Release date: 17th April
It’s always great getting new music from Wage War. Although their previous release was perhaps regarded as a little divisive, I personally really loved it (I was honestly filled with joy at how much of a Turmion Kätilöt vibe their track Happy Hunting had, despite that certainly not being Wage War’s intention!) so I was excited to see what approach they would take with It Calls Me By Name.
It Calls Me By Name takes a heavier and more brutal approach to start, feeling more akin to some of Wage War’s earlier material at times before progressing into a more melodic-feeling delivery in the latter half of the EP, which is very clever construction – it almost feels like a throwback journey of the band’s past before we arrive at the here-and-now to close.
Each of the songs bring something different to the table. Song Of The Swamp gets straight to business, bringing all of the noise to the table and barely giving you a chance to breathe – I can already envision the crazy pits this track will be getting in a live environment, and I am so excited for them to return to the UK so I can bear witness! Meanwhile 4×4 gets even heavier with some downright disgusting-sounding vocals (meant in the best possible way!) and a wall of instrumentation so heavy you’ll want to bang your head until you throw up.
Third track Blindfold is by far the softest track of the EP, featuring a very moving performance and giving you a quick chance to catch your breath before Wage War once again bring the noise with fourth track Karma, which is my personal favourite. This one is a more ‘standard’ track more akin to their more recent material with a near-enough half and half split between melody and aggression, with a massive chorus destined to get stuck in your head. And meanwhile closer Purify almost feels like a ‘refresh’, rounding things up perfectly and featuring some of the meatiest guitar riffs of the entire listen.
It Calls Me By Name is another great release from Wage War, and has certainly whet my appetite for their next full-length! Wage War are truly unstoppable.
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