Photos and Writing by Ash Ogle
Wage War, whose name alludes to being the change you want to see, is comprised of; Briton Bond – lead vocals, Seth Blake – lead guitar, backing vocals, Cody Quistad – rhythm guitar, clean vocals, Chris Gaylord – bass, and Stephen Kluesener – drums. The Florida-born metalcore band, brought their riotous Manic tour to Chattanooga last week, which left fans waging war in the pit. There is no denying Tennessee metalheads go hard and there was no exception when Wage War came to town.
The night started off right with Chamber, a deathcore powerhouse hailing from Nashville, TN. The five-piece opened with their chunky hit Cellophane Form and it took no time for a massive pit to open in the middle of the venue floor. This wasn’t my first time seeing Chamber but I have to say this was one of their best performances I’ve seen to date. The guys seem to improve with every show.
Chamber setlist:
Cellophane Form, Torn From Perfection, Visions of Hostility, Scars in Complex Patterns, Severed, The Edge of Every Lie, Replacing Every Weakness
Up next was the metalcore quartet Gideon. Without hesitation, the Alabama guys kicked it up a notch and had everyone in the room throwing up horns and headbanging along to every song. Their energy on stage was infectious. And of course, the mosh pit was now double the size. I had heard so many positive things about these guys but they exceeded my expectations. They without a doubt gained a lot of new fans that night.
Gideon setlist:
SLEEP, No Love/No One, More Power More Pain, Champions, Cursed, Take Me, Bad Blood, Bite Down
Two down one to go before Wage War hits the stage. By this time everyone was already exhausted from moshing and crowd surfing and needed a minute to cool off. The Plot in You mellowed things out for a few moments to allow everyone to catch their breath. But after a couple of their slower-paced songs, they hit the crowd with some of their heavier hits and the crowd surfing picked up right where it left off. This show was the band’s first show of the tour but their set was effortless and they moved seamlessly together on stage. By the end of their set fans were chanting for an encore.
The Plot In You setlist:
Face Me, Fall Again, Enemy, Not Just Breathing, Time Changes Everything, Paradigm, One, Last Time, Too Far Gone, Disposable Fix, Feel Nothing
Last but certainly not least it was time for Wage War to dominate the stage. In a red haze, Kluesener enters the stage and starts hyping up the crowd. The rest of the band comes out swinging as they open with Relapse. The amount of energy the band as a whole exuded was impressive, they started at a level 100 and it only elevated throughout the night. After a few songs, the guys took a moment to have fans sing happy birthday to Quistad as the crew presented him with a massive birthday cake. After celebrating another trip around the sun Wage War got right back to it. As the first few notes of Death Roll rang out the crowd came unhinged and a wall of death was swiftly constructed. Fans didn’t hold back and neither did the band. Their set from start to finish was flawless and they gave us everything we wanted from a metalcore show in the south and then some. This was undoubtedly one of my top 10 favorite shows of all time. I have never had the urge to ditch my camera and go all-in in the pit before, as I did at this show! If you want to mosh as if your life depends on it to some killer music then get out and see Wage War now!
Wage War setlist:
Relapse, Teeth, Low Witness, Don’t Let Me Fade Away, Gravity, High Horse, Godspeed, Manic, Alive, The River, Who I Am, Me Against Myself, Death Roll, Circle the Drain, Stitch
fuelthescene.com 