FOR FANS OF LEEWAY, GUT INSTINCT, MAXIMUM PENALTY.
Baltimore’s End It is telling it like it is on their debut album, Wrong Side Of Heaven, set for release this summer. The hardcore band has built a reputation through being unapologetically outspoken, playing fast, ripping songs, and putting on an electrifying live show. Now they’re ready to enter their next era.
Formed in 2017, the band consists of vocalist Akil Godsey, drummer Chris Gonzalez, guitarist Ray Lee, and bassist Patrick Martin. Signed to Flatspot Records, End It came out strong with the release of their self-titled EP the same year they started, and followed it up with 2020’s One Way Track EP. In the summer of 2022, the band took the hardcore world by storm with their Unpleasant Living EP, solidifying the Baltimore outfit as one of the most exciting acts in the genre. Following the release, End It embarked on a packed touring and festival schedule across North America and Europe, playing alongside No Warning, Terror, Cold World, Drain, Speed, Angel Du$t, Scowl, and many more. The band’s reach goes even farther with breakout single “New Age Slavery” featured on the soundtrack for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4.
No matter where they are and what they’re doing, End It is true to keeping things authentically them and that shines through on the forthcoming Wrong Side Of Heaven. Entering Salad Days Studio with renowned producer Brian McTernan (Turnstile, Snapcase, Hot Water Music) the band came in with a few demos and wrote the majority of the album during the two month recording process in early 2025. Taking direction from classic hardcore, thrash, and soul music, End It has crafted a 15 song magnum opus centered on “Spreading awareness of the change that’s coming to Americans, personal growth, and maintaining the ethics and integrity of hardcore.”
Busting open with the title track, the band’s thumping, groove-driven rhythms take center stage, and then “Pale Horse” puts Godsey’s charismatic and chaotic vocal delivery on full display. As the record progresses, the growth in End It’s sonic direction is evident with every unique note and distinct riff hitting larger than ever. Godsey’s lyrics not only feel like a gut punch, but serve as a point of self and world examination. From “Billion Dollar Question” - “Who must die, to keep you in your luxury?” - to “Anti-Colonial” - “A better tomorrow for you and me, forever we will scream for those unseen.”
A surprise moment comes in track 14, a cover of Maximum Penalty’s “Could You Love Me.” The New York Hardcore band has served as a huge influence to End It from the beginning, and they give profound justice to the heartfelt track. Closer “Empire’s Demise” has enough bounce for the moshers and delivers an impactful commentary on the current state of America. “250 years. Empires can not last. I hope the end comes quicker than that” exclaims Godsey before the song descends into swirling madness.
While no one can predict the future, End It has created an album that will assuredly stand the test of these uncertain times with Wrong Side Of Heaven.
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