Halloween was still two days away, but things were already getting ugly inside the House of Blues Las Vegas. On October 29, Florida metalcore heavyweights Wage War rolled into town on their Emergency Broadcast Tour, dragging We Came As Romans, Varials, and Cane Hill along for an evening of questionable hearing decisions and good old-fashioned violence against musical instruments.
I arrived fashionably late, catching the second half of Cane Hill’s set. The Louisiana crew, led by frontman Elijah Witt, was already dishing out filthy riffs and enough low-end punishment to rattle a few fillings loose. Solid work, and a proper warm-up for the madness ahead.
Next came Varials, whose frontman Skyler Conder looked like someone had stolen his pre-workout and shaker cup. The man was visibly furious, pacing around the stage and screaming like he had a personal vendetta against everyone in the building. Whatever was bothering him, it made for one hell of a performance. These guys came to work.
We Came As Romans followed, bringing a noticeably more polished brand of chaos. I’ve seen these guys before, possibly even photographed them, and they certainly know how to command a room. Frontman Dave Stephens led a tight, powerful set with massive hooks, crushing guitars, and a crowd that was finally doing more singing than screaming. A nice change of pace before the final assault.
Then came Wage War, and somebody clearly gave the lighting designer a blank check. Their impressive stage setup looked like something out of an alien interrogation chamber, perfectly complementing the punishment being delivered. Frontman Briton Bond handled the bone-crushing screams and breakdowns, while guitarist Cody Quistad balanced the brutality with soaring clean vocals. They even called a temporary ceasefire for an acoustic rendition of “Gravity” before returning to their regularly scheduled destruction.
By the end of the night, the downstairs floor was packed, the upstairs bleachers remained closed, and my ears were filing a formal complaint. Frankly, this lineup deserved a bigger turnout. Four great bands, plenty of chaos, and another reminder that Vegas doesn’t need Halloween to get a little possessed.