Years End
Ring of Bone
(Self-Release)
West Virginia-based metalcore group Years End (both Google and I want to type it as “Year’s End”, but I digress) do a great job on their debut full-length of mixing two distinct styles of music. Ring of Bone very quickly shows of shades of Botch-ian metalcore, a la Norma Jean and Underoath, but there’s also a newer strain of melodic hardcore running around (think Counterparts). There’s a hefty dose of groove here, but there’s no real djent here; instead, that classic Southern-fried metalcore punch plays out well, especially in highlight “The Only Living Boy in the Mid Atlantic”, which contains a nice little solo.
Songs are emotive, punchy, and powerful, but it’s difficult to really pick out any individual highlights, aside from the really short jam mentioned above. That speaks to the fact that Years End are still operating a bit too close to their influences and lacking unique sense of purpose to help them stand out. It’s a minor issue, especially for a debut full-length that never veers off track. It’s consistently enjoyable and well-produced, and aside from poorly-executed clean vocals strewn about, Years End proves they definitely know what they’re doing. If they can emphasize a bit more of a unique personality, they certainly have the potential for a bigger audience, especially with some live shows to tease out what they do especially well.
