ORIGIN
Decimating the Masses
By: John Sheldon, Live Photos: Scott Kinkade
“A Lot of people wondered if we could produce a worthy follow up to Informis, Infinitas, Inhumanitas, but here we are,” says Paul Ryan, guitarist and co-founding member of sci-fi death gods ORIGIN. Indeed the new album, Echoes of Decimation, stands alone as one of the fastest, most technically extreme, and well-produced records to join death metal’s elite roster of releases from bands such as NILE, DEICIDE, and NECROPHAGIST.
After a series of lineup changes, including the addition of original bass player Clint Appelhanz on guitar and the unstoppable James King on drums, ORIGIN decided to raise the bar in terms of musicianship and production while putting together new material that applies each member’s individual style into a menacing whole. Appelhanz recalls “trying to counter what Paul was writing, fleshing out more technical riffs that worked with Paul’s fast, straightforward approach, which defines the ORIGIN sound.” Likewise, Ryan mentions everyone’s “overall openness to members’ personal flare,” while arranging the latest eight tracks from the new album. “Some fans were worried that we couldn’t replace musicians as great as Jeremy Turner or John Longstreth, but I really think we found people who not only could fill those spaces, but also help us take a fresh approach to the ORIGIN sound. In some ways it’s almost like a new band.”
Both guitarists attribute much of the forcefulness of Echoes of Decimation to a rigorous practice schedule and personal advances in musicianship. Immaculate lead riffs and mad, dashing arpeggios stand out against a backdrop of thick rhythm guitars, ultra-tight drums, and basslines (courtesy of Mike Flores) as abysmal as the darkest depths of space itself.
“We wanted to get very precise with our more technical parts,” says Appelhanz of the new album. “And I wanted to add more dimensionality to the songs while still keeping them within ORIGIN’s already strong pedigree.”
Ryan notes that “while we’ve always been able to play solos and things like that, we never really incorporated them into our sound. While we still don’t exactly solo, we do borrow from those techniques and apply them to the songs in a rhythmic way. There’s definitely a lot more shredding than on previous releases.” Tracks such as “Staring From the Abyss” confirm that ORIGIN know their way around the top three strings of a guitar as well as they do the bottom three. Both guitarists exact such riffs without reducing the power of ORIGIN’S custom blend of shear brutality and crazed musical machinations.
Capturing the essence of this newfound dynamism required top-notch production courtesy of Black Lodge Studios. Appelhanz, a long-time engineer and producer worked with the studio to ensure that ORIGIN had every opportunity to record their most professionally outfitted release to date. Ryan “gives mad props to the Black Lodge, Clint, and all the engineers that helped us along the way. We all felt very relaxed and played better in that kind of professional environment. We were able to get down tracks with razor-sharp precision, which is exactly what our style demands.”
Appelhanz expands on their studio approach: “I’ve had so much recording experience that I wanted to bring to ORIGIN. Before the band generally rehearsed for a while and then went in to record an album. Now we had time to lay down some demo tracks and work in the studio itself in order to prepare our songs. We made sure to get the exact right trigger sounds for the bass drums as well as a tight snare sound,” all of which capture the might of King’s debut with ORIGIN. The guitars come to the forefront of the album with a heavy, full sound that the bass punch rounds out while James Lee’s growls explode atop the music like a supernova in the black sky.
“We also had time to work with all kinds of sound effects and more serious samples on this CD,” adds Ryan. Cosmic gloom pervades the brief spaces between many of the blistering tracks on Echoes of Decimation. Ryan believes that the samples provide the listener with a rest from the ongoing intensity of the album. “The ambience takes you to another place,” he says, but only before the unrelenting instrumentation pulls you back into the astronomical frenzy of such crushing tracks as “Cloning the Stillborn” and “Debased Humanity.”
Still in the midst of negotiating tours for the spring of 2005, ORIGIN promises to bring every ounce of studio perfection to their live act. “We have some intense fans,” claims Ryan, “and we hope to bring some extreme things to our shows both musically and visually. We will offer all the insanity of a live performance while still playing as articulately as possible.”
The new lineup works with older ORIGIN classics as well as new songs, so fans can expect to hear tunes dating back to the demo (A Coming into Existence - ED) and everything in between. “We like to work with the crowd and respond to what they want,” states Appelhanz. “We’ll do lots of new songs, of course, but a lot from the other CDs as well.”
And so, standing at the threshold of a new era of extreme death metal, ORIGIN unleashes Echoes of Decimation. With a solid lineup in place, tours on the way, and a DVD in the works, nothing blocks the path of this death metal juggernaut. “Some fans worried we’d break up with all the changes going on,” Ryan remembers. “I just want people to know that we are stronger than ever and that with this CD, and with all of our future CDs, we will always push the envelope of extreme music.”
Appelhanz concludes, “We’re all really proud of the new album—the sound, the songs, everything—but it’s all part of a building process. We’ll build on this one as we’ve built on the others. This album is a bridge to the next release and we are always thinking ahead.”
For more information on ORIGIN and to view videos, tour dates, and releases, visit www.origin-site.com and www.relapse.com.
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