Wage War's 10 Favorite Albums When They Were Teenagers

Here are Wage War's 10 favorite albums as teenagers, with selections from bassist Chris Gaylord, guitarist Seth Blake and drummer Stephen Kluesener.

All three members' adolescence spanned from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s, following the massive explosion of metalcore a few years prior. It was a great time for post-hardcore, emo and, in general, the evolution of styles that became incredibly popular at the dawn of the new millennium.

The tastes of teenagers Chris, Seth and Stephen are well reflected in the list below, but first…

What You Need to Know About the Wage War

From: Ocala, Florida

First album: Plans (2015)

New album: STIGMA

Since forming in 2010, Wage Ware have risen to the highest ranks of metalcore and are one of its greatest stylistic innovators. The prevalence of beat-based influences in the scene has only grown in recent years, but Wage Ware playfully utilizes them, along with many other elements.

“Magnetic,” heard below, is a more radio-ready offering with cathartic melodies and instantly memorable choruses. It’s one end of an extreme spectrum, which Wage War counters elsewhere with jaw-dropping heaviness.

Wage War, “Magnetic” music video

LEARN MORE: Cody Quistad Discusses the Evolution of Wage War's Sound – “I Don't Think Genres Will Exist in the Next 10 Years”

“Our fifth album STIGMA “It’s a collection of songs with their own identity,” the band explains. “Each song conveys a message and emotion that you can relate to, with no two songs being the same. We wrote the album over the last two years as a unified creative effort, which we hope is reflected in the continued sense of energy throughout the record. We’ve been looking to hone our versatility and we’re excited to see these songs come to life on the road.”

Check out Wage War's favorite albums as teenagers below.

“STIGMA” is out now on Fearless Records and can be purchased here. Follow Wage War on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook and visit the band's website to see all their upcoming tour dates.