Justin Nuoffer 
CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS
Nothing More, Veil of Maya, Sleep Theory, Wage War
5/7/24 – The Sylvee, Madison, WI.
Review + Photos © Justin Nuoffer / NuofferMedia
On a warm yet overcast day in the capital city of Madison, WI, The Sylvee played host to one of the more unique tour billings out there. A rare Tuesday night performance still had fans coming out in droves to see Nothing More and Wage War co-headline the massive stage.
The line started to build up outside the glass venue doors an hour beforehand and soon stretched down and around the corner. It was filled with various types of music listeners including the hard rock Nothing More group and the metalcore Wage War group.
Once the doors opened, the security checks hustled people through quickly. As you moved into the room, you had options on where to go. The third level is suites which require separate tickets. The second level has 2 rows of seating wrapping around the general admission floor below. Behind those seats are plenty of standing-room areas for those with GA tickets. Next to the main doors is the merchandise area and the line usually builds up quickly. To the left, running along the back wall, is a bar with every beverage option possible. Moving forward you hit the stairs down and onto the enormous general admission flooring. The stage is large with a huge performance area. Everything within the building is state-of-the-art. It truly is the crown jewel of venues.
Kicking the night off, Sleep Theory brought their brand of music to The Sylvee once again. The road warriors performed in Madison a few months back and clearly won people over. Fans on the front security railing sang along to every word. The energy-packed set features songs from their Paper Hearts EP. The blending of hard rock and metalcore won the mixed crowd over easily. Afterward, the band hung out and mingled with patrons.
The stage was pitch black and strobes flashed. Then Veil of Maya arrived on stage and bathed themselves in solid colors for the entire thirty minutes of stage time they were allotted. The Chicago natives are Mid-West staples in the metalcore scene and are unrelenting in their playing. Founder Marc Okubo shredded riff by riff, head banging and dancing around in a circle.
Across the stage, bassist Danny Hauser slammed his feet, leaned into his microphone, and delivered well-timed screams. The setlist is anchored by their [m]other release last year. Mixed within are a few songs that were released as singles. The crowd ate it up. Lukas Magyar‘s voice was a thing of pure savagery. The deep growling and higher-end screams cut through The Sylvee. Fans got everything they had. 808 bass drops and double-kicked bass drums slammed into bodies at a vicious rate. Veil of Maya were a thing of harsh beauty.
The changeover for Nothing More was a time-consuming effort and kudos to the stagehands for their hustle. On each side of the stage stood a single drum, in the middle a smaller version of Jonny Hawkins’ famed Scorpion drum kit and riser, and in the back left corner, Ben Anderson‘s kit stood high. A massive banner featuring new imagery from the new Nothing More release CARNAL hung high at the back of the stage. If there is anything that the band is known for, it’s their high energy and percussive heavy performances. They are a top-tier live act and they know it.
Mark Vollelunga is a breath of fresh air on guitar. The riffs are unique and the tone is killer. His playing is almost djent-like. This is what, in part, makes them stand out. Across the stage, Daniel Oliver lays down bass melodies to tie the whole thing into an attack on the sense. Oliver is a force. His spastic movements and multiple jumps from various stands only added to the fun. The set list was a fantastic list of their biggest hits and crowd favorites. The opening track is their current radio single “If It Doesn’t Hurt”. Here in Madison, WJJO Radio has it in rotation, so we have familiarity with it.
Frontman Johnny Hawkins is one of the best out there. His lyrics are about true-life issues many people go through. Each song could be ripped from a diary. He projects the pain, anger, and love with every note. Throwing his body around the stage, he danced and unleashed a vocal performance for the ages. Their mixture of older staples like “Let ’em Burn”, “Don’t Stop”, and “Go To War” once again held up. “Jenny” a song about Hawkins’ sister and her mental health struggles was an emotional roller coaster. The hair on your arms tingled with the raw and organic love he showed for his sibling.
However, closing their set with “This Is The Time (Ballast)” was a fan-engaging experience. The epic journey and tale ended with the band in the photography pit playing while standing on the security barrier. Hawkins had two of his floor toms brought down to him. Upfront along that rail, the fans held up the drums for him. He smashed away on the outro then took the time to high-five, shake hands, and hug fans as their time concluded.
During the change over something incredible happened. The youths in the crowd filled the floor and the older crowd headed to watch along the rails. This was all part of that contrast previously mentioned. Despite that, the packed venue raged from the first note. With massive amounts of CO2 firing from the staged cannons, Wage War brought their version of metalcore to the Madison faithful.
Main vocalist Briton Bond and rhythm guitarist Cody Quistad have such a divergence of vocal styles that it works extremely well. Bond paced and screamed along the front of the stage, often staring out at the sea of kids churning up the heat in the circle pit that was engulfing the floor.
The band itself covered five albums, but MANIC was the focus… The 2021 monster of an album. With seven songs from MANIC, the fans were singing at the top of their lungs. The lyrical content was well known and every bass drop was celebrated. Impressively the new material from their upcoming 2024 release, STIGMA, “Nail5” and “Magnetic” was sprinkled into the set seamlessly. With heavily distorted guitars and booming bass lines, Wage War was at its peak.
The evening was an incredible experience. The concert was beyond anything one could’ve hoped for. This tour package was perfect and had something for everyone. The Sylvee’s stage was left smoldering from the pure performance heat.
Check out our Nothing More concert photo gallery below:
Check out our Wage War concert photo gallery below:
Check out our Veil of Maya concert photo gallery below:
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