Origin
- Story by Cosmo Lee
Technical death metal's not in Kansas anymore
This Origin Upfront could begin like the last one Decibel ran in December ’05. At that time, guitarist Paul Ryan had fled Kansas for California, his band having disintegrated after Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas. He rebuilt Origin with a new lineup that yielded Echoes of Decimation. The record was so full of sweep picking that Ryan jokes, “Yeah, that was like, ‘Someone, get a dustpan.’” But star sweeper Clint Appelhanz and drummer James King left to concentrate on their own band, Unmerciful, and Ryan was again left in the lurch.
However, 2007 found Origin once again lined up in Informis formation. “Time heals all wounds,” Ryan says. “I don’t think the band reached its full potential with the Informis lineup [before] we split up. We were on tour a lot back then. When you’re in a van together for six months, you get sick of each other. Egos clashed and all that stuff. [But] that all kind of went away.” First drummer John Longstreth returned to the fold, then guitarist Jeremy Turner. Ryan doesn’t cite deep reasons for their returns, other than it just felt right. “We’re very happy. At this moment, everyone’s on the same page and made some killer music together.”
That’s putting it mildly. Origin’s new record, Antithesis, is a major step forward for the band. Now bassist Mike Flores is audible, fluidly roving into upper registers. Sweep picking is still prominent, as Ryan has practically trademarked its use for riffs, not leads. But now he launches into “holy shit” leads, reminding us of why he’s one of Decibel’s Top 20 Death Metal Guitarists. The songs also stretch out, making for Origin’s longest record—42 punishing yet colorful minutes. “I don’t think we could write an album that long that’s all blast beats,” Ryan explains. “It holds its own in brutality, but there’s some different angles we never did before.”
The most radical one is the title track. At nine-and-a-half minutes, it’s Origin’s most ambitious work yet. “I just kept writing and writing and writing,” Ryan says. “Even the band was like, ‘Man, I hope he cuts it off soon, [or] this song’s going to last forever.’” Good thing it doesn’t, as it’s a smorgasbord of blasting, chugging, sweeping, black metal chording and general kickassery.
Merely downloading it would omit an integral part of Origin: the album artwork. From their start, the band has consistently presented cosmic, sci-fi visuals. But on Antithesis, Relapse in-house artist Orion Landau outdoes himself, conjuring up the offspring of Motörhead’s mascot and Giger’s Alien creature. It’s an effort quite in line with Ryan’s perfectionist nature. “When you’re continually pushing the envelope of what you do, you’re going to get better.”
