Sometimes a good ol’ dose of angry music is what the doctor ordered. This year certainly had some bangers of this category, but one of the best so far is END’s latest effort, The Sin of Human Frailty (Closed Casket Activities). Thirty minutes of sonic aggression comes jam-packed in the form of this metalcore supergroup’s sophomore full-length. 

As I told a few friends of mine anticipating this album, “Wear a helmet before you press play.”

“Gaping Wounds of Earth” gives a good mix of all things END between the ten-ton opening riff, the thrash pickup halfway through, panic riffs, and an absolutely bomb-dropping breakdown at the end. Literally the perfect mix of hardcore punk and “HM-2” Swedish death metal that cannot be denied. 

“Twice Devoured Kill” wins some fan service points with the guest vocalist spot of J.R. Hayes (Pig Destroyer) that fits perfectly in the second verse of the track. Before you can get over that shock, the last minute and a half jumps between a breakdown to punch walls to, and hypnotizing guitar riffs to an equally uneasy outro. 

Another guest vocalist jumped out to me on ‘Worthless Is The Lamb’ being Dylan Walker (Full of Hell, Sightless Pit). I thought he and lead vocalist, Brendan Murphy (Counterparts), meshed well and complemented each other’s vocal styles well, complemented by the nice touch of guitarists Will Putney (Fit For an Autopsy) and Gregory Thomas (Shai Hulud) writing very Full of Hell sounding guitar spots as a nod.

Being a big fan of the previous work put out by END, it was fair of me to have high expectations for The Sin of Human Frailty. Without a doubt, these expectations have been shattered. Tracks like “Thaw” really help show that this band is evolving and consistently looking to push the boundaries, but can snap right back to what they are at their core. It is honestly quite fitting now that this group is known as END, considering they both write music for the end times, but also they do not seem to have an end in sight.

Buy the album here: 

https://closedcasketactivities.com/collections/end

9 / 10

TIM LEDIN