The Acacia Strain appeared next to Deftones and Run The Jewels in the 25 Best Albums of 2020 list assembled by Revolver, who also counted the band’s decade-old Wormwood as one of 15 Essential Deathcore Albums alongside platters from Suicide Silence and Bring Me The Horizon. The long-running hard rock publication predicted, “Whatever comes next is bound to snap necks.”  The hell-raising metal institution literally doubles down on that prophecy in 2023, delivering not one but two devastating and diverse full-length records on the same day. Step Into The Light and Failure Will Follow push forward the fierce creative momentum kicked off with the surprise release of It Comes In Waves (2019) and the untraditional rollout of the spectacular Slow Decay (2020).  The Acacia Strain continues to defy convention with their eleventh and twelfth albums. Step Into The Light is ten songs of pulverizing power and gut-wrenching groove as only The Acacia Strain can summon. Its companion album, Failure Will Follow, leans into the sludge-driven, moodier side of the band across three epic tracks (collectively running more than 40 minutes) of furious doom.  It’s the same iconoclastic spirit and genuine fearlessness that’s resulted in certified underground anthems like “Beast,” “Feed A Pigeon Breed A Rat,” “Crippling Poison,” and “Cauterizer.” “I don’t want people to expect anything from us except to expect the unexpected,” says frontman Vincent Bennett, who started the earliest incarnation of the band with a few friends in 2001. The Acacia Strain built trust with a dedicated audience, stretching back more than 20 years. Countless tours around the world cemented a reputation as a devastating live band, on headlining treks, festivals, Warped Tour, or as a support act to Every Time I Die, Hatebreed, Architects, Arch Enemy, and Dying Fetus. As a headliner, they’ve handpicked several bands who blew up shortly after touring with them, including Knocked Loose and Fit For An Autopsy, to name just a few.   That community spirit also extends to their recorded work. Slow Decay included guest spots for Courtney LaPlante (Spiritbox), Jess Nyx (Mortality Rate), Zach Hatfield (Left Behind), and Aaron Heard (Jesus Piece). Failure Will Follow features Dylan Walker (Full Of Hell) and Ethan McCarthy (Primitive Man). Step Into The Light boasts Jacob Lilly (Chamber) and Josef Alfonso (Sunami).   Produced by longtime collaborator Randy LeBoeuf (Jesus Piece, Kublai Khan TX, Vatican), both records showcase the chemistry, intention, and musicianship shared by Bennett and his bandmates. Devin Shidaker (guitar), Griffin Landa (bass), Kevin Boutot (drums), and Mike Mulholland (guitar) remain anchored by the brutally heavy sound The Acacia Strain first began to develop in 2001 and combines that confident experience with creative ambition and adventure.    Massive in scope and brimming with sonic depth and diversity, the pair of albums are thematically united by an exploration of consequences and crucial decision points. What would The Acacia Strain sound like if they went one direction versus another? “I’ve watched a lot of science fiction, and I love alternative timeline stories,” the band’s frontman explains. “What if there’s a fork in the road, a singularity somewhere, that changes everything? What if we get it wrong? How might we present the idea of two different timelines as a band musically? That’s the route we took.”    “What if?” scenarios and the multiverse theory are longtime obsessions for the frontman.   “I’ve been obsessed with alternate timelines my entire life,” he says. “I was a huge fan of Lost and was completely blown away by that aspect of the show. Marvel Comics has different universes. I’ve always wanted to do something like this but never thought I’d get the chance to do it. It was always in the back of my head. And it was important for it to feel like our own thing.”   The band built their continued relevance and longevity on an unshakeable foundation stretched across a formidable catalog that began with their 2001 demo and the following year’s cult debut, …And Life Is Very Long, followed quickly by 2004’s 3750. Boutot took over the drum position in time for The Dead Walk (2006). The subsequent two albums, Continent (2008) and Wormwood (2010), are revered by extreme metal fans and hardcore kids as touchstone classics. Shidaker joined the band after Death Is The Only Mortal (2012), debuting on the Above/Below 7” single. Coma Witch (2014) cracked Billboard’s Top 40. Landa first appeared on Gravebloom (2017).   Decibel Magazine saluted It Comes In Waves as the band’s “most interesting and varied record.” Metal Injection agreed, declaring the 7-song slab “hands down the best thing they’ve ever done.”