Metalcore/ nu-metal act Years Since the Storm is one of few bands out there that unrelentingly demonstrates this level of musicianship, business acumen, public image, and live performance in a single package. With a sound that you can’t help but bang your head to, they’re determined to take the world by Storm. Drummer Years Since the Storm is one of few bands out there that unrelentingly demonstrates this level of musicianship, business acumen, public image, and live performance in a single package. With a sound that you can’t help but bang your head to, they’re determined to take the world by Storm. Drummer Kyle Wesolowski discuss with me the band's latest release "Hopeless Shelter" as well as their plans for the bright and mighty future.
1. Why is there only hatred in the hopeless shelter you have created?
Kyle: My mind was in a very dark place during the writing process of this album. Everything seemed so pointless and I sort of created this "prison cell" in my head full of anxiety, anger, and disgust for everyone and everything. I couldn't stand the way people acted and I never wanted to be around anyone, and I didn't see any chance of those feelings fading, so needless to say, everything felt pretty hopeless.
2. You guys are from Massachusetts but have been dealing with some cold and chilly weather, so how can you guys be Years Since the Storm when you're dealing with them?
Kyle: Originally, I came up with the name Years Since the Storm when I was in New Orleans about two or three years after Hurricane Katrina hit there. I drove through a lot of neighborhoods that got hit real hard and saw a lot of the destruction and devastation. The name just popped into my head and it felt right so I went with it.
3. Your genre of choice is metalcore/nu metal why go with these genres out of everything available?
Kyle: Everyone wants to sub-genre the shit out of everything these days. It's so nit-picky and ridiculous. We take influence from many different genres and in my opinion, none of them define our sound whatsoever so we just go with what we feel is closest and what we take the most influence from.
4. What brought about the creation of Years Since the Storm and is there a long history of music appreciation between each of the members?Kyle: Basically, I came up with the idea to form a band once I discovered my at-the-time thriving local scene, and picked up Snapper along the way through advertisements that we needed a guitarist. We pretty much clicked right off the bat musically and evolved with each other from there. I can only speak for myself as far as my history of music appreciation, but I grew up in a family where music was always an important aspect of everyday life. My dad brought me up on classic and alternative rock and I always had a passion for rhythm and how you can create something so intriguing out of wood, strings, and skins. It's pretty incredible, and has consumed my life for as long as I can remember.
5. How did you guys come to get signed with Artery Recordings? How has your relationship been with them? Why did you think that these guys would be the label for you?
Kyle: Our manager, Scott Lee, is tight with Mike Milford of Artery Recordings. He asked Mike to give us a listen and he loved what he heard and decided to put his faith in us and add us to his already bolstering roster. As far as our relationship with them goes, we actually just met them all for the first time at the South by South West showcase in Austin, Texas. They're all incredible dudes and were extremely warm and welcoming to us. We can already tell that we will be a great match with them and very much look forward to what this strong team can do for us in the future.
6. You have shared the stage with various bands alike. Are there any bands that have inspired the overall sound of Years Since the Storm?
Kyle: Trying to remember all the bands that we have shared the stage with in the past five or six years is a task all in its own. For the sake of that, I can't really dive into any specifics as far as exact bands. However, I will say that every band that I get the opportunity to watch and share the stage with I always am sure to take with me a little piece of what each of them has to offer. We have shared the stage with so many creative minds that I respect and look up to. There is always a lot to be learned.
7. How much time went into the recording and producing of Hopeless Shelter and are you happy with the results?
Kyle: We threw ideas for the album around for months, but essentially it came down to about two months that we spent doing the main writing and recording process. For me personally, it was my first time writing lyrics for something that was going to be released, but surprisingly for the most part it came with ease. Like I said, I was in a pretty fucked up state of mind so I had no trouble writing what I felt. For never having done it before, I'm damn proud of the results.
8. What was the recording process like this time around? Was there anything different that happened or was it the same old studio thing?
Kyle: It was actually quite a bit different from any experience we have ever had before. Our guitarist, Snapper, engineered the entire thing in his home studio. So it was a lot more comfortable working with someone that I have known for so long. In the past, we've had a certain amount of time to be able to be in the studio due to budget or other people’s schedules so it was nice to be able to come and go as we please and take the time that we needed to make this album everything that we wanted it to be.
9. Can you tell us how this album differs from the previous EP? What can we expect and what is the message behind it?Kyle: There are so many ways in which Hopeless Shelter differs from the EP. Musically, I'd say we've evolved into a sound that all of us are so much happier to be playing. We all have so much more fun playing the newer songs live because there is so much more energy than the older songs and we're super into that. As far as lyrical content, the EP was us trying to be positive through all the negative that we saw. With the newer material, we just called it like we saw it and said how we felt. It came out a lot more negative, but it felt less forced and more real so to me that felt a lot better than anything we've done before.
10. Could you describe your song writing process? What comes first – the music or the lyrics?
Kyle: I'm always coming up with lines in my head and jotting them down. That's where I create a lot of full songs from, but the music always comes first because I like to structure my lyrics around the rhythm and feel of the instrumentals. If the feel of a certain song doesn't match the lyrical content, it really throws off the final product for me, so I like to hear what it is that I am writing for.
11. What does the band have planned for this year?
Kyle: Touring, touring, and more touring. Catch us on the road, that's where we'll be.
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