The Acacia Strain (Wave One) The Acacia Strain (Wave One)

Friday night metal band The Acacia Strain kicked off two nights of back to back sold-out shows at The Secret Group. Night one, the band was set to play through their album, It Comes in Waves, released in December 2019, and selections from their latest album, Slow Decay, released in July 2020. Night two, they would play through their fifth studio album, Wormwood, in honor of its 10th anniversary.

Houston’s The Secret Group is a small venue, this made the sold out show a very intimate and close experience. Texas band Kublai Khan TX, took the stage prior to Acacia, and was the perfect start to get the crowd’s energy going. The room was filled, wall to wall, with everyone head banging to the heavy riffs and screaming lyrics, as the middle of the crowd began moshing and hardcore dancing. After a great performance from the opening act, it was obvious that the crowd was ready for who they came to see.

After a brief intermission, members of Acacia began to make their way on stage, setting u their own instruments and making sure the sound was right and ready to go. Lead singer Vincent Bennett came to the stage but stood in the shadows checking his pockets for a lighter, an eager fan quickly reached out and handed him one. Bennett lit a stick of incense and made his way to the mic as the lights dimmed. The opening songs on the album are an orchestration of slow, dark and melodic tones as Bennett followed with aggressive vocals. The crowd went nuts as everyone started getting into the slow, dark vibes. The mosh pit quickly formed in the middle of the crowd, overtaking much of the venue’s floor.

Metal as a genre as always carried a stigma of being “evil” or “satanic” but to the those who have grown up in the community, know the culture and feel differently. There’s a sense of brotherhood and camaraderie. You might be in the pit to take out your aggressions but if you see someone hurt or fall, you stop to help them up or out. The Acacia Strain’s lyrics are often filled with angry and hateful themes and as the night continued, it seemed like everyone there was there for the same thing, let out two years worth of frustration, sometimes a show is exactly what you need to let everything out. The crowd was mixed with both young and old metal-heads, all feeding off the intense energy that The Acacia Strain was giving off.

Night one was absolutely insane. I cannot wait for the Acacia Strain to come back to Houston with another great line-up of supporting bands. They definitely put on a high energy show that each of their fans should experience for themselves.