Wage War, 10 Years of Wage War
At the House of Blues Orlando, the first night of a sold-out doubleheader, I patiently waited for the first act to come on stage as the floor filled to capacity and the energy was crackling with electricity.
I assumed that the energy was coming from the fans of Wage War since they were the headlining act, but I was wrong. It was because Gideon was taking the stage. Donned in cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, and a two-piece denim outfit, Daniel McWhorter, the lead singer came out and they came out swinging. I’m not sure what I expected from the band, but it wasn’t that. Gideon’s music reminds me of classic beat-down hardcore punk, which is a force to be reckoned with. It was intense, fast-paced, and to be completely honest, perfect. I was an instant fan and haven’t stopped listening to them since! Their intense vocals backed with heavy riffs, have been fueling my morning workouts and routines ever since.
Coming off the heels of Gideon was Zero 9:36. While the vibes were completely different than Gideons, the music was just as good.
Zero 9:36 was a good way to blend rap, industrial, and rock into one 3 piece act. I had never heard of them before, but the crowd did. There were quite a lot of people dancing and singing along to the songs.
ERRA, a name we all knew and were ready for. Swinging for the fences and never missing, their energy was unmatched. Their guitarist and clean vocalist was probably the most exciting to watch, because he was up, down, left, right, upside down, and all over the place. It was pretty awesome to see. With plenty of clean vocals and screaming to go around, ERRA is a band you should check out if you haven’t heard them before. They have about 15 years of metalcore under their belt, so they know how to work the stage and pump up the volume. ERRA has always been a favorite band of mine, and you need to check them out!
The lights dimmed. Cryptic words were spoken on the screen, and an occasional Manic flashed across it. When Wage War took the stage, everyone cheered, and immediately they went into “Relapse”. Briton, the lead singer, has more energy than coffee does because he never stops moving or acting out lines from every song.
I had always heard of Wage War and knew a few songs, but I can say I’m a huge fan now. There’s always those bands that you hear about, and they’re great bands, but when you see them live, you know they’re even better than that. Wage War is one of those bands. Their live presence is quite amazing.
