Words by Kevin Diers

If you’ve listened to any style of heavy music within the last ten years, there’s a strong chance you heard something Will Putney worked on. From Body Count to Every Time I Die, Knocked Loose and Stray From The Path, Putney is a big name in the world of aggressive music. Just this year, the New Jersey based producer has worked on close to 12 albums.

Along with his work in the studio, Putney is an accomplished metal musician as well, as a driving force of the enduring deathcore unit Fit For An Autopsy. Most recently, Putney has unveiled the second album from END, his project that’s as close to a super group as we will get in the world of aggressive music.

END features Brendan Murphy from Counterparts on vocals, fellow music producer Greg Thomas - who also played in Shai Hulud and With Honor - on guitar, Jay Pepito from Reign Supreme on bass and music producer Matt Guglielmo on drums.

As Putney describes it, though, the formation of END didn’t come from some sort of all-star draft of metal musicians. It was a lot more organic.

“It's just a collective of dudes that I was friends with who I knew were into the style of music,” Putney says. “I knew I wanted to do a band like this and it was always in the back of my head. I was writing stuff with my other band Fit For An Autopsy and it didn't quite fit all the time. Then from talking to Brendan and Greg, I knew they would be interested in a project like this. I sort of just put it together like ‘Hey, do you want to do this band? I think I can get this guy. And this guy…and I want it to sound like this.’ Everyone was into it.”

Putney had gotten to know all of the other members of END through his years recording and producing.

“I had worked with all of them on one level or another in the studio,” Putney says. “…Kind of getting to know them and being friends with them. I knew these guys will be fun to be in a band with and they know this genre really well.”

The Sin Of Human Frailty is a ten-song blast of extreme, noisy metallic hardcore that is almost a love letter to some of his favorite bands growing up.

“We all came out of the 90’s hardcore scene with bands like Turmoil crossed with some of the more chaotic grind and power violence style bands like Cursed and His Hero Is Gone,” Putney explains.

“There was sort of a void of new bands that were doing that stuff. It's kind of a sweet spot for me as my favorite heavy music. I just always wanted to try to do a band like that. I was just never really surrounded by people who were into it. So, we all collectively were fans of that world and felt the same way.”

Originally END started as a studio project. With all the members of the band being busy with their other bands and careers, END was looked at as a very part time thing.

“I don't think there was ever any intention of really doing anything with it,” Putney says. “And so, it was like, ‘Oh, we will just do this for fun. Maybe one day we'll play a show with it or something. We didn't really have our sights set on doing lots initially with the band.”

Obviously, things have changed a bit since the initial plan. Currently, END is embarking on a full U.S. tour alongside Full Of Hell, Inter Arma and Wake to celebrate the release of the new album.

As far as future plans for END, Putney just wants to push the boundaries of heavy music.

“I think it’s probably growing more extreme,” Putney says. “I think it’s becoming less listenable if that makes sense. I feel like we’re gravitating towards being a little more chaotic with our music. As time is passing I’m seeing less of that in the world.

In the genres that we’re in it’s definitely not the fashionable thing and style of music right now. But it kind of makes us want to just make crazier music and trying to get closer to the opposite end of the spectrum of how extreme you can go and how crazy stuff can be. It’s just a fun challenge for us. We like pushing the band a little further that way.”

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The Sin Of Human Frailty is now available via Closed Casket Activities. Order the album - HERE