“Enslaved jaws funnel holy water into the lungs of the apostles.”
Ever since END burst onto the scene as one of the most promising supergroups back in 2017 with From the Unforgiving Arms of God, their ethos with each subsequent release seems to have been to up the ante wherever possible. The foundation built on that EP, and its follow-up in 2020’s remarkable Splinters From an Ever-Changing Face LP, were that of the gloomy, the oppressive, and the unfathomably gross. This was only doubled down upon on their 2021 split EP with Cult Leader, Gather & Mourn, which saw the group pen what I believed to be their most ridiculous and enthralling track to date in “The Host Will Soon Decay”. It was a brief glimpse of what was to come of END’s future, and one that left me yearning for more, and soon. Luckily, just north of a year following, we are greeted with The Sin of Human Frailty, the band’s latest and most face-scrunchingly intense collection of horrible noise.
Standing at just 30 minutes, The Sin of Human Frailty, is a dense and carefully crafted LP. Deftly avoiding any notion of overstaying their welcome here, END state proudly and swiftly that their intention is to overwhelm you, and that notion does not let up across any point in this 10-track display of sonic chaos. From the very moment the record introduces itself with “A Predator Yourself”, END’s unmistakable sound attacks you at full force. Wailing guitars, fierce percussion and piercing vocals all enter the fold with reckless abandon. This introductory taste to the wholly gross soundscape of The Sin of Human Frailty is only accentuated by what follows in “Gaping Wounds of Earth”, whose equally droning and pummelling riffs create an unrelenting atmosphere of uneasy aggression.
The album’s following number and title track, “The Sin of Human Frailty”, follows suit in style. A blistering pace sets the mood at the track’s inception, and is capitalised on by its constant and well-executed push and pull between the breakneck speeds of its riffing and the percussive nature of its brutal chugging. The track’s final 20 seconds seek to send the listener into an uncontrollable frenzy, as the simple yet effective breakdown that bookends the track is nothing short of electrifying.
The album’s mid-point is littered with highlights, too. “Thaw”, featuring Debbie Gough of UK upstarts Heriot, brings the gloom and atmosphere like no other across The Sin of Human Frailty. Haunting piano and eerily melodic lead guitar passages line the track’s mid-section leading up to Gough’s first appearance, before dropping into a spacious, freakish and heavily industrialised bridge that ushers the album into one of its most unrelenting breakdowns yet. The track soon falls quiet, as Gough’s unsettling hums rebuild the atmosphere toward its conclusion, leaving a remarkable impression as one of the most truly dynamic and complete tracks END have penned to date.
The relatively sparse composition at points of “Thaw” is entirely juxtaposed just two tracks later with “Twice Devoured Kill”, which seeks to be just as harrowing but on the opposite end of the energetic spectrum. Pounding, up-tempo percussion and noisy, chaotic guitars litter the track’s intense second half, as the track’s dissonant leads creep up and thicken up the sonic space to an overwhelming level. By the time it all drops out to the unsettling hum of its conclusion, it becomes apparent just how masterful the sound design across The Sin of Human Frailty is, too, as “Twice Devoured Kill” evokes a truly unnerving sense in the listener in its final moments. Both “Twice Devoured Kill”, and its following track “Worthless Is The Lamb” employ some top-shelf talent, too, with J.R. Hayes of Pig Destroyer and Dylan Walker of Full of Hell delivering aptly harrowing and horrifying vocal performances in each song respectively.
The final stretch of The Sin of Human Frailty sticks the landing with astounding grace, too. “Hollow Urn” builds a crescendoing, atmospheric haze that culminates in the track’s final explosive moment of misty, groove-laden violence. Penultimate track “Infest” immediately makes its mark as one of the album’s most deeply intense endeavours, and “Leper” closes the album out masterfully as one of the record’s most dynamic and outright ridiculous cuts. The droning build to the final breakdown is by far one of the most satisfying and utterly brutal moments I’ve heard in music all year, too, as the downtuned guitars pierce right through and the track seems to truly break down into violent, pummeling noise in its closing moments.
It’s rare that a supergroup, especially in the metal sphere, somehow ends up as more than the overwhelming pedigree of the sum of its parts. Somehow still, END manage to side-step that notion by consistently and masterfully iterating on their rock-solid foundation, producing some of the most truly intense and downright harrowing ventures I’ve heard from the core spectrum in some time. With The Sin of Human Frailty, END provide one of the most concise and ultimately destructive releases of the year, replete with unmatched atmosphere and brutality out of the space they occupy.
9.5/10
The Sin of Human Frailty is due for release this Friday, October 27th via Closed Casket Activities, and you can find pre-orders for the record here.