Will Putney (born May 29, 1983) is an American record producer and musician based in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. He is the guitarist and co-founder of

deathcore Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore Breakdown (music)#Heavy metal and punk rock, breakdowns. While there are some precursors ...

band

Fit for an Autopsy Fit for an Autopsy is an American deathcore band from Jersey City, New Jersey, formed in 2008. The band consists of guitarists Will Putney, Pat Sheridan and Tim Howley, drummer Josean Orta, lead vocalist Joe Badolato, and bassist Peter "Blue" ...

, as well as the guitarist of

metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

supergroup

End End, END, Ending, or ENDS may refer to: End Mathematics *End (category theory) * End (topology) * End (graph theory) * End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) * End (endomorphism) Sports and games *End (gridiron football) *End, a division ...

, and

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

supergroup Better Lovers.

Early life

Putney grew up in

Sayreville, New Jersey Sayreville is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Sayreville is within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located on the south banks of the Raritan River, and also located on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 Uni ...

. He began playing guitar as a teenager and formed his first band when he was 15. He studied biomedical engineering at the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a Private university, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely de ...

Career

Producing

Putney's music production career began when he met the producer

Machine A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromol ...

while interning at The Syndicate, a marketing music management and radio promotion company that shared the same building with Machine's studio, the Machine Shop. In 2007, he began working at the Machine Shop studio in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

. He and Machine moved the Machine Shop studio to

Belleville, New Jersey Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "beautiful town") is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 38,222. an increase of 2,296 (+6.4%) from the 2010 ...

, where they both worked until around 2013, when Putney took over the studio. Putney then expanded the Belleville facility and renamed it Graphic Nature Audio in 2015. In 2015, he also co-founded his own record label Graphic Nature Records as an imprint of Equal Vision. Graphic Nature Audio is currently located in

Kinnelon, New Jersey Kinnelon () is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located approximately west of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,966, a ...

Genre

Putney works primarily in the

and

genres. He has produced, mixed, and mastered many records for dozens of notable acts and bands, including

Every Time I Die Every Time I Die was an American metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. For most of the band's career, the line-up was centred on brothers Keith (vocals) and Jordan Buckley (guitar), as well as rhythm guitarist Andy Williams, ...

The Amity Affliction The Amity Affliction is an Australian post-hardcore band from Gympie, Queensland, formed in 2003. The band's current line-up consists of Joel Birch (lead vocals), Dan Brown (guitar), Jonathan Reeves (bass, vocals) and Joe Longobardi (drums). Th ...

The Acacia Strain The Acacia Strain is an American deathcore band that was founded in 2001 and originally based in Chicopee, Massachusetts, but now based in Albany, New York. The group is currently signed to Rise Records and initially consisted of high school f ...

Body Count A body count is the total number of people killed in a particular event. In combat, a body count is often based on the number of confirmed kills, but occasionally only an estimate. Often used in reference to military combat, the term can also r ...

Thy Art Is Murder Thy Art Is Murder is an Australian deathcore band from Blacktown, Sydney, that formed in 2006. The band consists of vocalist Tyler Miller, guitarists Sean Delander and Andy Marsh, bassist Kevin Butler and drummer Jesse Beahler. Thy Art Is Murde ...

Northlane Northlane are an Australian metalcore band from Blacktown, formed in 2009. The band comprises guitarists Jon Deiley and Josh Smith, drummer Nic Pettersen and vocalist Marcus Bridge. Northlane have released six studio albums: '' Discoveries'' ( ...

Gojira is the original Japanese name for Godzilla, a giant monster at the center of a media franchise. It may also refer to: Films *Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise, known as in Japan **Godzilla (1954 film), ''Godzilla'' (1954 film), relea ...

Silent Planet Silent Planet is an American metalcore band formed in Azusa, California, in 2009. Their name is derived from C. S. Lewis' science fiction novel '' Out of the Silent Planet''. The group consists of vocalist Garrett Russell, guitarist/clean vocal ...

