Wage War guitarist Cody Quistad responded to fans’ ‘Nickelback-core’ label in a recent interview with Popternative.
The guitarist explained the band’s decision to embrace the comparison instead of taking offense. This particularly applied to their song ‘Magnetic’ from the album ‘Stigma.’
‘When we put out ‘Magnetic’ which was the first song off ‘Stigma,’ I think someone tried to mean it as a slight but they called it Nickelback-core. So we thought we would just fully embrace it,’ Quistad explained.
The guitarist expressed the band’s sincere appreciation for Nickelback’s music.
‘We’re all big Nickelback fans. I think it’s literally some of the best rock songs ever written,’ he continued. ‘So we just decided that we would fully lean into it. I mean people are calling it Nickelback-core, so let’s give them Nickelback-core and it worked really well. I mean Nickelback posted the cover from their page. People seem to like it a lot the videos got a lot of traction too.’
Nickelback themselves have acknowledged the band’s cover of ‘Savin’ Me,’ leading to increased recognition.
The acceptance of the ‘Nickelback-core’ label represents another milestone in Wage War’s evolving musical journey. This journey began more than ten years ago.
Research from WKNC revealed that Wage War started in Ocala, Florida in 2010. The band initially performed under the name ‘Empires’ before choosing their current name.
A pivotal moment came with their signing to Fearless Records, as documented by Jampack. The band released their debut album ‘Blueprints’ in 2015. This release marked their official entry into the heavy music scene.
The band stands out in the metalcore genre through their unique songwriting approach. Documentation from Alternative Music shows how they’ve built a dedicated following. They achieve this by addressing real-life struggles and mental health in their lyrics. The band successfully combines aggressive metalcore elements with melodic influences.
Their openness to musical evolution and various influences has strengthened their position in the heavy music scene. The recent Nickelback comparison demonstrates this adaptability.
