This week’s Band of the Week is at the head of the hardcore movement, but to describe the group as simply a “hardcore band” is to do the musicians an injustice. Years End is an in-your-face sonic assault that is as passionate as it is unrelenting.
Formed in West Virginia in September of 2012, the group was formed as a three-piece called Code Veronica but quickly took in new members, as well as taking on the new name of Years End. Recording its first single, “Smokestacks,” in 2012, the group has completed several successful tours, playing with such artists as Worthwhile and Oh, Sleeper.
Releasing their EP Beacon in May of 2013, Years End staked their claim as a force in the hardcore music scene. Lyrics that are poignant yet ruthless can be heard throughout their EP, lyrics that bassist Joe Leiter says has caused Years End to be classified as a “pop-punk/emo band playing metal music.” This isn’t a title that the band shies away from; Leiter says, “We love metal, but we really want too make our listeners feel something. We are all about emotion.”
Years End’s plans for the future include recording their newest single and then pushing forward to complete a new album. Leiter says that the current lineup of himself on bass, Sam Freeman on vocals, Nick Frendzel and David Snyder on guitars, and Eddie Bleiberg on drums, is full of passion, an unsurprising statement if one listens to songs off of Beacon such as “Little Elliot Drive.”
The quintet is inspired by more than just metal bands; blues and pop-punk are large influences on the band, as well as the writings of novelist and poet Charles Bukowski.
The coming months are sure to be massive for the West Virginia metallers. Pre-production samples already hint at bright horizons, a more polished version of the band that released Beacon. Years End is no longer a blip flying under the radar; the group is a shining beacon for the newest wave of the hardcore movement.
