The Acacia Strain/Psyopus @ The Whisky, 1/22Last time I saw the Acacia Strain live, guitarist Daniel Laskeiwitz (he'''s the badass musclebound gentleman front and center in the picture) took a nasty backward dive off the stage during one of the more energetic numbers. Surprised but unfazed, Laskeiwitz kept playing on his back until an onlooker helped him to his feet. No matter how you feel about the Acacia Strain'''s fairly standard, breakdown-heavy metalcore, you gotta admire the band'''s commitment to the music. Unlike most bands of their ilk that view scowling and standing still as step one on the path to tough guy status, the Acacia Strain actually move around, smile, stick out their tongues and put on a show that'''s as fun for spectators as it is for two-stepping hardcore kids. If they had the time, Rochester'''s Psyopus would probably do the same, but unfortunately they'''ll be busy playing too fast for our ears to catch up. Even if you don'''t catch everything, there'''s a certain ''"What the fuck just happened?''" appeal to their insanely technical grindcore. Glendale (Arizona, not California) death-metal outfit Job for a Cowboy finds a nice middleground between Acacia Strain'''s groovy mosh-a-thons and Psyopus''' technical excess. (ER)
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