Review: The Acacia Strain - Coma Witch
By Eric Perzanowski, Contributor
[Rise; 2014]
Rating: 7.5/10
Key Tracks: “Send Help,” “Cauterizer,” “The Observer”
The Acacia Strain has always been a deathcore band that has managed to stick out amongst a sea of carbon-copy bands. This is due in large part to the band’s songwriting and the brutal, nihilistic, self-aware atmosphere in its songs. Coma Witch showcases all of these qualities and is a testament to the band’s consistency.
This is the first album by The Acacia Strain to not feature guitarist DL Laskiewicz. Laskiewicz’s absence is certainly heard on this album, as he had a signature guitar tone that contributed greatly to the band’s heavy sound. Despite this, new additions Devin Shidaker and Richard Gomez suitably take his place.
The additions of Shidaker and Gomez add a new dynamic to the band’s sound. This is undoubtedly an album from The Acacia Strain through and through. Given the guitars sounding like less of a factor and the intangible qualities of both musicians’ styles, it makes for a different and distinct sound.
“Human Disaster,” the opener of Coma Witch, begins much like Death Is The Only Mortal and Wormwood began, with eerie ambient sounds and an ominous voice sample--it’s said the sample is a recitation of “The Poet” by Aleister Crowley.
After the sample, vocalist Vincent Bennett shouts “Rest in piss” and it transitions into an odd yet interesting rhythm, nicely shaking things up. “Cauterizer” is the second track, essentially a textbook song from The Acacia Strain with unrelenting ferocity.
The Acacia Strain has always been great at providing listeners with lyrics that are blunt, sometimes sardonic and nihilistic. Some of the time, you can just sense the hate and anger in the words and delivery; those are the moments that make me love The Acacia Strain. The repeated lines of “All life must end / Your prayers are worthless / No need to repent / All life must end” is an example of blunt lyricism and vicious delivery.
At other times there is a silly, over-the-top style in the words. For example, on “Holy Walls of the Vatican,” the opening lines are “I am a nonbeliever / I’d shit on the Virgin Mary if they ever let me see her.” It’s certainly a less serious approach that somewhat shows self-awareness, which is some of the appeal of this band. But at times it seems as if The Acacia Strain is just trying too hard to make something either edgy or badass.
The use of guest vocalists adds to the album’s quality. It’s not just who the guest vocalists are but how they’re utilized. Sven de Caluwé from Aborted appears on “Graveyard Shift;” Vincent Bennett also made a guest appearance on Aborted’s album that came out earlier this year. The presence of de Caluwé adds a nice, nightmarish quality to the track and provides a wonderful nasally, gutturally delivered chorus of “I am in Hell / Trapped inside myself / Ignorance is bliss / And there is freedom in carelessness.”
Max Cavalera, currently from Soulfly, among many other projects, appears on “Send Help.” “Send Help” is a highlight of the album and Cavalera’s presence helps this. Cavalera and Bennett have contrasting vocal styles and hearing them alternate near the beginning of the song is well done. In addition, the ending breakdown has a viciousness to it not typically on any of the other breakdowns on Coma Witch.
Coma Witch is actually a 2-disc album—the second disc is a single 27-minute track entitled “The Observer.” This unpredictable song is unlike anything The Acacia Strain has done in the past. Overall, “The Observer” has a cinematic build to it that features ambient sounds, orchestral elements and samples of scenes from True Detective and Apocalypse Now. The song seems to be split up into different parts, in which the aforementioned elements will build and lead to several powerful minutes during which the band plays. Then things will be calm, only to build to the next similar moment.
Coma Witch is another high-level release from The Acacia Strain. While this album still has a lot of the signature elements of a typical album from The Acacia Strain, there are a lot components, such as the 27-minute track “Observer,” the guest vocalists and the additions of Shidaker and Gomez to the band that make Coma Witch its own, distinct album.
