Wage War Calls New York by Name at Irving Plaza
- Kara Maddox
- 57 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Florida-based rising metalcore stars Wage War have quickly been making a name for themselves within the past few years. The band released their latest work, the IT CALLS ME BY NAME EP, on April 17, which marks two years since their latest release, their 2024 album STIGMA. To celebrate the release of the new EP, the band embarked on a North American headliner tour beginning on April 28 in Tucson, AZ, and will continue until May 31 in St. Petersburg, FL. On May 20, Wage War stopped at Irving Plaza in the heart of New York City, bringing a night full of unbridled chaos.
Kicking off the night was Tennessee-based hardcore band Orthodox. Opening with the fan-favorite “Sacred Place” from their latest album A Door Left Open, the venue became full of mayhem immediately. With intense riffs, heavy breakdowns, and powerful vocals from frontman Adam Easterling, the crowd began moshing and crowdsurfing as soon as the set began. During the third song, Adam called for all the surfers to come up to the front, and the fans certainly listened. A barrage of surfers started moving through the room during the song, and hardly died down after that. Throughout the rest of the set, the chaos of the pit could be seen even from the very back of the room. Even if it was many people’s first time seeing Orthodox, the band certainly warmed up the crowd for the rest of the night.
The second and final opener of the night was metalcore duo Nevertel. With their recent album Start Again, the band has quickly been gaining traction within the scene. Fronted by singer Jeremy Michael and rapper/guitarist Raul Lopez, the band combines metal, hip hop, pop, and more to create their own unique sound. With so much energy on stage, Nevertel’s music can easily convince anyone to get off their feet and move. From the first song, multiple crowdsurfers already started moving through the room, already setting the tone for the rest of the set. Fans continued moshing, crowdsurfing, and more up until the very last note, making sure everyone is prepared for the headlining act.
At around 9:15, the lights dimmed as the crowd cheered, signaling that the headliner was about to begin. The stage was covered in leaves and grass, creating a swamp-like atmosphere, which is fitting for Wage War’s new EP. After some atmospheric sound effects played, Wage War finally walked on stage as the room burst with excitement. The band went into the heavy new track “4x4”, a perfect opening track to set the stage of chaos for the rest of the night. From the get go, tons of crowdsurfers came through the room and never showed any signs of slowing down. The song asks “Are you sick? Are you twisted?”, and New York was ready to show Wage War how “sick and twisted” they are that night.
One of Wage War’s most identifiable traits is how high-energy their music is, proven by how the entire crowd at Irving Plaza would be either moshing and surfing. The band combines emotional lyrics with heavy breakdowns and catchy riffs, encouraging anyone to headbang along. As the band went through their extensive 19-track setlist, they performed a variety of songs ranging from early in their career to their newest EP. No matter the song, however, the mosh pit never stopped for a second, and multiple crowdsurfers at once could be seen moving through the room, especially for heavier tracks like “TOMBSTONE” and “Death Roll”. Halfway through the set, vocalist Briton Bond asked the fans to choose which song to perform next, and were given the choices of the 2021 track “Relapse” or the 2019 track “Who I Am”. The fans cheered louder for the older track, so the band delivered and performed “Who I Am”.
After constant intensity in the pit, it wasn’t until an acoustic performance of “Gravity”, featuring guitarist Cody Quistad’s clean vocals, that the fans took a short break from the chaos. Right after, the band went back into the heaviness and the crowd only got crazier, showing no signs of low energy. As the band performed the fan-favorite track “Stitch”, almost the whole room became a mosh pit. Wage War concluded the initial set with their hit track “Manic”, then briefly walked off the stage. As the fans chanted for them to return, the band came back on stage and performed the ballad-esque “BLINDFOLD” from the new EP. To conclude the set, they performed “SONG OF THE SWAMP”, the lead single from IT CALLS ME BY NAME, and the fans gave it their all to end the show with a bang. During the final breakdown, the entire room split in half for the fans to do one last wall of death. Between an amazing performance from the band and the constant energy from the crowd, Wage War’s show in New York would be one to remember for everyone there.
