ITP V.011 REVIEW: ORIGIN: ENTITY

BAND-ORIGIN (TOPEKA, KANSAS, USA) GENRE-TECHNICAL DEATH METAL LABEL-NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS RELEASE DATE (S): 6/7/2011 (NORTH AMERICA) 6/10/2100 (EUROPE)

PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG): A COMING INTO EXISTENCE (DEMO-1998), ORIGIN (RELAPSE RECORDS-2000), INFORMIS, INFINITUS, INHUMANITUS (RELAPSE RECORDS-2002), ECHOES OF DECIMATION (RELAPSE RECORDS-2005), ANTITHESIS (RELAPSE RECORDS-2008)




BEST RELEASE(S): ANTITHESIS (2008), ECHOES OF DECIMATION (2005), INFORMIS, INFINITUS, INHUMANITUS (2002)


ORIGIN: ENTITY: TRACK-LISTING:
1. Expulsion 0f Fury
2. Purgatory
3. Conceiving Death
4. Swarm
5. Saliga
6. The Descent
7. Fornever
8. Committed
9. Banishing Illusion
10. Consequence of Solution
11. Evolution of Extinction
12. You Fail! (bonus track)







ITP RATING: *** 1/2
PRODUCTION: *** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ***
PERFORMANCE: ****

ORIGIN formed in 1997, are a technical death metal band from Topeka, Kansas founded by Jeremy Turner and Paul Ryan. ORIGIN's original line up consisted of Paul Ryan, Jeremy Turner, Clinton Appelhanz, George Fluke, and Mark Manning and featured a three vocalist onslaught (three dogs barking). In 1998, drummer John Longstreth (SKINLESS, ANGELCORPSE, DIM MAK, EXHUMED, THE RED CHORD, GORGUTS) and bassist Doug Williams joined ORIGIN's ranks.

In 2000, James Lee joined ORIGIN as the bands primary vocalist as Mike Flores replaced Doug Williams on bass. After the release of ORIGIN's "Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas" and relentless touring, Jeremy Turner retired from ORIGIN as Clinton Applehanz and James King joined ORIGIN's ranks until both left the band to form UNMERCIFUL with Jeremy Turner..

In 2006 John Longstreth returned to ORIGIN as Jeremy Turner returned to the bands ranks in 2007, expanding from a trio into a four piece culling the bands strongest lineup. In 2010 ORIGIN inked a deal with German extreme metal label NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS and former SKINLESS front man Jason Keyser joined ORIGIN in 2011.

ORIGIN are well known as a brutal, technical death/grind band, crushing listeners with gravity blastbeats, and consolidating brutal riffing with technical musicianship. ORIGIN have been on ITP's authors playlists all last decade as the band has expanded compositions and improved production provoking intense mosh pits and over all destruction of inanimate objects.

2011 brings us ORIGIN's NUCLEAR BLAST debut "Entity" a quality follow up to "Antithesis" (2008).

ORIGIN's "Entity" kicks off with the track "Expulsion 0f Fury" blasting in with a bizarre and charming technical riff segueing into a good quality metal groove (1:06) as Mike Flores vocals synch well with the awesome riffage. Sick.

ORIGIN's "Purgatory" evokes a mid paced SLAYER vibe as the song explodes into chaotic blast beats and utter brutality combining Mike Flore's death growls with gnarly screams although some of the riffs sound recycled from "Antithesis".

ORIGIN's "Conceiving Death", after awkwardly placed breakdowns, takes off at 1:29 with an awesome exchange of death and screamed vocals. Despite quality musicianship, "Conceiving Death" lacks cohesive song writing.

ORIGIN's "Swarm" explodes into an expulsion of blastbeats and a quality exchange of death and screamed vocals, as riffs segue, expand and flow into a brutal montage of extreme assault to rattle your senses.

ORIGIN's "Saliga", while brutal, recycles riffs from previous ORIGIN tunes, and perhaps from other bands tunes as at 2:45 ORIGIN evoke a (Middle Eastern) the main riff from METALLICA's "Where Ever I May Roam" performed inside out. ORIGIN does employ a dazzling display of musicianship, the band plays brutal and tight, although the riffs are repetitive and kinda boring.

ORIGIN's "The Descent" evokes a slow, melancholic guitar strumming, an instrumental breather before an apocalyptic assault and battery of brutal riffs.

ORIGIN's "Fornever" extends the brutality with a river flow of riff o rama as the vocals follow the guitar riffing for a less technical and straight up brutal audio assault.

ORIGIN's "Committed" is straight up death/grind brutality, with distorted guitar synth evoking the ORIGIN of old as Mike Flores evokes a brutal burping growl for the most interesting and perhaps accessible track on "Entity". ORIGIN's "Committed" features some godly death and screamed vocal interchange.

ORIGIN's "Banishing Illusion", at 1:50 is the way grind should be, and was meant to be, short and brutal, a quick and brutal death. "Banishing Illusion" features some sick ass power grind with screamed vocals.

"Consequence of Solution" is perhaps one of ORIGIN's longest tracks this side of the title track of "Antithesis". "Consequence of Solution" evokes sick ass brutality as I love that guitar effect at 1:28. "Consequence of Solution" continues it's brutal assault at 1:38 with good, prominent riffing as the intensity builds. "Consequence of Solution" evokes a bluesy guitar solo, (4:20) into staccato, thrash riffing into tech death metal oblivion.

ORIGIN's "Evolution of Extinction" is just sick brutal, death grind, with pinch harmonic riffs, plenty of death grind riff a rolla, and start and stops to ponder. ORIGIN's "Evolution of Extinction" evoke riffs that dance like coals and fire, as the kids should go nuts to this tune. I love Mike Flores perfectly timed burped/death vox (2:46), a kiss off of sorts as ORIGIN chugs into oblivion.

ORIGIN's "Entity" closes with the bonus track "You Fail", (as that term is a new millennium catch phrase of sorts) as the tune delivers some crushing death/grind with the obvious blood curdling screams (Paul Ryan) and death (Mike Flores) vocal exchange. Paul Ryans technical guitar wizardry is godly.

ORIGIN's "Entity" was recorded as a trio Ryan, Flores and Longstreth. Flores and Ryan are a carbon copy of ex ORIGIN vocalist James Lee as ORIGIN's "Entity" has it's crushing moments of unrivaled tech/death brutality with improved production.

I've always picked a bone with ORIGIN's songwriting, a literally hit or miss as I loved ORIGIN tunes "Larvae of The Lie and "Portal" from previous releases. However, the downside of ORIGIN is the repetitive mindless, tech noodling and blasting without songwriting concept, an issue within the first half of ORIGIN's "Entity".

Within ORIGIN's "Entity" second half, the band execute a slightly more cohesive term of tech/death, a relentless barrage of tech sweeps, brutal bellows, insane gravity blasts into a punishing sonic extremity, pummeling the listener into submission.

Perhaps it's the repetition of riffs, and the lack of cohesive songwriting that bore me about ORIGIN, the musicianship while impressive in its self indulgence (sweeps, apreggios) failed to emote substance or anything memorable as even compared to ORIGIN's dazzling 2008 release "Antithesis".

Although ORIGIN's "Entity" offer a variety of song compositions, the shorter grind tunes connect cohesively as the longer tunes hit a target on ORIGIN's previous release.

ORIGIN's "Entity" is far from epic, missing points on marksmanship as when the band consolidates songwriting with technical/brutal musicianship the band will eventually hit its target.

ITP RATING: *** 1/2
PRODUCTION: *** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ***
PERFORMANCE: ****

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-