Review: WAGE WAR – ‘Pressure’ [Official Videos]

Wage War is back at it again with an album that is sure to be an absolute banger! The band started it’s life in Ocala, Florida with its founding members Briton Bond, Cody Quistad, Seth Blake, Jordan Pierce, and David Rau. Later on swapping the lineup on drums and bass, Stephen Kluesener and Chris Gaylord were added to the mix. They are best described as melodic metalcore. They have some absolutely bouncy riffs but also have smooth clean chorus lines. In the beginning, the band released an EP titled ‘The Fall of Kings.’ Following this, in 2015 they dropped their debut album via Fearless Records; ‘Blueprints.’ This consisted of singles such as “Twenty One,” “Alive,” and “Youngbloods.” Two years later their second album, ‘Deadweight’ dropped with the fan singles being “Stitch,” “Don’t Let Me Fade Away,” and “Witness.” One notable favorite of mine was “Gravity.” This was my introduction to Wage War and the culprit of many, many repeat listens of the ‘Deadweight’ album. This all lead to the unbearable wait for new content when alas, their first new single “Low” released from their newest upcoming album ‘Pressure.’ This album is set to release August 30th, 2019 on Fearless Records. You see a diamond on the album art and pressure helps create diamonds, and that’s exactly what Wage War has created here. Continue reading

Cariosus!

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*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the state of the month*

This month’s state is Illinois!

It’s time to clean the shit out of your ears, because we are about to introduce you to a new band from the windy city of Chicago. Cariosus released their debut EP in February and it’s titled “Crime & Punishment.” When an album starts with an intro of Richard Ramirez quotes you just know you have stumbled onto something great. As if the Nightstalker intro wasn’t enough the album art work is equally amazing. The band has a major brutality that entombs you on every song. Then on a few songs particularly “Contra Mores” you get to see the melodic side of the band. Slowed down guitar picking leads you into growls and gutturals at first, then midway through the song there is more delicate picking and just a touch of clean singing. The clean singing helps break up the constant screaming so it doesn’t become repetitive. When it’s done in a minimalistic fashion like this I’m a huge fan of it. The singing doesn’t take anything away from the band, and actually keeps the heaviness intact by breaking the mold of what we are used to. Frontman Alex Pfister is a talented singer on both ends of the spectrum. Every instrument seems to play an integral part in the sound. The guitar parts at times seem to be battling each other back and forth. “Misanthrope” is a stand out song on the album, the lyrical content keeps you interested. “I hate everyone, I hate the things you say” I’m sure everyone can relate to this. And, for you morbid fucks it gets a little gory for you too. The album is 6 tracks that unleash this pure heaviness and great instrumentation. (If you buy the hardcopy cd you get an extra track) At times it will remind you of Carnifex, but their own twists that put them in a region all their own. “Voluptuary Eradication” is one of the best tracks on the album. The sound is all over the place and constantly changed pace. If you are in the Chicago area I suggest you get out and see these guys play. September 4th they will be playing with our good friends in Krisiun (Who I may add have a kick ass new album out) and several other bands on the Devastation of the Nation Tour. They have some kick ass shirt designs so make sure to pick up a shirt and a copy of the cd. Chicago won’t be able to contain this band forever and I fully expect them to garner a huge fan base as time progresses. Continue reading