After the Burial After the Burial is an American progressive metal band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are currently signed to Sumerian Records and have released five of their six full-length albums through the label. Since their inception in 2004, the band h ...

, Terror,

Unearth Unearth is an American metalcore band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1998. The group consists of lead guitarist Buz McGrath, vocalist Trevor Phipps, bassist Chris O'Toole, drummer Mike Justian and rhythm guitarist Peter Layman. They are cu ...

Knocked Loose Knocked Loose is an American hardcore punk band from Oldham County, Kentucky, formed in 2013 and currently signed to Pure Noise Records. The band released their debut studio album, ''Laugh Tracks (album), Laugh Tracks'', in September 2016 thro ...

, Norma Jean,

, Vein.fm, Harm's Way,

Stray from the Path Stray from the Path is an American hardcore punk band formed in 2001 in Long Island, New York. They have released eleven full-length albums. Their first three records were independently released – ''People Over Profit'' in 2002, ''Audio Prozac ...

, and Counterparts. He frequently works alongside engineers Randy LeBoeuf, Steve Seid, and Matt Guglielmo on his projects. In 2021, he was nominated and won a Grammy in the category of Best Metal Performance as producer for the song "Bum-Rush" by

. In an interview with ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...

'', Body Count frontman

Ice-T Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), known professionally as Ice-T (or Ice T), is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop music, hip hop and heavy metal music, heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground r ...

described Putney as "the

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

of metal."

Bands

Fit for an Autopsy

Will Putney is a founding member and current guitarist for the

band

. Although he is currently a member of the band, he has not played live with the band since around their first two albums, due to his busy schedule as a producer, although he still records guitar for the band in the studio and is the main songwriter for the band.

End

In 2017, Putney founded

supergroup

, featuring current and former members of Counterparts,

Shai Hulud Shai Hulud is an American metalcore band formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, in 1995, and later based in Poughkeepsie, New York. The band is named after the giant sandworms in Frank Herbert's novel ''Dune''. The two mainstay members of Shai Hulu ...

Misery Signals Misery Signals was an American-Canadian metalcore band formed in Wisconsin in 2002. History Formation (2002–2003) Misery Signals was formed after the disbanding of several bands, including 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Hamartia, and Compromise. Having ...

, Reign Supreme,

Blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

, Trade Wind and

Structures A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

Better Lovers

In 2023, Putney joined

supergroup Better Lovers, featuring former members of

and

The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of Consonance and ...

Discography

Fit for an Autopsy

Albums * ''

The Process of Human Extermination ''The Process of Human Extermination'' is the debut studio album by American deathcore band Fit for an Autopsy. The album was released on June 21, 2011 through BMA and was produced by the band's guitarist Will Putney. Track listing Per ...

'' (2011) * '' Hellbound'' (2013) * '' Absolute Hope Absolute Hell'' (2015) * '' The Great Collapse'' (2017) * '' The Sea of Tragic Beasts'' (2019) * '' Oh What the Future Holds'' (2022) * '' The Nothing That Is'' (2024) EPs * ''Hell on Earth'' (2009) * ''The Depression Sessions'' (

split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

with

and

) (2016) * ''The Aggression Sessions'' (split with Thy Art Is Murder and Malevolence) (2023)

End

Albums * '' Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face'' (2020) * ''The Sin of Human Frailty'' (2023) EPs * ''From the Unforgiving Arms of God'' (2017) * ''Gather & Mourn'' (split with Cult Leader) (2022) Live albums * ''Bastard Reflection'' (2023)

Better Lovers

Albums * '' Highly Irresponsible'' (2024) EPs * ''God Made Me an Animal'' (2023)

Bayonet

EPs * ''Bayonet'' (2011)

When They All Fell

EPs * ''A Sign of Things to Come'' (1999) * ''Progression of Aggression'' (2001)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Putney, Will American record producers American musicians Extreme metal Living people American heavy metal guitarists American male guitarists 1983 births