Stigma (Wage War album)

Last updated
Stigma
Wage War - Stigma.png
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 21, 2024
Genre
Length31:02
Label Fearless
Producer
Wage War chronology
Manic
(2021)
Stigma
(2024)
Singles from Stigma
  1. "Magnetic"
    Released: March 21, 2024
  2. "Nail5"
    Released: April 12, 2024
  3. "Tombstone"
    Released: May 17, 2024

Stigma is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Wage War. The album was released on June 21, 2024, through Fearless Records and was produced by Drew Fulk. [1]

Contents

Release

On March 21, 2024, the band released the first single, "Magnetic". [2] On April 12, the band released the second single "Nail5". On the same day, the band announced the album's title, release date, cover, and tracklist. The release date was set for June 21, 2024. [3] [4] On May 17, the band released the third single "Tombstone". [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net 8/10 [6]
Distorted Sound Magazine9/10 [7]
Dork Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Sputnikmusic 0.5/5 [10]
Wall of Sound8/10 [11]

Stigma received mostly positive reviews from critics. Blabbermouth.net stated that "Wage War's evolution shows on "Stigma" with lead single "Magnetic". This is a soft, ethereal song, which is unusual for the band and gives a nod to contemporaries Bad Omens and Sleep Token. "Magnetic" has pop vocals, with heavy effects on Briton Bond's vocal lines, and rich guitars, making this a very pop-friendly song. It's also the most mainstream-sounding song these guys have released to date." [6] Jake Richardson of Kerrang! stated that "The ominous, atmospheric dancehall vibes of opener The Show's About to Start quickly give way to the chunky riffs of guitarists Cody Quistad and Seth Blake, and from there on out, the band deliver 10 tracks of unrelenting metalcore might". [9]

Composition

Stigma has been described as metalcore [9] [8] with electronic, pop, and hip hop elements. [7]

Track listing

Stigma track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Show's About to Start"3:17
2."Self Sacrifice"
  • Blake
  • Gaylord
  • Quistad
  • Fulk
2:57
3."Magnetic"
  • Quistad
  • Fulk
3:13
4."Nail5"
  • Blake
  • Gaylord
  • Quistad
  • Fulk
2:34
5."Blur"
3:02
6."Tombstone"
  • Blake
  • Gaylord
  • Quistad
  • Fulk
2:58
7."Happy Hunting"
  • Quistad
  • Fulk
  • Michael Whitworth
2:59
8."Hellbent"
3:05
9."In My Blood"
2:58
10."Is This How It Ends?"
3:59
Total length:31:02

Personnel

Wage War

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Stigma
Chart (2024)Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [12] 67

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asking Alexandria</span> English rock band

Asking Alexandria are an English rock band formed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and now based in York, North Yorkshire, consisting of guitarist Cameron Liddell, drummer James Cassells, vocalist Danny Worsnop, and bassist Sam Bettley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beartooth (band)</span> American rock band

Beartooth is an American rock band founded by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Shomo in Columbus, Ohio, in 2012. Originally Shomo performed every instrument when in the studio, before being joined by a four-piece band. Beartooth has been signed to Red Bull Records since 2013; its debut EP Sick was released on July 26, 2013, followed by the debut full-length album Disgusting on June 10, 2014. Since then, Shomo has released a further three studio albums under the Beartooth moniker: Aggressive (2016), Disease (2018), and Below (2021). The band's fifth studio album, The Surface, was released on October 13, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wage War</span> American metalcore band

Wage War is an American metalcore band formed in Ocala, Florida in 2010 under the name Empires. The band consists of lead vocalist Briton Bond, lead guitarist Seth Blake, rhythm guitarist and clean vocalist Cody Quistad, bassist Chris Gaylord, and drummer Stephen Kluesener.

<i>Deadweight</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Wage War

Deadweight is the second studio album by American metalcore band Wage War. It was released on August 4, 2017, through Fearless Records. It is also the first album to have lead vocalist Briton Bond do clean vocals alongside Cody Quistad on the songs "Never Enough" and "Gravity".

<i>Blueprints</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Wage War

Blueprints is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Wage War. It was released on November 27, 2015, through Fearless Records. Prior to its release, the band had been through three name changes and an EP called The Fall of Kings when named Empires. On November 13, 2020, the band announced a vinyl re-release for December 4, 2020 including a brand new bonus track to celebrate the album's fifth anniversary. A digital version was released on November 27, 2020.

<i>Pressure</i> (Wage War album) 2019 studio album by Wage War

Pressure is the third studio album by American metalcore band Wage War. It was released on August 30, 2019, through Fearless Records. The album was produced by Drew Fulk, Andrew Wade and Jeremy McKinnon.

<i>Atonement</i> (Killswitch Engage album) 2019 studio album by Killswitch Engage

Atonement is the eighth studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage, released through Metal Blade Records on August 16, 2019. Lead single "Unleashed" was released on June 25, and followed by "I Am Broken Too" in July which would later follow up with a music video in August, as well as "The Signal Fire" shortly before the album's release. The band began a co-headlining tour of North America with Clutch in promotion of the album in July.

