Wage War has grown to be a household name in the rock and metal community over time, more so recently with the definitive work they’ve put in post-pandemic. The metal-core band from Ocala, Florida, “Wage War” is currently on their biggest headlining tour in support of their recent EP release “IT CALLS ME BY NAME.” This five-song catastrophe features every sound and talent the band can provide, from the lowest-tuned guitars, the nastiest screams and growls, with equally adhesive clean melodies. The level this band has grown with their songwriting should be studied for science; nothing has been as equal a balance since this band. This current chapter pays homage to their swampy heritage and original heavy-metal tone, down to the sound effects and stage props. The first song on this EP, “SONG OF THE SWAMP,” starts out with white noise of insects and thunder, right before the real thunder kicks in.

This new tour Wage War has put together has been doing extremely well; it’s been meticulously put together to showcase both heavy and not-so-heavy features of Wage War, featuring openers Orthodox and direct support from Nevertel. Orthodox is one of those fightin’ people bands coming all the way from Nashville, Tennessee. They bring a blue-collar working-class effect to the breakdown and have exquisite crowd work, demanding numerous different mosh pits, crowd surfers, and hardcore dancing. This band was a treat to watch and honestly study; they bring hints of old school hardcore like Meshuggah, but then introduce hints of nu-metal like Korn and Slipknot. You would usually see this band on bills with Acacia Strain or Kublai Khan, but the uncomfortable amount of weight makes them a great opener for the tour and to preview what Wage War can pull out from their sleeve.

Nevertel has been creeping up to becoming something huge. Formed in the early 2010s, this group has released two albums and two EPs, a handful of singles, and gained about 60 million streams across platforms. More recently, their newest album, Start Again, featured Sirius XM Octane royalty Sleep Theory for the song “Break the Silence,” which became their set opener on this tour. Their show was on the tame side compared to Orthodox, but the lyrical content and emotion were just as important. Nevertel balances nu-metal swing with inspirations from EDM, metalcore, and hip-hop. This duo-fronted rock band puts on a great sing-along show, and it really helped tie in the show and define the equal balance between the two bands.

Wage War came on stage to the most Florida-looking introduction, giving this Chicago House of Blues a great production with different props of tall grass, a small shack, and a headlight emulation under the drum riser. Their set started with the new song off the EP “4×4,” which is a playful concoction of their biggest influences, breakdowns, nu-metal riffs, and even a fun little scat. Then came their anthem “Alive,” where most members did a cohesive jump during the intro of the song. The rest of their set was a good mix of old and new, their more known songs, and some old ones under the covers, all while playing their entire new EP. The energy was unmatched, and at such a positive rate, it could conduct electricity. During their slower songs like “Circle the Drain” and “Gravity,” clean singer Cody Quistad got the crowd to bark along to a “Where my big dawgs at?” chant. A few different highlights from their set that didn’t include Cody’s hair were the volume this crowd screamed these songs back, the mosh pit that never stopped moving, or this very cohesive light show that simultaneously matched the band AND the crowd.

Wage War has put an undeniable amount of work into their career and their respective craft. The future with these guys is bountiful and prominent, and I hope I get a similar opportunity to witness it. Their “It Calls Me By Name Tour” started in late April and works its way into the end of May, and then a second leg commences over in Australia, also with Orthodox, starting at the end of July in Perth and working its way through August, ending in Sydney. Their last full-length album, STIGMA, was a huge success and growing to have over 812 million streams across all platforms.