It’s been quite a journey for Wage War since they blazed a trail out of Ocala, Florida, in 2020. Punctuating the years with a bunch of critically-acclaimed albums, the band reach long player number five and it’s one that finds the group atop a creative peak. More shaded and nuanced than anything the band have ever done before, Stigma contains ten hard-as-nails tracks that finds one of metalcore’s most creative bands exploring new sonic territory.
On hearing the heavy electro beats that usher in opening track ‘The Shows About To Start’ you might think you’ve entered through the wrong door and found yourself in a nightclub, or something. However, don’t leave yet because Wage War soon put their indelible stamp on proceedings and turn the song into some strange techno/metalcore hybrid. It might sound a strange admixture, but it’s one that really works and this cut is sure to make a neat intro to the band’s live show and you can visualise a crowd bobbing to this number as it mingles with the excitement that predominates the period before a Wage War live set. However, this opening shot is indicative of Stigma as a whole with this album utilising synths to a greater degree than Wage War have ever done before. Synths might be an anathema to some, but before you recoil in horror they’re employed at optimum moments and add layers of texture to the album, creating a record that has a bottomless depth. Case in point being latest singles ‘Nail5’, an industrial tinged track that clubs the listener into submission with some of the heaviest beats known to man and evidences a band refusing to rest on past glories and turning their sights towards the future.
In Stigma Wage War have produced the most cohesive and coherent album of their career. As the album continues to return as an art form, Stigma is a record that ebbs and flows exceptionally well and takes us on a wild roller coaster of a ride; it ululates and toys with the listener’s emotions. Lowering our defences and tugging our heartstrings with the emotive ‘Hellbent’, before crushing said heart with the following ‘In My Blood’. It is this constant push and pull, the juxtaposition between loud and quiet, heady highs and sunken lows which makes Stigma an essential listen from start to finish, and while it is perfectly feasible to dip in and out, this record is best enjoyed from start to finish and in one sitting. Final track ‘Is This How It Ends?’ closes the circle, making an arresting closer and one that’ll live long in the memory.
- Stigma is released via Fearless Records on 21st June 2024.
- Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube
Track List:
- The Show’s About To Start
- Self Sacrifice
- Magnetic
- Nail5
- Blur
- Tombstone
- Happy Hunting
- Hellbent
- In My Blood
- Is This How It Ends?
