Chances are if you take a look at the credits of most heavy albums released in the last few years, Will Putney's name is somehow affiliated.
From the likes of Knocked Loose to Body Count, Every Time I Die to Gojira if Putney hasn't functioned in the role of producer, your favorite album was likely recorded at the hallowed grounds of Jersey's own, Graphic Nature Audio.
The ubiquitous producer, songwriter and heavy culture ambassador sat in for a comprehensive discussion pn the Talk Toomey Podcast and offered some insight to kind of headspace that drives his incredibly prolific creative pace.
Putney spoke at length about his work spearheading the extreme metal unit Fit For An Autopsy. Set to drop their sixth studio effort in January via Nuclear Blast, the musician shared how the songs that made Oh What the Future Holds were written during the pandemic and provided a creative outlet though he works with bands all day every day.
Putney shared how the dynamic of the band, though unconventional, continues to work well for the collective of FFAA - with Putney writing and recording with the band but opting out of tours to stay on task at Graphic Nature Audio.
Speaking about his lineage as a producer, Putney revisited how his early experiences in watching producer Machine work with Lamb of God provided a solid education in pursuit of his craft. Putney also confided that because he works with bands all of the time, he has a unique vantage point in knowing what trends in metal to avoid and how best to learn from the mistakes of other bands.
Among the laundry list of artists that Putney has collaborated with, he spoke about his long-running working relationship with rap legend and Body Count frontman Ice-T. He revealed how the two share the same creative outlet in heavy music and how Putney's role as producer for the band has been formative on both sides.
The producer also spoke to some of his preferences and weighed in on how details like real guitar cabinets and heads are crucial to the genre. In fact, Putney explained how he designed a plug-in due to his distaste for fake, synthetic sounds. He would go onto confide that he believes the Peavey 5150 to be the sound of metal and how ultimately, picking a part a song in production isn't effective. For Putney, a good song will always shine through.
He would also go onto share some of his earliest influences and discovery, citing his love for grunge, Metallica, Pantera, and West Coast rap his gateway drugs into the universe of heavy. Putney shared how he would find bands through the credits and 'Thank Yous' listed in the album artwork of his favorite releases and credited the New Jersey hardcore scene for truly molding him into the creative he is today.
Stream the latest episode of the Talk Toomey Podcast with Fit For An Autopsy architect and producer extraordinaire, Will Putney below.
