Album Review: The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe from God Here (Rise Records)

Extreme metaller’s The Acacia Strain will release their new album ‘You Are Safe from God Here’ on 24th October 2025 via Rise Records.

When you’re already the embodiment of extreme metal, there’s not a lot of fresh places you can go, so the best thing to do is just double down on what you do. Make something noisier, uglier, chaotic, and violent, and then push all of that to breaking point.

Say hello to The Acacia Strain’s new album, You Are Safe from God Here. Which, unsurprisingly, does exactly all of that, and then some. It is 12 tracks of savagery, meaty and mean throughout, but with variations on the extreme here and there. Basically, sometimes it pummels with death metal speed, sometimes it’s all about measured sludgy heft, and sometimes it’s a combination of both, soaked in bloodshed and gore.

It’s the sound of the end times, if you want a simple summation, with a thick, nihilistic vein running all the way through it.

One of the aspects of The Acacia Strain’s music that helps make them stand out comes from their hardcore punk roots, and this new album doesn’t shy away from that in the slightest. Adding energy and groove in places, which often helps lift the mind out of the depths that the death and sludge has dragged it to.

11 out of the 12 tracks come in under three minutes, resulting in a short and sharp assault on the senses. Track after track of raging viciousness and venomous determination, which might sound par for The Acacia Strain, but I promise you, they’re pushing themselves here. There’s so much power behind this album, and it gives us the thickest of riffs, the most manic of breakdowns, and the harshest of guttural vocal roars, screams, and growls.

There’s not a moment a single moment where it’s not kicking your ass, and there may no better track to showcase this then THE MACHINE THAT BLEEDS. Which just so happens to feature Brody King and Colin Young. Yes, this track goes f**king hard, obviously, but what doesn’t here?

SWAMP MENTALITY is less than 2 minutes of filthy sludge crossed with old-school death ferocity. MOURNING STAR has big and dangerous sounding riffs. I DON’T THINK YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE IT sneers and snarls with barely contained aggression. HOLY MOONLIGHT is speed focused, to an eye-watering point, and WORLD GONE COLD makes everything feel so much darker.

Then there is eucharist ii: BLOOD LOSS, the finale. Remember when I said that 11 out of the 12 tracks came in tight? This is the 12th, and it is nearly 14 minutes long. I kid you not. Your mind simply won’t be prepared for this kind of a constant and consistent battering.

It is special though and an attention-grabbing effort. Especially when compared to the more straight-forward vehemence of the rest of the album. The Acacia Strain make extreme metal and do it very well. This new album follows that trend, but pushes things just that little bit further.

The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe from God Here Track Listing:

1. eucharist i: BURNT OFFERING
2. A CALL BEYOND
3. SWAMP MENTALITY
4. THE MACHINE THAT BLEEDS (Feat. Brody King + Colin Young)
5. MOURNING STAR
6. I DON’T THINK YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE IT
7. ACOLYTE OF THE ONE
8. AEONIAN WRATH
9. HOLY MOONLIGHT
10. SACRED RELIC
11. WORLD GONE COLD
12. eucharist ii: BLOOD LOSS (Feat. Sunny Faris)

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