Nothing More and Wage War Bring North American Tour 2024 to GLC at 20 Monroe
Metal fans from all over the state of Michigan recently descended on GLC at 20 Monroe for a double-billed show that brought top metal acts Nothing More and Wage War.
The show opened with Veil of Maya, currently touring in support of their 2023 album [m]other. The veteran band opened with the lead track off their recent album, “Tokyo Chainsaw.” The vocals of Lukas Magyar and the heavy guitars of Marc Okubo mixed with the battery of Danny Hauser on bass and Sam Applebaum warmed the crowd up with songs like “Artificial Dose” and “Outrun.” Their patented blend of metalcore and djent brought the energy up throughout their set, and closed out with their most popular song, “Mikasa.”
Next to take the stage was the first co-headliner of the evening, Nothing More. The San Antonio rockers opened the set with the “If It Doesn’t Hurt,” a single from their forthcoming album Carnal (which drops June 28th). The band, fronted by singer Jonny Hawkins, brought their unique style of music which blends heavy styles like screamo and progressive metal, with catchy melodies.
The band put on a fantastic show that provided several highlights. During the early set, guitarist Mark Vollelunga delighted the crowd by entering the pit and playing a portion of the show next to the guard rail.
Later in the show, Hawkins and drummer Ben Anderson had a bit of a drum battle after the singer brought out a set piece containing additional drums. The set included some of their most popular songs including “Go to War” and “Jenny.” The band also played their new song House of Sand which features Eric Vanlerberghe of the band I Prevail (which will also be released on their upcoming album).
The band capped off their set with the highlight of the evening. During their performance of “This is the Time(Ballast),” Hawkins removed the drums from the set-piece he had used earlier. Together with Vollelunga and bassist Daniel Oliver, the trio descended into the pit and ascended a set of ladders. While Oliver and Vollelunga played their instruments above the eager fans below, Hawkins continued to play the drums being held up by fans at the front of the pit.
The ensuing scene was something really special as fans reached out to the band as they played the final minutes of their set.
The final co-headliner of the evening was Wage War. The metalcore band, hailing from Ocala, Florida, opened the set with the song “Sitch” from their album Deadweight. The 14-song setlist included “Nail5,” a new song that appears on their upcoming album Stigma due to be released on June 21st.
Prior to the show, I had the chance to speak with some of the fans in attendance and many of those I spoke with were there to see Wage War. This was evident during their set because as energetic as the crowd was for Veil of Maya and Nothing More, the energy seemed to reach another level during this set. It seemed like there was a never ending stream of crowd surfers making their way to the front of the auditorium while the band weaved their way through the set.
Wage War also played their new song, “MAGNETIC,” a song which features their clean vocalist Cody Quistad getting a chance to take on a heavier vocal duty. The song takes their typical sound and adds a little bit of an alt rock flair to create a sound that could easily take over on rock radio.
All three bands will be making their way throughout the east and midwest through May, so be sure to catch them in a city near you! You can find Veil of Maya on socials @veilofmayaofficial, Nothing More @nothingmoremusic, and Wage War @wagewar. Wage War’s new album Stigma drops on June 21st, and you can get Nothing More’s Carnal a week later on June 28th.
