Wage War has given audiences a lot of reason to be happy this year. This past spring, the band released its new EP, It Calls Me By Name and early this month followed up its release with that of its brand-new album, Landfall. The band’s sixth album, more than two years after the release of the band’s then latest album, Stigma. Spanning 43 minutes, this 13-song record is a strong follow-up to its predecessor and proves another welcome overall addition to the band’s catalogue. This proven in part through its musical arrangements. The lyrical themes presented throughout the album make for their own interest. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to its presentation, making its general effect just as appealing as its content. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the record. All things considered they make Landfall another solid offering from Wage War that audiences are sure to appreciate.
Landfall, the latest full-length studio recording from Wage War, is another strong new offering from the band that continues to cement the band’s place in the metal community. The album’s success comes in part through the record’s musical body. From beginning to end of its presentation, the album’s musical body continues to show real growth from the band. Case in point is a song, such as ‘God Complex,’ the most recent of the album’s singles. This composition increases the electronics used in Stigma, bringing this arrangement to an almost industrial metal level.
On another note, ‘Silence Has Spoken’ sees the band moving in a purer, melodic rock direction. The inclusion of the keyboards here actually makes it easy to compare it to Motionless in White’s recent hit single, ‘Afraid of the Dark.’ This comparison is enhanced when that subtle keyboard line is accompanied by the more melodic vocals and even the guitar solo and general performance on guitar here.
As the album closes out, audiences get one more example of the growth continued in this record in the form of ‘Silhouette.’ At times once again comparable to works from Linkin Park and at others far heavier and more intense, the dichotomy of those two approaches herein make the arrangement in whole so rich and unique. The band’s ability to balance those distinctly different styles within the confines of the one song shows how much attention was paid to the song. The result is, again, such a unique work and an equally solid closer for this record.
When the songs examined here are considered along with the rest of the album’s musical body, the whole therein makes Landfall’s overall musical body a strong foundation for this record. Building solidly on that foundation is the album’s lyrical body. Throughout the course of the album’s body, listeners get a range of themes, presented (at that) often in very metaphorical language. Case in point is the song, ‘Sweet Dreams.’ This song is a sociopolitical commentary delivered by a person who has become angry over the fake realities being delivered to everyone. This is inferred as the song states, “Single file/To the fires of complicit thieves/Stack ‘em higher/’Til they beg and plead/Follow the leader/Bow to the throne/Make me a believer/Bury the bones/Don’t dig any deeper/You don’t wanna know/Your reality isn’t what it seems/Sweet dreams.” This is a cynical commentary about the people who have allowed themselves to be lured into that false reality and the anger in that reality. It is a familiar but still hard hitting statement that is sure to resonate with audiences.
It is just one of the familiar themes that the band presents here. In the case of ‘Silence has Spoken,’ the band takes on the all too familiar topic of broken relationships. This is clearly inferred in the chorus, which states, “The silence has spoken/A war without words/It’s beautifully broken/The death we deserve/We fought with fate/Tried to change/Numbered days/On a grave/Stuck in motion/The vein has been opened/The silence has spoken.” That “war without words” hints at a relationship that has been broken by silence between a couple and that despite efforts to change, things have not changed. The relationship is “on a grave.” That neither side wants to talk and try to make things better leads to “the death we deserve”; not a literal death but the death of the relationship. Such metaphorical language is a smart way to illustrate this (again) all too familiar topic. It certainly will get people thinking, proving again the importance of the album’s lyrical content.
Another familiar topic approached herein is the matter of mental health. It comes late in the album’s run in the form of ‘Spellbound.’ In the case of this song, the inferred message comes as the song states, “I’m in the hands of a dream weaver/The sharp teeth of a soul eater/I’m knee deep/And I’m sinking deeper/Down to the bottom feeders/I’ve become the creature.” The creature in question is that negative being that the person did not want to become. The note of sinking is more metaphorical language, clearly noting how the person is mentally and emotionally sinking. It is another reminder to audiences that they are not alone. To that end, listeners out there who are dealing with their own mental health struggles could easily use this song as more inspiration to keep going in knowing others are dealing with these issues. To that end, the theme here and its delivery serve just as much to show the importance of the album’s lyrical content. When it and the rest of the album’s lyrical content is considered in whole, the record’s overall lyrical body proves to be just as important as the album’s musical body.
Putting the final touch to Wage War’s new album is its production. From its beginning to end, the production results in a solid general presentation. That is because the instrumental and vocal performances are expertly handled from one song to the next. The result is that no one performance ever overpowers the others. The resulting positive general effect ensures audiences will appreciate this record just as much for its presentation as for its content. To that end, Landfall proves to be another solid offering from Wage War, and addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Landfall is available now. More information on the album is available along with all of Wage War’s latest news at:
Website: https://wagewarband.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wagewar
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wagewar