The Acacia Strain at Summit Music Hall
Show Review
The Acacia Strain brought their Six Feet Closer To Hell Tour to Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado on 8/2/2025.
The night kicked off with No Cure’s riff-fueled opener, building early momentum and even a decent pit. Then Tribal Gaze followed with a furious wash of hardcore-laced blackened death that got fists swinging. I had the chance to work directly with the band for this show, and you’ll catch that extra connection in some of the on-stage shots—especially the ones with flash that dial up the rawness and give their set the proper grit it deserved. They brought unrelenting energy, and the crowd matched it blow for blow.
By the time Ingrown hit the stage, the pit had mutated into something feral even birthing a wall of death mosh in the middle of the set, something unavoidable, something you had to embrace or suffer. They even sneaked a nod to Black Sabbath in their finale, a clever wink from the old guard to a hungry new breed.
Bodysnatcher had already hinted at chaos when they mentioned their last Denver stop was with Fit For An Autopsy. But tonight, they owned the room. The pit transformed into what can only be described, in all caps, as THE PIT OF DESPAIR. It was worse than the wall, bigger, nastier, like a festering wound. Think more surfers, more sweat, more aggressive everything. Brutal doesn’t cut it, and Kyle Medina (vocalist) wanted more. And get this: his mother flew in from Florida just to watch. That’s damn devotion, and audible pride in his voice when he told us.
Then came Acacia Strain, who despite being just 19 when they started, have burned through 14 albums (the next due this October), and clock 25 years as a band next year. They opened hard leaving no rest for the crowd. But, early on in the set we were met with a solo monologue, Vincent Bennett (vocalist) alone on stage, declaring they do it so we have a space to be ourselves, a place to go when the world sucks, a place to let loose free from judgment. From there, the band ripped through a mix of classics and deeper cuts. Somewhere between tracks, the Vincent paused:
“This song came out 15 years ago. I say that sometimes and have people tell me their kids were born when this came out.”
The full band then annihilated everything: low-end heaviness, unrelenting breakdowns, moments of bruising melody that felt like punches to your chest. The sound was deafening. The energy was undeniable and visceral.
Summit Music Hall became a furnace. Opener acts warmed it up, but Bodysnatcher turned it up to eleven—and Acacia Strain never let it cool. A show built on brutal reverence, generational loyalty, and raw pits of sweat and defiance.
By Andrew Ortega
No Cure
From Birmingham, Alabama, No Cure have quickly risen as one of the sharpest metallic straight‑edge hardcore outfits of recent years. Formed in 2021, they’re known for brutally technical instrumentation and disciplined aggression. They proudly brand themselves (tongue‑in‑cheek or not) as the “world’s most evil straight‑edge band” on social media.
Tribal Gaze
Texas death metal outfit Tribal Gaze formed in 2020 in Longview, TX, and despite a small discography so far, they’ve gained strong underground buzz. Their debut full‑length The Nine Choirs (2022) received praise for honoring old‑school death roots while forging a distinct voice. Local coverage in Dallas called them “one of the best metal bands in North Texas,” and their live shows reportedly improved dramatically even between early gigs—prompting fans to label them “the real deal”.
Ingrown
Boise’s Ingrown specialize in lightning‑fast, metallic hardcore that fuses powerviolence, thrash, and a hardcore backbone. Their debut Gun (2021) earned critical recognition and led to tour support slots with Regional Justice Center and Pain of Truth, among others. Their sophomore LP Idaho doesn’t mess around; brutal, fiercely regional, and topped with a surprise banjo‐mandolin outro that underlines their unpredictability. Their compressed, unrelenting sound has fans calling them one of hardcore’s most compelling upcoming exports.
Bodysnatcher
Florida’s Bodysnatcher (Melbourne, FL) have carved out a name in deathcore since 2014, blending beatdown energy with death‑metal weight. Their 2019 album This Heavy Void was hailed as “their most oppressive record yet” by outlets like New Transcendence, cementing their status in modern brutal heavy music. Live, they’re known for ferocious stage presence and a deep connection with their fanbase. Vocalist Kyle Medina has cited anime and pop culture as major influences in crafting the band’s raw intensity.
The Acacia Strain
Formed in 2001 out of Chicopee, Massachusetts, The Acacia Strain trail‑blazed deathcore before it had a name. Eleven studio albums deep, they’ve regularly cracked Billboard charts. Their 2014 Coma Witch hit #4 on Top Rock Albums, and Slow Decay shattered first‑week sales records in 2020 with over 12 k pure copies sold. Their riff‑heavy brooding and triple‑guitar assaults have earned praise from AllMusic and fans alike. They’ve shared stages and split tracks with influential acts including Spiritbox, Full of Hell, and Primitive Man, keeping their sound fresh and collaborative into the 2020s.