<i>World War X</i> 2019 studio album by Carnifex

World War X is the seventh studio album by American deathcore band Carnifex. It was released on August 2, 2019, through Nuclear Blast. The album was self-produced by the band and Jason Suecof.

<i>Rapture</i> (Betraying the Martyrs album) 2019 studio album by Betraying the Martyrs

Rapture is the fourth and final studio album by French metalcore band Betraying the Martyrs. It was released on 13 September 2019 through Sumerian Records and was produced by Henrik Udd. It is the band's first release with lead guitarist Steeves Hostin. It is the last album to feature the band's vocalist Aaron Matts before he left the band in April 2021. It is also their last album to be released on this label before the band signed to Out of Line Music in October 2021, and their final studio album overall before their breakup in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiritbox</span> Canadian heavy metal band

Spiritbox is a Canadian heavy metal band, originally from Victoria, British Columbia, publicly established by guitarist Mike Stringer and vocalist Courtney LaPlante in October 2017. The band's full lineup comprises married couple LaPlante and Stringer alongside drummer Zev Rose, and bassist Josh Gilbert. The band's style incorporates electronic elements and draws from a variety of influences, crossing multiple metal subgenres with its roots in metalcore and progressive metal. Their music is currently released through their label, Pale Chord, via a partnership with Rise Records.

<i>Manic</i> (Wage War album) 2021 studio album by Wage War

Manic is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Wage War. The album was released on October 1, 2021, through Fearless Records. It was produced by Drew Fulk, Andrew Wade, Jeremy McKinnon and Cody Quistad.

<i>Scoring the End of the World</i> 2022 studio album by Motionless in White

Scoring the End of the World is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Motionless in White. It was released on June 10, 2022, through Roadrunner Records. The album was produced by Drew Fulk and Justin DeBlieck. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Vinny Mauro and bassist Justin Morrow performing on the release.

<i>Death Below</i> 2023 studio album by August Burns Red

Death Below is the tenth studio album by American metalcore band August Burns Red. It was released on March 24, 2023, through SharpTone Records. The album was produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland. It is the band's first studio release with the label.

<i>Deathrattle Sing for Me</i> 2022 studio album by Norma Jean

Deathrattle Sing for Me is the ninth studio album by American metalcore band Norma Jean. The album was released on August 12, 2022, through Solid State Records. It was self-produced by the band, Matthew Putman and Jeremy SH Griffith.

<i>Where Do We Go from Here?</i> (Asking Alexandria album) 2023 studio album by Asking Alexandria

Where Do We Go from Here? is the eighth studio album by English rock band Asking Alexandria. The album was released on 25 August 2023 through Better Noise Music and was produced by Matt Good. It is the last album to feature the band's founding lead guitarist Ben Bruce before he left the band in January 2024.

<i>The Surface</i> (album) 2023 studio album by Beartooth

The Surface is the fifth studio album by American rock band Beartooth. The album was released on October 13, 2023, through Red Bull Records and was produced by Caleb Shomo. A deluxe edition of The Surface was released on September 20, 2024, with an additional 7 tracks.

<i>Tether</i> (album) 2023 studio album by Of Mice & Men

Tether is the eighth studio album by American rock band Of Mice & Men. The album was released on October 6, 2023, through SharpTone Records and was self-produced by the band.

<i>The Beautiful Dark of Life</i> 2023 studio album by Atreyu

The Beautiful Dark of Life is the ninth studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was released on December 8, 2023, through Spinefarm Records. The album contains all tracks from three four-track EPs released earlier in the year along with three new tracks; "Dancing with My Demons", "Insomnia", and the title track. The album received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics.

<i>The Cycles of Trying to Cope</i> 2024 studio album by Like Moths to Flames

The Cycles of Trying to Cope is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Like Moths to Flames. It was released on May 10, 2024, through UNFD. The album was produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Roman Garcia and guitarist Cody Cavanaugh.

References

  1. McLaughlin, David (April 17, 2024). "Wage War: "There's nothing better than seeing your fans connect to music you feel proud to have made"". Kerrang! . Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  2. "Wage War Premiere "Magnetic" Video". ThePRP. March 21, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  3. "Hear Wage War's Heavy, Industrialized New Song "Nail5"". Revolver . April 12, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  4. "Wage War Debut New Track "Nail5", Reveal New Album "Stigma"". The PRP. April 11, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  5. "Wage War Premiere "Tombstone"". The PRP. May 16, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Wage War Stigma". Blabbermouth.net . June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Sheldon, Izzy (June 21, 2024). "Album Review: Stigma – Wage War". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  8. 1 2 McClure, Kelsey. "Wage War - Stigma". [[[Dork (magazine)|Dork]]. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 Richardson, Jake (June 20, 2024). "Album review: Wage War – Stigma". Kerrang! . Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  10. White, Tyler (June 21, 2024). "Review: Wage War - Stigma". Sputnikmusic . Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  11. Rice, Adam (June 21, 2024). "Wage War – Stigma (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  12. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 29, 2024.