Review: End Makes Metalcore Deeper and Darker with The Sin of Human Frailty

Although sometimes described as a supergroup, End is far from the aimless musings of established musicians in the hardcore and metal scenes. Their 2020 album Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face proved as much with its viscous brand of chaotic metalcore, with sprinkles of grind and black metal for good measure. It certainly pays to have a pedigree like Counterparts’ Brendan Murphy on the mic and Fit for an Autopsy’s Will Putney on guitar, but these guys really set out to set a new standard for themselves. In that sense, The Sin of Human Frailty finds End continuing to plunge deeper into an open wound of dark hardcore. It takes the most misanthropic elements of metallic hardcore, and finds the perfect places to deepen those sentiments with influence from throughout the spectrum of extreme music.

All the tenets of a great metalcore band make their presence known on opener “A Predator Yourself,” from thick guitar tones and skronky stabs to life-ending breakdowns, but End has what many bands in this genre lack: darkness. The fear factor of this music is palpable, and it only gets deeper as the album continues to “Gaping Wounds of Earth.” Behind noisy guitar strains and hammering drums lies tangible malice. This partly stems from riffs that aren’t just dissonant, but legitimately grating at times, but Murphy is screaming like he legitimately hates everything in the world including himself. Lyrics like “A collage of severed skin/ Sewn into my splintered skull/ A masquerade made flesh” hit all the harder when it sounds like a man truly over the edge of sanity.

The speedier cuts like “The Sin of Human Frailty” do share some similarities with the meaner corners of Swedish black and death metal, trading symphonic bombast for unrelenting violence. And yet, the pit-starting breakdowns don’t sound out of place at all. End isn’t trying to sound like anyone but themselves, which would explain why the disorienting ascending guitar lines and discordant rhythms of “Thaw” feels so at home here. Its industrial flavors do to metalcore what Anaal Nathrakh does for black metal—just enough to up the ante without throwing listeners off the train. The grooves are undeniable, and the arrangement is horrifyingly catchy. It certainly merits some haunting vocal additions from Debbie Gough, who knows a thing or two about adding haunting melody to ultra-heavy music in her atmospheric sludge band Heriot.

While it’s fair to call cuts like “Hollow Urn” a curveball, as it’s far from End’s hyper-charged vibe, that same darkness that powers the breakdowns simmers below the hypnotic hi-hat loops and atonal guitar patches. While the turn for industrial is far from new in the current hardcore scene, End’s odious sound is perfect for electronic manipulations and harrowing synth drones. Even when the band’s punk machinations kick into high gear during “Embodiment of Grief,” the track’s ominous intro remains at least partly intact. But take all of that away, and acrobatic riffs and ripping drums still provide plenty to chew on, not to mention the fact these breakdowns just get more nasty.

It takes a special band to do so much over the course of an album that when “Twice Devoured Kill” pulls out fairly straightforward hardcore riffs and two-steps come as a surprise. As Murphy layers his screams with those of J.R. Hayes from Pig Destroyer, the progression from mathcore madness to spin-kick-inducing mosh parts remains the embodiment of the stank face. The final lauded guest becomes Dylan Walker from Full of Hell, whose Nazgûl rasps do plenty to increase the impact of the grindcore explosion that is “Worthless Is The Lamb.” The way rapid-fire blast beats give way to chilling tremolo anti-melodies and double-kick onslaughts is great enough, but again, those layered vocals from two certified beasts make everything that much more ridiculous.

Considering the fact it clocks in at half an hour, the amount of content in The Sin of Human Frailty is astounding. A cut like “Infest” can fit all kinds of time changes and riff switches in under three minutes (also the most satisfyingly classic metalcore breakdown on the record), while “Leper” takes its time to cycle through spacious progressive meditations, strangely melodic guitar licks, and arguably the album’s heaviest mosh riff. At least that seems to be the case until the last 30 seconds, when the real most heavy chug fest comes through to put every audience member in a body bag.

End set out to further establish their musical identity with The Sin of Human Frailty, and did so without making the “more mature” decision to tone back the anger. This thing is dastardly, filled with venom, and hopelessly gratifying to people who like their metalcore distinctly dark. There’s no room for anything but hate on this album, and the level of musicianship makes that hatred dangerously addictive.

End’s The Sin of Human Frailty is out this Friday, October 27 via Closed Casket Production, but you can preorder your copy today.