Greetings my Fellow Music Fans!
What’s in the water in Ocala, Florida!? There are so many fantastic bands coming out of Florida right now and among the plethora of them is one particular metalcore band that stands out called Wage War. Wage War just released their brand new sophomore album, “Deadweight,” on Friday, August 4th, 2017. I finally got a chance to sit down, listen to the album and analyze it for you all, so here we go!
The album is produced by Jeremy McKinnon, a founding member and vocalist of a Day to Remember and Andrew Wade a recording engineer and music producer who owns The Wade Studio in Gainesville, Florida where the album was recorded. The album was released on Fearless Records who was founded in 1994 and based in Culver City, CA.
The five members of Wage War include Briton Bond on Lead Vocals, Cody Quistad - Guitar/ Vocals, Seth Blake - Guitar, Chris Gaylord - Bass, and Stephen Kluesener - Drums. Listed below I have outlined each song title and provided my review and take on the individual songs as well as the album as a whole. The album tracks are listed in order.
TRACKS:
Two Years—The album opens with some spooky sounds setting the stage for the menacing metal that will follow. The lyrics outline what’s to come with the vocals screaming about fighting his demons.
Southbound—Riddled with quarter-tone djent bends and muted string chugs, Southbound portrays the heaviness of this album. We hear clean vocals for the first time on the album that are sung with great emotion about the insecurities that haunt him.
Don’t Let Me Fade Away—Great use of space with rhythm guitars while the melodic guitar line moves the song forward. The use of what one could consider a “breakdown” rhythm for the pre-chorus creates a fresh sound and a great way to move the listener into the clean vocal chorus, where the tempo picks up as the song drives forward. The bridge features multiple guitar parts with delays that are perfectly panned to give the listener a great audio experience. The song finishes with a grand and epic chorus featuring both clean and scream vocals followed by a heavy breakdown before ending.
Stitch—Starting with all the1khz peaked on the vocals while the guitar plays a heavy riff panned to the right, the listener knows they are in for some brutality with this song. Of course, Wage War does not disappoint. Fast riffs and double kicks define the song as the heaviness continues throughout. Very nice use of what sounds like a whammy pedal effect and guitar harmonics to break up the heaviness of the riff. At 2:41 we have a great vocal set-up that lets the listener know the breakdown is approaching. Start circling around in the pit! The breakdown breaks with the traditional style of using space between the heavy guitar chugs while a China cymbal keeps time. Instead, Wage War ops for using a sustained guitar riff with a half-step interval to create a menacing sound.
Witness—Opening with a clean arpeggiated riff gives a sense of mystery but is soon followed by Wage War’s heavy sound. This song differs by opening with clean melodic vocals, then followed by screams for the verse. The bridge/breakdown uses a classic technique in this style of music that consists of a heavy, low guitar chug followed by the use of two dissonant higher notes to fill in the space between the low notes.
Deadweight—The title track opens with a bass riff that gives it a different sound than other songs on the album. Once again, the heaviness proceeds as the band fully kicks in. The verse is very sparse on the use of guitars, which is a new sound that the listener has not yet heard on this album. Gang vocals help to scream the title of this song and title track to the album. A classic “Blech!” scream helps to push the breakdown to a new sense of heaviness. The song ends with a solo scream “You’re no longer part of me,” giving context to how the band is dealing with its demons.
Gravity—Gravity has a sound that’s different from the rest of the album. Still heavy, yet the band shows its softer side with this track. The tempo is a little slower and instead of heavy riffs the listener is treated to a more chordal arrangement. The chorus is very melodic, giving the listener a sense of hope and uplifting. Of course Wage War holds true to their sound for the bridge as they bring back the heavy riffs just to remind us who we are dealing with. The only use of scream vocals in this tune is used to reinforce the clean vocals, especially on the choruses. If there’s a Wage War song meant for radio, this is it.
Never Enough—Wage War picks up the tempo with this one as the drums use a classic thrash beat for the opening of the verse. The chorus is my favorite melody on the album so far. The band also uses one of my favorite writing techniques by having a low rhythm guitar leave plenty of space between notes while the vocals sing a high melodic line. The last riff of the song will have your head bouncing with its use of sixteenth note machine gun blasts on the guitars and double kick.
Indestructible—With its blistering verses this song screams for past days when one felt indestructible. The chorus takes an opposite approach to the verses, giving the listener a reprieve from the speed and heaviness by the use of sustained chords, a melodic counter-melody on the guitar, and clean melodic vocals. The bridge uses a solo guitar melody accompanied by “whoas” singing along with it, giving the section a smooth, floating feeling. After that, the band shows its talent in writing by using a key change going into the last chorus to lift the listener’s spirits even more. Just when you think the song is ending, Wage War sets up a menacing breakdown screaming “All hope is not lost!”
Disdain—Back to the heavy riffs. Once the song starts, hang on! Heavy from beginning to end, Disdain accentuates the sound that Wage War is known for.
My Grave is Mine to Dig—Opening with a duel between clean and scream vocals, this song varies between the sound of other great metal-core bands mixed with post-hardcore guitar tones. Fans of bands such as Memphis May Fire will find familiarity with the sound of this song. Throwing in another “Blech!” for good taste, this song pushes the envelope as the album is drawing to a close. The breakdown does something that I cannot recall ever hearing before. It doesn’t start on the downbeat, but a sixteenth note later, throwing the listener off to what they are used to hearing. Pure genius if you ask me!
Johnny Cash—The album ends with the most emotional vocals heard yet. Stereo panned guitars gives the verse depth while the chorus drives the album to its ending. The final line of the album screams, “Deadweight, no longer part of me,” showing that the band has overcome their trials and tribulations and can now move on.
So there you have it! This is an amazing album that I can’t stop listening to. They are a really incredible band and despite the rougher genre and sound, they have a very positive message. Be sure to purchase and stream their album “Deadweight” on ITunes, Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube. Feel free to check out their Deadweight Tour going on right now and purchase tickets here http://www.ticketfly.com/event/1495781-deadweight-tour-wage-war Don’t miss out! For more information on Wage War, please check out their website http://wagewarband.com/ and be sure to like and follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wagewar/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/wagewar?lang=en
Until next time!
Musically,
Bill