The Dead Walk is the third installment from Springfield, Massachusetts Heavy-Hitters The Acacia Strain. After a bit of a line up change, the band have returned with a much leaner, more stripped down sound. It's immediately apparent that the band have added a huge dose of full-on-Metal to their already crushing sound. The album's brief intro "Sarin;The End" leads right into the actual opening track "Burnface", which kicks in with a riff that's right out of the Meshuggah handbook. And while this is not a bad thing, it gives the initial impression that the band is trying to incorporate a style that is not entirely their own. Don't let this fool you or cause you to question the bands direction, as the rest of the album serves to prove that this is without a doubt The Acacia Strain.
The song "4x4" starts off with an obligatory "GO!" and a typical harcore breakdown.The tempo quickly shifts into a nice driving rhythm, and there is actually some nice lead guitar work thrown into the mix as well, which is something you'd be hard pressed to find on the bands previous efforts. "Angry Mob Justice", which is arguably the albums standout track, showcases some seriously sick, low end guttural vocals throughout the song. And while this may not be something that is completely new to the band's sound, it sounds ten times more sinister thanks to the cleaner, more streamlined guitar sound.
"See You Next Tuesday" is undeniably more metal than hardcore, maintaining a more uptempo rhythm throughout, and a decent amount of double-kick drumwork. Breakdowns are everpresent, but in this instance serve to enhance the song, as opposed to coming off as a sterotypical, repetitive, or boring. "Demolishor", which has a sick haunting melody to it, has a few moments of utter chaos, where the vocals and music seem to be completely lost on eachother. "Predator: Never Prey" gives a nod to Old School Hardcore with the use of Gang Choruses, while the closing title track "The Dead Walk" once again brings to mind the likes of Meshuggah, as well as A Life Once Lost, and even Pantera with yet another sick solo thrown into the mix.
Overall, this is a very solid release. While there are elements that may come off as being typical or even predictable, the band does a stellar job of proving that they are more than capable of stepping outside the confines of the metalcore genre.
