Marquee Theatre (Tempe, AZ)
04/18/23
Florida metalcore band, Wage War, was formed in 2010 under the name Empires. The band consists of lead vocalist Briton Bond, lead guitarist Seth Blake, rhythm guitarist and clean vocalist Cody Quistad, bassist Chris Gaylord, and drummer Stephen Kluesener. The band has released four studio albums and one E.P., which was self-released in 2011. After signing with Fearless Records, the group released their first full-length studio album, Blueprints, later that same year, surfacing multiple fan favorites with “Alive” breaking 12 million Spotify streams and “The River” cracking 8 million to date. Since then, the band has released three full-length studio albums including their most recent 2021 release, Manic! Wage War have steadily become a force in the hard rock world. The Florida band has amassed over 580 million streams on Spotify alone and received widespread acclaim from Billboard, Loudwire, Alternative Press, American Songwriter, Modern Drummer, Kerrang!, Guitar World, and more. They have taken the stage at some of the metalcore scene’s largest festivals and shredded the stage with beloved bands like Slipknot, A Day To Remember, I Prevail, and Parkway Drive.
Through an unwavering dedication to progression, Wage War sharpen their patented hybrid of heavy pit-starting technicality and hummable hypnotic melodies with each piece of artwork of an album they produce. The group marks their territory with heart-tugging lyrics and thrashing beats that transcend to a community who understands the authenticity of their songs.
Their live performance did not disappoint. They are a group that transcends between perfectly balanced affairs and veers between the melodic and the crushing, with clean vocals pitched so perfect in between the souring screams, growls, and nasty breakdowns. Everything on their albums truly exist live and they did not disappoint. Over the progression of their music career into their current stream of music with Manic, Wage War has proven to have a perfect balance between ravenous nature and experimental intentions, resulting in a destructive yet captivating live performance that fills a room to the brim with energy.
