‘Slow Decay’ & The Acacia Strain Merch Bundles: A Metal Necessity

Alice In Chains will always be my favorite band and it’s going to be quite impossible for anyone else to really come close to them. At least that’s what I thought. But when The Acacia Strain merch and album dropped for ‘Slow Decay’, I officially declared it a tie.

Prior to announcing a new album, The Acacia Strain dropped 5 EPs separately with 2 songs on each of them. The title for each EP was just one letter, eventually spelling out DECAY. Once spelled out, the band announced their new album ‘Slow Decay’ which includes the 10 songs previously released on the EPs and 2 new songs.

What I loved most about the EP releases is the artwork that went with them. Once DECAY was spelled out, a full scene showing the decay of nature was revealed. To see them side by side was amazing and just shows how much The Acacia Strain put into this album. I couldn’t wait for it to be released and I knew I had to pick up some merch.

The Acacia Strain Merch I Picked Up

The Acacia Strain merch for this album is 100% the reason why I started collecting vinyl records. I have no regrets. After “Chhinnamasta” was released, I desperately wanted the ‘A’ EP, but it was sold out. Instead, I picked up ‘C’.

Once the album was announced and all of the artwork was revealed, my plan was to pick up the album and the rest of the EPs. Unfortunately, the collector’s bundle with the LP and all five of the 7′ EPs was sold out already. I really wanted to display the EPs in my house, but ‘A’ and ‘D’ were still sold out too. Instead, I decided to pick up the two EPs I was missing that were still available in hopes at some point the other two will be restocked. I also grabbed the ‘Slow Decay’ preorder bundle #4 which includes the LP and a blue long sleeve shirt.

When it finally arrived, I was completely over the moon. I felt like a kid on Christmas. Here’s a shot of everything I picked up:

I also was so pumped to find that the LP included a print of the EP artwork I wanted to display. I’ll be getting a frame made for this bad boy:

Tracklist for ‘Slow Decay’

“Feed a Pigeon, Breed a Rat” makes the perfect opener for this album. It immediately pulls us into this dark and heavy journey with Vincent Bennett screaming “it feels like hell” before the rest of the heavy instrumentals kick in.

The second track, “Crippling Poison”, is one of 2 tracks on this album that The Acacia Strain did not release with the EPs. I had a feeling that the last two tracks being released were going to be epic, and I was right. The Acacia Strain’s lyrics always make an impact and they’re just one of the many things that helps set this band apart. This track is a perfect example of that.

“Seeing God” crashes in next which features Aaron Heard from Jesus Piece. It’s aggressive, creating an atmosphere of chaos and terror. That feeling lingers into “Solace and Serenity” which has one of my favorite riffs on the album. Jess Nyx of Mortality Rate then jumps in on “The Lucid Dream”. Her vocals were a perfect addition to take us into a further descent while the instrumentals boom behind her and Bennett.

“I Breathed in the Smoke Deeply It Tasted Like Death and I Smiled” follows, starting us off with a completely primal beginning. It’s so aggressive before it takes a haunting turn, symbolizing a loss of all hope. For me, this is one of the stand out tracks on the album. It also features Zach Hatfield of Left Behind, and is another great vocal collaboration. “Crossgrates” then takes us right back to the hostility from the moment this song starts booming. “Inverted Person” continues this, taking off from the very beginning.

It’s very hard for me not to say “this is my favorite track” on each of these songs, because I truly love each and every song on this record all for different reasons. “Chhinnamasta” though has become one of my favorite songs of all time. The guitar creeps in just before Bennett unleashes the powerful “I can’t fucking breathe” which brings in pounding drums. If you read this and only choose to listen to one song, please let it be this one. It’s almost as if each band member decided to completely lose their mind on this song. It’s just perfect.

The final vocal collaboration on the album is with Spiritbox vocalist Courtney LaPlante on “One Thousand Painful Stings”. This track has everything and is another one I would consider to be perfect. It’s fast paced, aggressive, and of course insanely heavy. It also masters just the right moments to breakdown and slow down a bit. It’s a track that I cannot wait to see live because every time I listen to it, I think of how intense the pit will be.

The album comes to a close after that with the two final songs. “Birds of Paradise, Birds of Prey” is the 2nd track that was not included on the EP releases. Much like “Stings”, this is a track that has everything but it will also rip your heart out. It’s beautifully crafted and perfectly blends into the final track “Earth Will Become Death”. After taking us on an intensely heavy journey, this track makes the perfect closer.

The Final Verdict

‘Slow Decay’ is an absolute masterpiece from beginning to end. The Acacia Strain also outdid themselves with the merch from this release. If you’re thinking about picking up one of The Acacia Strain merch bundles, I highly recommend you do so before they are completely gone.

I also greatly appreciate them featuring several other talented musicians on this record. It gives fans a chance to discover these emerging artists who they may not have found otherwise. Between the incredible artwork and the perfection that is the album itself, as of right now, it’s the best record of 2020.

Where to Find ‘Slow Decay’ and The Acacia Strain Merch

You can still find the LP, EPs, bundles, and various other merch here at band’s Merch Connection shop.

You can find even more The Acacia Strain merch here.

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