event

We define ourselves between extremes. Life’s lowest lows and highest highs ultimately show us how much we can take. Wage War have forged an ironclad hybrid of battering ram grooves, gnashing guitars, and melodic hooks in the heat of those extremes. Following the most trying year in recent memory, the Florida quintet—Briton Bond [lead vocals], Cody Quistad [rhythm guitar, clean vocals], Seth Blake [lead guitar], Chris Gaylord [bass], and Stephen Kluesener [drums]—only strengthenedtheir creative bondon their fourth full-length offering, Manic[Fearless Records].Musically, the band struck a seamless balance between bludgeoning grooves, soaring melodies, electronic fits, and battering ram riffs, straining their past, present, and future into one cohesive statement. Thematically, they confronted everything from personal struggles to trolls and two-faced friends.After amassing nearly 300 million streams and receiving widespread acclaimfromBillboard, Loudwire,Alternative Press,and more, the groupdeliveredeleven anthems meant to connect through turbulence.“Manicencompasses everything we’ve gone through as musicians in the last year-and-a-half,” exclaims Stephen. “The whole industry halted, and we technically lost our jobs. Our scene was among the first to leave and the last to come back.The album captures the whole period.That’s how I’d describe Manic.”“It’s the feeling of being apart,” agrees Chris. “You’re in your own head, forced to be home, and unable to talk to others face-to-face. It puts you in a different headspace.”“Mania is a wild emotion,” observes Cody. “The last year was all severehighs and lows. We had some victories, but we’ve also had so many low points. We’ve built this thing for the last ten years and put all of our chips into it. We’ve missed birthdays and funerals, but we’ve done some extraordinary things. Last year, we found ourselves wondering if it wouldevercome back. That’s really what thealbum is about.”Manicrepresents the apex of an intense creative journey.They built a diehard audience with Blueprints[2015] and Deadweight[2017] and through incessant touring. 2019’s Pressureexploded right out of the gate. “Low” piled on 24.9 million Spotify streams with “Who I Am” at 10.7 million Spotify streams and “Me Against Myself” at 8.4 million Spotify streams. Beyond bringing their total stream tally past a-quarter-of-a-billion, it landed on Loudwire’s “50 Best Metal Albums of 2019,” while New Noise Magazinegraded it “4-out-of-5 stars” and Alternative Pressraved, “Wage War are unapologetically changing the game on all fronts on ‘Pressure’.”As the Global Pandemic raged,the guys hid out in a cabin in the Northern Georgia woodsto write.“Pressure was great for us,” Cody goes on. “We took a lot of risks, which is important. So, we came intoManic, knowing what it takes to make a record that will please older fans, yet continue the journey and growth for us.We definitely pushedsome limits. We’d never done this before, but we brought all our equipment to a cabin and wrotesongs together. It was a special thing, because we hadn’t seen one another in so long. It was really inspiring, helpful, and fruitful to be in a room together.”Following those sessions, they recorded with longtime collaborators Drew Fulk [Lil Peep, Motionless In White] and AndrewWade [A Day To Remember].Igniting this chapter,Wage War introduced Manicwith the first single “High Horse.”A pummeling rhythm charges forward as guitars crunch and crack

 

beneath relentless verses before an uncompromising chorus, “You want to see a war? I’m here to settle scores.”It’s an open invitation to the pit.“When people online take a five-second window to degrade a song and call it trash, that’sreally toxic,” observes Cody. “We’re living in a world where everyone wants to have a hot take. The song is a realization it doesn’t matter what anybody else says. We make the music we do, because we love it. We’re eternally grateful for anyone who hops on the train. We’re putting our foot down and saying we’re going to do our thing whether you like it or not. The lyrics are different for us.”On the other end of the spectrum, “Circle The Drain” snakes around a sweeping and soaring refrain, “Will we find closure or circle the drain?”The chorus offsets the intensity of the hard-hitting drums.“We saw a lot of issues come up last year socially with cancel culture and the Pandemic,” he goes on. “The song urges everybody to just stop, take a look around, and realize the pain that happens. We have to learn and grow with each other. It’s a humanistic approach to a rock song.”On “Teeth,” glitchy production swells give way to incisive riffing punctuated by violent whispering, eerie harmonics, and another irresistible hook about “a friend who leeches from you, leaves, and never comes back.” The titletrack“Manic” borders on trap production with hollow percussive hits and schizophrenic delivery before a seesawing scream.It nods to the culture of rap beat-craft with its icy electronic darkness.“We tried to integrate a dark hip-hop vibe,” Cody goes on. “It’s my favorite Wage War song ever. It really pushes boundaries for us. Sonically and lyrically, it lendsitselfto a manic headspace, summing up the album.”A sinewy riff wraps around a robotic sample as “Godspeed” rushes towards one of the biggest hooks on the record as it waves goodbye to social deadweight, “And now you’re dead to me.”Once again, they push the envelope creatively.“It’s a banger,” grins Stephen. “It’s classic Wage War with the breakdown and the melody. It spoke to the whirlwind we’ve gone through recently.”In the end, Wage War emergedfrom everythingstronger than ever.“Whether you’ve been listening to us since the beginning or you just discovered us, I hope you’re satisfied by this,” Chris leaves off. “It’s easy to feel alone. We want to bring you on thejourney with us, and we hope you stay on the ride.”“I think this is ourbest record, and I hope people are able to see, hear, and feel how much we put into it,” concludes Cody. “This record sounds exactly likewe’vealwayswantedthebandtosound like. It’s a defining moment for us.”

