Year Of The Knife: Recovery and Community
Delaware straight edge outfit YEAR OF THE KNIFE were riding high; their debut album Internal Incarceration had been lauded for bringing emotional connection back in a genre that had often been mired in macho, chest-beating bullshit. They’d also performed a raucous set at the UK’s Outbreak Festival in 2022, with bassist Madi Watkins on vocal duties, and in February this year released EP Dust To Dust, a seven-minute battering ram. That new EP, and indeed the Outbreak set, confirmed something unexpected though; Madi was now their full-time vocalist.
“We were all in agreement about moving ahead with Madi, but it was a really hard decision to make, and it was hard to change up the entire sound of the band, but we had to,” guitarist Brandon Watkins explains of their decision to part ways with former vocalist Tyler Mullen. That shifted their focus, and indeed the sound of the band; recording a quick three-track EP, the now-quartet released Dust To Dust to showcase just what Madi could do. It also showed their new writing style, a much more collaborative approach, whereas it had previously been mostly Brandon and Tyler.
A mere month after recording it, they were back in the legendary GodCity Studio with Kurt Ballou, recording sophomore album No Love Lost. This time, with a more collaborative approach, they found that writing was leading them in all manner of new directions. Flecks of death metal became virulent strains, while the grindcore influence also became more pronounced. “I feel like that stuff bled in as we were writing; the more I wrote, the more I was including those outside influences that weren’t hardcore bands,” he explains. “I feel like we stopped being so much a hardcore derivative band, and much more a combination of extreme music.”
With Dust To Dust out in the world and No Love Lost in their back pockets, they embarked on international tours, but in June, disaster struck. While on tour, a horrifying accident left their lives shattered, the members all affected with massive injuries and requiring significant care, which as Americans also meant huge medical bills. When we do sit down with Brandon, we’re a few months removed from their van crash and into their recovery to focus not on this, but on how despite such trying circumstances, the band are bouncing back with the love and support of the international hardcore scene behind them.
“Everything’s going really well,” he smiles when we ask how they’re all doing. “Madi’s doing exceptionally well. Aaron just got surgery on his carotid artery, to get a stent in and Andy’s about to finish physical therapy, he’s already jumping up and down and shit!” In fact, they’re already back to practising together, at least with DAMNATIONS DOMAIN, the death metal side project that includes YEAR OF THE KNIFE and two other members. “Madi doesn’t remember the songs,” he smiles, “but she’s had the bass on and been playing it. That’s huge.” The strides they’ve all made in their recoveries can feel nothing short of miraculous. and very welcome news.
It’s a relief, after reports of the injuries were shared and Brandon himself posted photos of the remains of their van. In the immediate aftermath though, the outpouring of support from across the hardcore community was huge. A GoFundMe was set up by friends of the band, and currently sits around a phenomenal quarter of a million dollars raised to not only support the band with medical expenses, but with adjusting to such a huge life change. “I’ve got no words for it, man,” he admits. “We’re still out of work, so we’re still living off that. I can’t stress enough how thankful I am.”
It’s testament to the love the hardcore scene holds for its own, as well as YEAR OF THE KNIFE specifically; benefit shows soon sprang up across the US, or existing shows became benefit shows with proceeds donated to them. Bands reprinted old, fan favourite merch designs with a new twist. Their record label, Pure Noise, told the band they’d be giving them the album proceeds. Against all of that, the quartet were reckoning with upheaval, therapy and more, but with the knowledge the scene was there for them in their darkest hours.
When it came to providing fans, and the wider world, with updates, it wasn’t an easy task, but one he felt he had to do. “It’s really hard to type that shit up, to put into words what’s going on. I’m freaking the fuck out and to try and keep that out of it is so hard. But I made every update positive, every step forward. It was hard to share, but it made me so happy to share and see the way it was received. To be on the receiving end of that, we are so lucky that people care about us that much.”
Sat in Madi’s pink Candy Corpse office, Brandon’s quick to emphasise that while it’ll all be at Madi’s pace when she’s ready, they’re all incredibly excited to work together again on anything, and can’t be thankful enough “that we’re surrounded by the people we’re surrounded with.” Inundated with love and support from friends, as well as the hardcore community, along with the giants’ strides towards recovery they’ve made, while the future is still a little uncertain for YEAR OF THE KNIFE, it’s safe to say that the hardcore and extreme music communities are rooting for them.
No Love Lost is out now via Pure Noise Records.
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