In these very strange, unprecedented times for the world over (and not just the music world) it must make a few of us uneasy in terms of when does “new music” stop coming out thanks to the pandemic. Well, the good news is the music we are getting right now is simply fantastic! The Acacia Strain have dropped two EPs this year after a surprise full release at the end of 2019. These new EPs entitled, simply, D and E (Rise Records) are certainly under the “short but sweet” category. Each EP only has two tracks apiece, however, this only helps in getting listeners to want more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I858cfIkN5I

‘Feed A Pidgeon Breed A Rat’ kicks off the first EP, D, with an ominous intro that leads right into Vincent Bennett screaming and the rest of the ensemble hitting you right in the face. While nothing experimental of The Acacia Strain, this track is what they do well. ‘Seeing God’ is the final track on the EP and it feels more like a straight-up death metal track with those “caveman” riffs that are spoken of across many blogs/vlogs. The E EP is up next and it starts off with a banger called ‘Solace and Serenity’. This opener track is just thunder from start to finish and helps showcase how TAC are quite versatile in keeping their tracks fresh while still sticking to their sound. ‘The Lucid Dream’ rounds out the last EP and it is a mix of all things good with some speed, aggressive vocals, heavy riffs, and a fun breakdown in the last minute of the song.

Overall, for four tracks that do not hit the twenty-minute mark which followed a solid full-length release just a few months ago, D and E are stellar. Of course, now there must be some speculation on if there will be two more releases to spell out “DEAD” or perhaps “DEATH” so as not to double up on the title of D (Editor’s note, C is the newest EP, but good guess). Whatever The Acacia Strain’s plans are moving forward, I am sure we will all be excited to hit play on what comes next.

8 / 10

TIM LEDIN