It’s okay for things to end. There doesn’t always need to be a new beginning either. Instead, you can just pick up and keep moving. You’ll probably be better off for it. Sonically and spiritually, The Plot In You continue to move forward on their fifth full-length album and second for Fearless Records, Swan Song. The Ohio quartet—Landon Tewers [vocals], Josh Childress [guitar], Ethan Yoder [bass], and Michael Cooper[drums]—stare down years of negativity, soured friendships,disappointment,andmistakesand flush it all away in the wake of hammering distortion, towering melodies, cinematic production, and unapologetically cathartic lyrics. After racking up over 100million streams and receiving praise from Billboard, Rock Sound, Alternative Press, and more,the groupwave off darkness with unassuming confidence and clarity. “The album is about the end of things, the end of friendships, the end of relationships, and the end of people’s lives,” admits Landon. “There’s not a whole lot of hope. On the other side of it, my life is in a way more positive place now. I said, ‘Alright, this is all of the bullshit I can conjure up in my life. Goodbye’. It was therapeutic to dispense all ofthese painful things from the past and wash out the negativity.”They certainlyearned the right to do so. Ascending tothe apex of an eight-year grind, the band reached critical mass on 2018’s DISPOSE. The standout “FEEL NOTHING” exploded with 28 million US streams, while the project eclipsed 55millionUS streams. Billboardraved, “DISPOSEis the band’s most polished and cohesive work to date,”and Alternative Pressnoted, “DISPOSE makes it clear that TPIY challenge both the listeners and themselves more and more with each release.”Grading the album “9.0-out-of-10,”Rock Soundpredicted it “should finally –and deservedly –make The Plot In You a name that everyone knows.”They supported the record by hitting the road with Underoath, The Amity Affliction, Like Moths To Flames, Sum 41, and more.During late 2019,Landon startedto kick around ideas for what would become Swan Song. By the time the Global Pandemic swallowed 2020 whole, he found himself with an entire year to finetune. Taking the reins as producer, the album came to life in his Michigan studio.“I was nowhere near being done with it when the Pandemic started,” he admits. “It was nice to have the extra time. If I got stuck on an idea, I could take a week off and come back with a fresh ear. In terms of subject matter, it concerns friends who got into drug abuse super bad and friends I’ve lost. There are songs about my weaknesses in relationships. I didn’t really stick to one theme. As a producer, I felt confident enough to take on all of the work. I decided rather than punishing someone else, it was best to do it myself,” he laughs.Introducing Swan Song, the first single “Face Me” pairs clean vocals withstarkicy production punctuated by a glitchy beat. It spirals into a soaring hook uplifted by a sinewy guitar riff.“I was in a place in life where things just did not seem like theywereworking out,” he explains. “You’re feeling lost, but then you meet someone who is so put together. You’re in a rough place, and you don’t want to drag this other person down. At the same time, you want to hold onto this new special thing. You realize you have tolet go ofsomething beautiful sometimes.”Warped distortion howls as warbling vocaltransmissionsecho through “Paradigm.”A stomping groove rushes right into another chantable chorus “about how fans of entertainment look up to creators like

 

gods, but it’s a very toxic thing since the people you idolize don’t care about you.” Then, there’s “Fall Again.” It cuts ties with a searing scream, “If you fall again, then you’re on your own.”“It’s probably the darkesttrackon the record,” he sighs. “I had a friend who was really wrapped up in the drug world—the business side and as a severe user. He was bringing everyone down around him. He got sucked into that lifestyle very hardcore and endedup losing his life. You can’t latch on to people who are damaging and potentially harmful. You have to save yourself.”“Too Heavy” leans into melodicdeliverybacked by airy electronics as he details “holding on to a relationship that’s falling apart for dear life.”Meanwhile, “Too Far Gone”culminates on anotherresounding refrainevocative of the band’srange.“It’s a lot of self-realization,” he observes. “You get to the breaking point. Someone’s honest enough with you about certain things, and you realize you’ve gone a lot farther down the rabbit hole than you ever imagined.”In the end, The Plot In You might just help you move forward too.“This is therapy,” he leaves off. “It’s like how people keep journals. This is me being completely honest.”BOILERThe Plot In You continue to move forward on their fifth full-length album and second for Fearless Records, Swan Song. The Ohio quartet—Landon Tewers [vocals], Josh Childress [guitar], Ethan Yoder [bass], and Michael Cooper[drums]—stare down years of negativity, soured friendships, disappointment, and mistakes and flush it all away in the wake of hammering distortion, towering melodies, cinematic production, and unapologetically cathartic lyrics. Ascending tothe apex of an eight-year grind, the bandreached critical mass on 2018’s DISPOSE. The standout “FEEL NOTHING” exploded with 28million USstreams, while the project eclipsed 55millionUS streams. Billboardraved, “DISPOSEis the band’s most polished and cohesive work to date,”and Alternative Pressnoted, “DISPOSE makes it clear that TPIY challenge both the listeners and themselves more and more with each release.” Grading the album “9.0-out-of-10,”Rock Soundpredicted it “should finally –and deservedly –make The Plot In You a name that everyone knows.” They supported the record by hitting the road with Underoath, The Amity Affliction, Like Moths To Flames, Sum 41, and more.After racking up over 100 million streams and receiving praise from Billboard, Rock Sound, Alternative Press, and more, the group wave off darkness with unassuming confidence and clarityon Swan Song ignited by the single “Face Me.”