The Band
Wage War is an American metalcore band formed in 2010, under the name, Empires.
Band Members
- Briton Bond – lead vocals, guitars, unclean vocals
- Seth Blake – lead guitar
- Cody Quistad – rhythm guitar, clean vocals
- Chris Gaylord – bass
- Stephen Kluesener – drums
The Album
Stigma is the fifth studio album by Wage War. It was released on June 21, 2024.
The Songs
1. The Show’s About to Start. The album’s first song has more of an intro feeling, even in the lyrics. Electronic and industrial sound.
2. Self Sacrifice. Good. Heavier. Nice guitar work, electronic and industrial elements. Betrayal.
3. Magnetic. Softer song. A ballad. Love attraction. Nickelback vibes. Catchy, but not my cup of tea. It would be a great mainstream radio song, though.
4. Nail5. Heavier, nu-metal, and industrial sound. Also about betrayal.
5. Blur. Clean vocals. Pop kind of song but with heavier parts too. Self-doubt, dealing with own insecurities.
6. Tombstone. Harsh vocals. Starts ultra heavy with blast beats on drums. Metalcore and even deathcore guttural growls and Slayer-style guitar riffs.
I loved it, especially for when you need something powerful for motivation. Keep going even when everything is against you.
7. Happy Hunting. Electronic and industrial. Fear Factory type of vibe. Also about betrayal. I liked it.
8. Hellbent. Another ballad, but too whiny, except for some growls in the back. Feel lost.
9. In My Blood. Super catchy chorus. Heavier. I liked it.
10. Is This How It Ends? Another ballad about break up. Too mellow. The synth line is similar to Motionless In White’s Sign of Life.
Final Thoughts
In general, I liked the album. Electronics, industrial, heavy at times, growls, breakdowns, clean and unclean vocals, ballads.
Everything is in equilibrium.
The vocals are very emotional, and I like the combination of clean and unclean vocals.
I didn’t like that it has too many sickly sweet ballads; I didn’t expect that from this band, but the rest of the songs are ok. I understand why some older fans didn’t like this new work because I was also anticipating something heavier. Either way, it’s also true that the bands have to evolve and experiment with other sounds. If you prefer the heavier songs, you can always listen to their previous albums and keep listening to their new works in the future, because there always exists the possibility of better things.
I knew only a couple of songs of them before this review. This album is more accessible, and radio-friendly sound, if this change brings them more followers and success, I’m happy for them.
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Tracklist
- The Show’s About to Start
- Self Sacrifice
- Magnetic
- Nail5
- Blur
- Tombstone
- Happy Hunting
- Hellbent
- In My Blood
- Is This How It Ends?