Continent

Melding anarchy and abrasiveness with an arching melody, Massachusetts band the Acacia Strain have created their own corner of the music world; while the four-piece is certainly beholden to death metal and hardcore, to call them metalcore or deathcore would unfairly diminish them. While the band themselves describe their fourth effort, CONTINENT, as their darkest to date, a playfulness still abounds, instantly apparent in titles that reference comic-book villains and sea creatures and TERMINATOR 2. "The Combine" particularly stands out, with a brooding underpinning to make Sabbath proud, buoyed by an understated yet powerful hook.