In Southern California we have a lot of concert venues, many of which are famous smaller venues that bands play when coming up on their journey to notoriety. One specific venue is Chain Reaction in Anaheim California. My first time at this venue was in 2017 to see a band called Wage War. This show had one of the heaviest pits and craziest crowds I have ever been in. The mosh got so heavy that at one point a fan got pushed into the corner of the band’s stage riser, and sadly got busted open. The band stopped the show, personally pulled the fan out of the crowd, and made sure he was ok and safe before coming back on stage to finish the set. Ever since that moment, I’ve considered Wage War a band of upstanding people. A few years later now, they have evolved and are on a co-headlining tour with Nothing More, coming to the Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, CA. Opening the tour was Sleep Theory and Veil of Maya. Fans packed the auditorium for a night of moshing and crowd surfing.

Opening the night was Sleep Theory. These guys were ready to get the house jumping and rocking with their music. Opening the night with “Fallout,” and the first thing I noticed about this band is how powerful lead singer Cullen Moore vocals are. The man carries so much seductive passion in his voice you can’t help but fall for his singing. Paired with guitarist Daniel Pruitt who also handles the harsh vocals, Pruitt allows us to unleash our pent up anger. Drummer Ben Pruitt manages the mixing tempos of the music with ease, and a striking snare shot that sends shivers down the spine. While bassist Paolo Vergara sync’s up with Ben to elevate the rhythm section. Playing songs like “Enough,” “Paralyzed,” “Gone or Staying?,” “Stuck in my Head,” and ending with “Numb,”  Sleep Theory made the most of their short set time to give the crowd the best of what they have, and the crowd fed that passion right back to them.

Up next was Veil of Maya. I first saw this band when they performed on the Summer Slaughter festival back in 2017. I was blown away by their stage presence and they continue to entertain me any chance I get to see them. Guitarist Marc Okubo almost steals the whole show himself with how animated he is on stage. Riffing on some of the tastiest of djent licks, and weaving them into his melodies, all the while either headbanging or circle pitting constantly. Bassist Danny Hauser finger picks away at his seven string headless bass. Making the most of all the strings he has at his disposal, his fingers appear to waltz across the neck of the instrument. Drummer Sam Applebaum sounds like a machine gun firing off his double bass kick patterns with a furious blitz. Singer Lukas Magyar is a dynamic vocalist able to hit the clean high notes, and then drop into nasty harsh screams. Veil of Maya kept the energy high throughout their set with songs like “Tokyo Chainsaw,” “Artificial Dose,” “Godhead,” “Viscera,” “Outrun,” “Outsider,” “Red Fur,” and ending with “Mikasa.” Veil of Maya continues to be a stellar support act. However, Summer Slaughter 2024 was just announced with Veil of Maya as one of the headliners. This tour hasn’t been around for a few years, and to see Veil with a full headlining set shouldn’t be missed.

With the next band, I make it a mission to try and not miss any of their live shows when they come to town. Nothing More has become such a frequent band I listen to daily with their infectious melodies and Jonny’s piercing voice. No matter how good they sound on the album, it can’t hold a candle to their live show. Vocalist Jonny Hawkins is a fire that can’t be controlled on stage. Performing barefoot, shirtless, and dripping in paint he is a soldier going to war with his music. But a soldier is only as strong as his brethren, and Nothing More is more than just their frontman. Guitarist Mark Vollelunga was feeling his playing so much, he snapped a string at the beginning of the second song. Ever the professional, his playing couldn’t be halted by missing a string. Vollelunga even jumped into the crowd at one point, shredding right in the fans’ faces. Bassist Daniel Oliver was dressed as the coolest guy on stage with a puffy jacket and shades indoors. He has one of the most expressive faces, and it’s a pleasure to watch as he contorts his expressions through the show. Drummer Ben Anderson isn’t one to be lost in the back, playing with big movements and even bigger sounds to send the soldiers of Nothing More charging. Armed with songs like “If It Doesn’t Hurt,” “Let ‘Em Burn,” “Don’t Stop,” “Angels,” “Go to War,” “Tired of Winning,” “House on Sand,” “Jenny,” “Fadein/Fadeout,” and ending with “This is the Time (Ballast)” the crowd was happily recruited into this army. During the final moments of the show, Hawkins, Vollelunga, and Oliver all jumped into the front row of the crowd, Hawkins specifically armed with two drum heads, as the band went into a finally instrumental finish to the show. Nothing More plays with intense passion and energy that still connects on an emotional and human level.

Finally, it was time to see the band that I always knew could bring one of the craziest mosh pits. I was excited to see Wage War do it again at a bigger venue, and they did not disappoint. Opening their set with “Stitch,” as soon as the beat came in you could feel the auditorium physically moving with how much the crowd was jumping and ready to go crazy. As vocalist Briton Bond came in with his unclean vocals, the crowd surfers did not waste any time to start coming over the barricade. The thing I love about Wage War is how Bond’s unclean vocals layer with rhythm guitarist Cody Quistad’s clean vocals. Their dichotomy of melodic and harsh vocals is some of the best in the metalcore scene. The way the clean vocals are used to emphasize the harmonies to rock and headbang to vs the harsh vocals layered over the beat down style beats that let fans mosh and go crazy is just…chef’s kiss. Quistad’s rhythm section allows for lead guitarist Seth Blake to just go wild with the lead riffs. I also love watching bassist Chris Gaylord, as he’s not one to get forgotten at the back of the stage. He wants you to feel the grooves he’s laying down as he blasts his beats in the faces of the fans. Drummer Stephen Kluesener knows when he needs to let the beat build and raise the tension in the song, before going off on the kit and driving the song forward. Wage War played a solid set with songs like “Low,” “Gravity,” “High Horse,” “Godspeed,” “Magnetic,” “Prison,” “Teeth,” “The River,” “Alive,” “True Colors,” “Death Roll,” “Nail5,” “Circle the Drain,” and ending with “Manic.” The entire time the moshers and the crowd surfers could not be stopped.

One of the best feelings in the world is seeing a band you love grow from playing smaller venues to headlining their own tours at multiple thousand capacity venues. Wage War has been working hard to make their presence known, and it is great seeing them grow, and watching as the fans still rip the roof off any joint they play in. Nothing More continues to speak to me on a personal and emotional level that can imbue hope at almost any time of my life. Veil of Maya shouldn’t be missed on the upcoming Summer Slaughter Festival. But most of all, I can’t wait to see where Sleep Theory goes from here. I will be watching them grow and look forward to seeing them headline bigger venues just like Wage War is doing now.