Written by: Jayme Stewart
Wage War recently dropped their third studio album, ‘Pressure’, and right away fans were mixed. They were torn between liking the new sound and missing the old- so I decided to go into listening to the record with as open a mind as I could have, and it proved to be an interesting experience.
The first track on the album is Who I Am, which is an overall solid song. It has good lyrics that have a lot of meaning and power behind them, the instrumental is heavy but still flows well, and it mixes in a bit of screaming but not a lot. This song is pretty catchy, and I think that it was a great track to open up with since it shows a bit of the new sound and conveys the message of being human, possibly a reminder that fans shouldn’t be too harsh with the album. The ending of this song is really unique, it has a spooky vibe to it which I found to be really enjoyable.
The next track is Prison, which from the start stands out to me. The sound is really cool, it doesn’t really sound like any other song they’ve done before so it is interesting to see that side of them. The chorus is really good, the lyrics have so much meaning behind them- the songwriting on this album already standing out as I listen. The instrumental of this track is really good as well, it stands out and goes so well with the song. This song has a really nice flow and balance, which a lot of fans are going to enjoy, but it may not be for everyone.
The third track is titled Grave. This song is one of my favorites off of the album, it has so many good elements. The lyrics are some of my favorite that they have written, and it has such a good sound. It isn’t all that heavy but that doesn’t mean that it’s bad- which is something a lot of the fans have yet to realize. This song is so good and should not be written off as simply a soft song by Wage War. The meaning of the song is strong, and the flow of the song is really nice. It is easy on the ears even though it has a sad meaning, which is something I like in a song.
The next track is Ghost, and from the start this song is already heavier than the others have been. It almost feels like a shock to hear something heavier on the album but it works, it fits well with the other songs and I think that it is a stand out song on the album. The chorus is so solid, the lyrics still standing out on the album more than they have before. The drums in this song are so good, it really shows all of their strengths and how talented they are. The screams are solid as is the singing, all around this is a good song.
The fifth track is Me Against Myself. This track is very emotional, and it adds so much to the album. Wage War’s more emotional tracks have always been my favorites and this one is no different. It is so solid, the vocals sound so good and the lyrics are written beautifully. This song shows that they can smoothly make a softer song and still have so much Wage War in it. This song is such a good listen, and if people will give it a chance, it is likely they will highly enjoy it.
The next track is titled Hurt. This song has amazing lyrics, I think that they are some of my favorite off of the album. The softer songs on the album make it easier to really hear and absorb the lyrics, so it shows that they are able to write such strong songs lyrically as well. This song is another emotional song, and it works so well with the other songs on the album. It has a pretty slow tempo but gets a bit heavier towards the end but not that much. The sound of this song is really nice, it’s soft but still so good.
The next song on the album is Low, which was released as a single so I have had more time to sit with this song. This song is pretty heavy, which kind of confused the sound of the album since it was a single and most of the album is softer. It sounds more like the classic Wage War song than the other songs on the album, which is really good for longer term fans. The song has a really well written chorus, I love the juxtaposition between the screams and singing. The sound works really well, and helps to add a bit of the classic sound into the album.
The eighth song is titled The Line. This song starts off really interesting, it’s very fast paced and leads to a really unique sounding verse. This song has one of the best sounds off the album because it does have a faster tempo and has a bit of a soft sound with heavy elements. The lyrics are so good, and eight tracks in I am still impressed with the lyrical quality of the album. The sound of the verses is different from the rest of the album which helps this song to stand out a bit more than some of the others.
The next track is called Fury and from name alone I went in thinking this would be one of the heavier songs off the album. That proved to be true- the song is relatively heavy and it sounds really good. The chorus is one of my favorites from the album, it is really catchy and has a really good instrumental that does sound very Wage War-esque. This song is heavy from start to finish, and will definitely be a song that a lot of people will enjoy since their old sound was well loved.
The next track is Forget My Name, which is another of my favorites from the album. It has a really catchy beginning that instantly had me drawn into the song. The lyrics are stand out as well, and they are paired with a unique flow that helps the song to stand out from the rest. This song is one that I can tell people are going to feel very torn on. It has a really different sound from other songs they have done, and it is something people will either love or hate.
The eleventh track is titled Take The Fight. The instrumental from the start is really interesting, and as soon as the vocals started I knew that I would love the song. It has such a good sound, it is one of those songs that just sounds so good that you have to listen a few times just to make sure they really did that. It has heavy elements as well as some softer elements and they work really well together. This song has so much power to it and it is overall really amazing.
The last song on the album is titled Will We Ever Learn. This is the longest song off the album, and it wraps up the album very well. It is a softer song, but the lyrics are so amazing. What they lose in heavy elements they make up for in stunning lyrics, and the song has such a soft vibe to it. It is reminiscent of their older song Gravity. It manages to create an atmosphere that feels so strong and powerful. They do mix in a few heavy elements towards the end of the song, and overall the song works so well with all of the elements mixed together.
Admittedly, I had to listen to this album a few times to really gather my thoughts. It is something that was pretty unexpected from them, but it worked. It takes an open mind for more long time fans to really see the beauty behind this album. A song does not have to be heavy for it to be good and vice versa, and I think that they really showed that with this album.
The lyrics are all so stunning, many of them caught my attention from each song and it is easy to see the amount of thought that went into crafting these songs. All of the instrumentals are so good, and pair very well with the vocals from front to back. Each song brings something a little new to the table and it is very exciting.
Seeing Wage War do something that is so out of the bwo for them has me wondering what else they have up their sleeve. They are very talented and with the album ‘Pressure’ were able to show that a change in sound is not always a bad thing.
Though it may be a bit hard for some fans to warm up to- there is no doubt that ‘Pressure’ truly delivered.
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