Massachusetts heavyweights, The Acacia Strain, whose new album 'Continent' debuted at #107 on the Billboard Top 200 last August, are nearing the end of a six-week North American tour with Bleeding Through, which wraps up in Los Angeles on March 28. Vocalist Vincent Bennett checks in with the following report:

"I just want to thank and commend everyone who had anything to do with making this one of the smoothest, most bullshit-free tours I've ever been on," he says. "All the promoters have been so great to us and we have developed lasting friendships with all these bands. More so, I would like to thank every single kid who came out and had a good fucking time. Without you guys, we would be nothing. You still have a week's worth of shows to catch, so come hang!"

Later this spring, The Acacia Strain will perform at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, and soon after, the group will return to Europe, where they will tour with Aborted. Says Bennett, "Aborted has been one of my favorite death metal bands since I heard 'Goremageddon' years back. Touring Europe with them is going to be an honor. I can't wait to get out there!"

In other news from The Acacia Strain, the group has been nominated for the MySpace Readers' Choice Award at the inaugural Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which take place in Los Angeles on April 7. Fans can vote for the band once a day until March 30, when voting will wrap up. To cast your vote, visit this link.

“We are excited that we've been nominated for the MySpace Readers' Choice award,” Bennett says. “Thanks to our fans for their votes!”

The Acacia Strain on tour:
w/ Bleeding Through:
3/24 - The Venue - Boise, ID
3/25 - Neumo's - Seattle, WA
3/26 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
3/27 - DNA Lounge - San Francisco, CA
3/28 - Key Club - Los Angeles, CA

The Acacia Strain:
3/29 - Crossing – Palmdale, CA
3/31 - Club Sound – Salt Lake City, UT
4/03 - Hideaway – Johnson City, TN
4/04 - Harmony Grange – Wilmington, DE
4/05 - Doylestown Moose Lodge – Doylestown, PA
4/17 - Palladium - Worcester, MA (NE Metalfest)

w/ Aborted:
5/29 - Stadtmitte – Karlsruhe, Germany
5/30 - Neurotic Death Fest – Tilburg, Holland
5/31 - White Rabbit – Plymouth, UK
6/01 - Music Box – Manchester, UK
6/03 - Ivory Banks – Glasgow, UK
6/03 - Rios – Leeds, UK
6/04 - Underworld – London, UK
6/05 - TJ's – Newport, UK
6/06 - Furnace – Swindon, UK
6/07 - Trix – Antwerp, Belgium
6/08 - Underground – Cologne, Germany
6/09 - Dynamo – Zurich, Switzerland
6/10 - Sottotetto Club – Bologna, Italy
6/11 - Feierwerk – Munich, Germany
6/17 - Arena – Vienna, Austria
6/18 - Conne Island – Leipzig, Germany
6/19 - Turock – Essen, Germany
6/20 - Summer Blast – Trier, Germany