Ocala, FL · metalcore

Wage War

2 upcoming festivals ↓

Clean-chorus metalcore engineered for the big room, with breakdowns placed exactly where you want them — Ocala precision, radio ambition.

Wage War started in Ocala, Florida in 2010 under the name Empires, briefly going by War Within before settling on Wage War. The original lineup included bassist Jordan Pierce and drummer David Rau, who left to teach; the band's current members are vocalist Briton Bond, guitarist and clean vocalist Cody Quistad, lead guitarist Seth Blake, bassist Chris Gaylord and drummer Stephen Kluesener.

The band self-released an EP, The Fall of Kings, in 2011 before signing to Fearless Records in 2015. Their debut album, Blueprints, followed that November, setting the template of down-tuned riffing and screamed verses giving way to Quistad's clean-sung choruses.

Fearless has released four more Wage War albums since: Deadweight in 2017, Pressure in 2019, Manic in 2021 and Stigma in 2024, alongside a second EP, It Calls Me by Name.

Touring has been steady and heavy-circuit specific, including full runs of the Vans Warped Tour and A Day to Remember's Self Help Festival, plus support slots for bands like August Burns Red, Chelsea Grin, I Prevail, Every Time I Die and Disturbed.

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metalcore