Wage War

Originating in Ocala, Florida, Wage War is a power-driven heavy metal band who fuse punk energy with melodic hardcore, traditional rock, and emotional, positive lyrics. ∙ In 2010, high school friends Cody Quistad and Seth Blake formed the band Empires, which became Wage War in 2013 after a change of rhythm section. ∙ Their debut LP, 2015’s Blueprints—featuring the hugely popular streaming tracks “Alive” and “The River”—rose to No. 9 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart. ∙ The band teamed up with the mental health charity HeartSupport to release their 2016 single “Youngblood,” which Quistad wrote in honor of a troubled friend. ∙ Produced by A Day to Remember frontman Jeremy McKinnon, Wage War’s 2017 sophomore album, Deadweight, was their first to enter the Billboard 200. ∙ In January 2019, the single “Low”—from the group’s third album, the hard-rock hit Pressure—garnered more than five million streams right after its release.