Stigma (Wage War album)

Stigma is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Wage War. The album was released on June 21, 2024, through Fearless Records and was produced by Drew Fulk.^[1]

Stigma
Studio album by Wage War
Released	June 21, 2024
Genre	Metalcore
Length	31:02
Label	Fearless
Producer	Drew Fulk Cody Quistad
Wage War chronology
Manic (2021) Stigma (2024)
Singles from Stigma
"Magnetic" Released: March 21, 2024 "Nail5" Released: April 12, 2024 "Tombstone" Released: May 17, 2024 "Blur" Released: June 21, 2024

Release

On March 21, 2024, the band released the first single, "Magnetic".^[2] On April 12, the band released the second single "Nail5". On the same day, the band announced the album's title, release date, cover, and tracklist. The release date was set for June 21, 2024.^[3][4] On May 17, the band released the third single "Tombstone".^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Blabbermouth.net	8/10[6]
Distorted Sound Magazine	9/10[7]
Dork	[8]
Kerrang!	[9]
Sputnikmusic	0.5/5[10]
Wall of Sound	8/10[11]

Stigma received mostly positive reviews from critics. Blabbermouth.net stated that "Wage War's evolution shows on "Stigma" with lead single "Magnetic". This is a soft, ethereal song, which is unusual for the band and gives a nod to contemporaries Bad Omens and Sleep Token. "Magnetic" has pop vocals, with heavy effects on Briton Bond's vocal lines, and rich guitars, making this a very pop-friendly song. It's also the most mainstream-sounding song these guys have released to date."^[6] Jake Richardson of Kerrang! stated that "The ominous, atmospheric dancehall vibes of opener The Show's About to Start quickly give way to the chunky riffs of guitarists Cody Quistad and Seth Blake, and from there on out, the band deliver 10 tracks of unrelenting metalcore might".^[9]

Composition

Stigma has been described as metalcore^[9][8] with electronic, pop, and hip hop elements.^[7]

Track listing

Stigma track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Show's About to Start"	Seth Blake Chris Gaylord Cody Quistad Drew Fulk	3:17
2.	"Self Sacrifice"	Blake Gaylord Quistad Fulk	2:57
3.	"Magnetic"	Quistad Fulk	3:13
4.	"Nail5"	Blake Gaylord Quistad Fulk	2:34
5.	"Blur"	Quistad Devin Dawson Kyle Fishman	3:02
6.	"Tombstone"	Blake Gaylord Quistad Fulk	2:58
7.	"Happy Hunting"	Quistad Fulk Michael Whitworth	2:59
8.	"Hellbent"	Blake Quistad Fulk Mitchell Tenpenny Whitworth	3:05
9.	"In My Blood"	Blake Briton Bond Gaylord Quistad Fulk Kellen McGregor	2:58
10.	"Is This How It Ends?"	Blake Gaylord Stephen Kluesener Quistad Fulk	3:59
Total length:			31:02

Personnel

Wage War

• Briton Bond – lead vocals, engineering
• Seth Blake – lead guitar, backing vocals, engineering
• Cody Quistad – rhythm guitar, clean vocals, production, engineering
• Chris Gaylord – bass guitar, backing vocals, engineering
• Stephen Kluesener – drums, engineering

Additional personnel

• Drew Fulk – production
• Zakk Cervini – mixing
• Ted Jensen – mastering

Charts

Chart performance for Stigma

Chart (2024)	Peak position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[12]	67