Wage War in Concert
Wage War are the kind of hard rock band that isn't easily categorized. That starts with their influences: Although the band's chugging riffs and jackhammering drums take cues from modern music's heaviest names (including Slipknot, August Burns Red, and As I Lay Dying), the group are also known for pairing contrasting inspirations. Their brutal grooves often fuse hip-hop and metal in the way Korn is known for doing, and frontman Briton Bond's gruff, gravelly voice alternates with the more pristine melodic approach of guitarist/vocalist Cody Quistad.
Bond, Quistad, and guitarist/vocalist Seth Blake originally formed Wage War in Ocala, Florida, in 2010 under the moniker Empires. The trio, which was then working with a different rhythm section, even released an EP in 2011, The Fall of Kings.
After some lineup shuffling, the band changed their name in 2013 and, two years later, signed a deal with Fearless Records. Wage War's 2015 full-length debut for the label, Blueprints, and the 2017 album Deadweight were both co-produced by Andrew Wade and A Day to Remember's Jeremy McKinnon.
Deadweight especially illustrates their progression as a band, as it boasts more confident, emotional songwriting and variety in dynamics. In fact, Wage War continue that soul-searching on the 2019 single "Low" — a bruising song about feeling worn down by life — and via the 2018 singles "Johnny Cash (Stripped)" and "Gravity (Stripped)." The latter two are pared-down versions of songs that originally appeared on Deadweight, and they boast chiming guitars, restrained percussion, and delicate vocals.
Live, Wage War stir up ferocious mosh pits courtesy of Bond's commanding stage presence — he directs his low growls directly at the crowd to emphasize vocal power — and aggressive, thrashing playing.
Given this energy, the band are unsurprisingly road warriors who have done several stints on the Vans Warped Tour and opened for Of Mice & Men, August Burns Red, and A Day to Remember. Wage War are now ranked among the genre's biggest heavyweights, with spots in the lineup of the Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival and Welcome to Rockville 2019.
great venue great people. only problem was communication between workers let general admission in first before the fast lane. it did not make us fast lane people happy. please communicate better.
Absolutely amazing show as expected in one of my favorite venues!
The band was great. The prices Live Nation charges is CRIMINAL. Verified resale!!! You should be ashamed.
All of the bands that played that night were fantastic and performed so well. My friend and I really enjoyed all of the performances. Absolutely no issues there. The only issue was some of the crowd. For 1, if you’re 200 or 250 pounds, you really should NOT be crowd surfing. No offense meant at all, but you’re really taking away from a lot of people’s experiences by turning a good time into a workout, and you could actually hurt someone if they’re not paying attention. I was constantly having to look back for crowd surfers because I was worried about “the big ones”. 2nd, blue ridge rock festival has been the first and only shows I’ve ever been to the past few years so idk fully how crowds are yet, but I will say there are a lot of creeps in the crowd. It also obviously takes away from the experience when I have to keep dudes away from my friend that doesn’t want to be approached or obviously pressed against to catch a feel. Do better people. Control yourselves.
The Ritz in Raleigh is a decent venue. Normally, I highly recommend seeing a show here, but this time wasn't as great. The lineup for this show was fantastic! However, that being said the opening band, "Sleep Theory"was supposedly NOT allowed to set up a merch table/booth. I don't know why - if this was because the headliners ("Nothing More"and "Wage War") didn't want to share space, or if the venue believed there wasn't enough space, I don't know. But I do KNOW, that I WANTED to PURCHASE merch FROM Sleep Theory, and even hopefully get to chat/hang at their table for a bit - but, no table, nothing to see - they were ghosts and gone. There was enough room, they could have had a table. Nothing More absolutely kicked ass, and Wage War was fantastic too - but it got REALLY ROUGH with the crowd surfing during their set.
It’s always a great time with the Ocala guys! Great venue, great sound, amazing energy. Can’t wait for them to come back!
Sooo good. The venue was great. The crowd had good energy. Drinks weren't too pricey (for a show). I took my 14YO for her first show and she loved it!!!!
I've seen Wage War and Nothing More both several times, and neither of them has ever disappointed me <3. But I feel like WW just keeps getting better every time I see them - especially since they opened the show with Stitch this time! I highly recommend both, as they are 2 bands I definitely don't want to miss, but WW trumps all for me.
Traveled from Pittsburgh for two concerts, Wage War being one of them. Very nice venue. No negatives at all
Wage War was awesome! The only complaint I have is I was really hoping to hear Johnny Cash or Youngbloods but their set was awesome nonetheless!
