Wage War - The Stripped Sessions

Wage War
The Stripped Sessions
(Orange Swirl Vinyl) (Limited Edition)
Release: 2023

Track Listing:

1. Prison
2. Slow Burn
3. Godspeed
4. Me Against Myself
5. Hurt
6. Circle The Drain
7. Never Said Goodbye
8. Gravity
9. Grave
10. Johnny Cash
11. Folsom Prison Blues

More Info:
The Stripped Sessions offers a deeply personal, unplugged reimagining of Florida metalcore heavyweights Wage War. Rather than merely strumming acoustic guitars over standard rhythm parts, the band completely dismantled and reconstructed highlights from across their catalog, leaning into delicate country, folk, and ambient rock textures. Recorded alongside longtime collaborator and producer Andrew Wade, the production swaps out wall-of-sound distortion and crushing breakdowns for warm, uncompressed room acoustics, gentle fingerpicking, lap steel accents, and understated grand piano chords. The dynamic centerpiece is clean vocalist and rhythm guitarist Cody Quistad, whose melodic range and emotional vulnerability take center stage on reworked anthems like "Manic," "Circle the Drain," and "Grave." Screamer Briton Bond shows impressive restraint, trading his guttural roars for gravelly, lower-register harmonies and close-mic spoken deliveries that add unexpected gravitas to the arrangements. Rounded out by a poignant, reverent acoustic cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," the vinyl pressing breathes with rich acoustic depth and intimate stereo separation, proving that beneath Wage War's bludgeoning low-tuned aggression lies elite melodic songwriting craft.