*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is West Virginia.*
ZEROKING is a four piece Hard Rock outfit hailing from the city of Charleston WV. Formed in 2004 by guitarist Shane Day and drummer Chris Webb. The band’s core lineup was finalized in September of that year with the addition of vocalist Andy Haught. The next two years saw the group writing original material and performing anywhere and everywhere they could. After writing only a few songs together it was clearly defined which direction the sound of the band would go in for years to come. Mid-2006 saw the release of their debut EP ‘The Sweet Sale of Excess’. After a few personnel changes on bass over the course of the two years, ZEROKING finally added bass player Paul First to the fold. This lineup would prove to be the classic lineup. More shows and writing followed over the course of the next several years. The band saw itself billed with some of the biggest names in the rock world, playing shows with major artists such as DROWNING POOL, BLACK STONE CHERRY and POPEVIL to name a few. All the while the foursome feverishly strived to improve their sound and complete songs for their first full-length album.