplish. We can never put out a normal record ever again.
"Thank you for reading – for understanding, and not being a negative hateful slandering reactionary."
Pre-order both records here. The Acacia Strain is currently out on the road with Fit For An Autopsy, Full Of Hell, and Primitive Man.
3/8 Brooklyn NY – The Monarch [Tickets]
3/9 Philadelphia PA – Union Transfer [Tickets]
3/10 Columbus OH – The King Of Clubs [Tickets]
3/11 Detroit MI – Saint Andrew's Hall [Tickets]
3/12 Chicago IL – Metro [Tickets]
3/14 Englewood CO – Gothic Theatre [Tickets]
3/15 Salt Lake City UT – The Complex [Tickets]
3/17 Seattle WA – El Corazon [Tickets]
3/18 Portland OR – Hawthorne Theatre [Tickets]
3/19 Sacramento CA – Ace Of Spades [Tickets]
3/20 Santa Ana CA – The Observatory [Tickets]
3/21 Los Angeles CA – 1720 [Tickets]
3/22 Mesa AZ – The Nile Theatre [Tickets]
3/24 Dallas TX – Amplified Live [Tickets]
3/25 Austin TX – Come and Take It Live [Tickets]
3/26 Houston TX – Warehouse Live [Tickets]
3/28 Tampa FL – The Orpheum [Tickets]
3/29 Atlanta GA – Heaven at The Masquerade [Tickets]
3/30 Greensboro NC – Arizona Pete's [Tickets]
3/31 Baltimore MD – Baltimore Soundstage [Tickets]
4/1 Worcester MA – The Palladium [Tickets]
The Acacia Strain also has a few (now dual) record release shows lined up for this May with Escuela Grind, Vomit Forth, and Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean.
5/19 Syracuse, NY – The Lost Horizon
5/20 Albany, NY – Empire Underground
5/21 Portland, ME – The Cavern
