Origin - Antithesis (2008) By Fat Jenk

Band: Origin
Album: Antithesis (2008)
Death metallers Origin have reunited with their best previous lineup, and have put forth the effort to make their most brutal and insane album ever. Did they accomplish that task? I for one am going to have to say YES. This album is a success in my opinion, and it separates Origin from the trendy pussies and mediocre hacks in the death metal genre.
Many people, myself included, bitch about new school "slam" wigger shit that is called "death metal" but is really just pretty much growl gurgled hip hop with really slow and sophomoric guitar crap blasted through high dollar amps for accompaniment. If you were under the impression that this is Origin’s M.O., let me clarify that for you. Origin is really fast and technical brutal death metal, and they don’t have any gay little "slam" parts. So quit throwing them into that category, because that’s not their style at all.
On this new album, the songs have far more intense and dynamic rythems, with a bit more basic and accessible arrangements. The phrases throughout each song are generally a real technical feat. From beginning to end there are only a handful of patterns that aren’t over the top in speed and technicality, and quite honestly sound as if they practiced them FOREVER to get them tight. One thing that sticks out with this album is how tight they play. Previous efforts have been really technical and dynamic, but recordings were kept with a bit of sloppy play. This time, they nailed almost every phrase on the whole album. So, if you are a fan of ultra fast feats of pure speed, this album is for you.
The guitars have improved dramatically from previous efforts. New are the addition of decently performed and well written guitar solos. Not a whole lot of them are in the album, and I wouldn’t say they are wanky or cheesy, but they are well placed and add a bit of "wow" factor. Origin’s trademark mid-rythem chord sweeps are ever present, and have also been improved to the point of perfection. They make guitar acrobatics sound easy on a lot of fronts. At this point, their techniques of choice have been improved to perfection, while they simply don’t use other techniques at all. It’s also really fun to listen to, and that’s what matters most.
The drums on this recording are absolutely devastating and honestly I feel they raise the bar for this kind of high speed playing. Gravity blasts are present as usual, but every single death metal drumming technique I have ever heard of is used on this album and is used at outrageous speeds and always consistent. The only thing they could do to make the drums more ridiculously technical would be to add ¾ and 7/4 patterns or something that is just a challenge to count. Pretty much the whole album is in basic 4/4 time signature, so there is in fact other methods of adding technical features to the drums and songwriting, but I highly doubt that would pose much of a challenge to this drummer. Any thinking person would admit that you can’t get better drums than are present on this album.
Vocals on this record are really good for death metal. Death metal vocals are flawed from design as far as dynamics, but this vocalist is always at least as dynamic as anyone else. I will say that the vocal power and intensity matches the music well enough, but I could use a lot more climactic phrase endings and vocal fills. I would characterize the vocals as good on this record, but a bit generic. They in no way add some additional flare to the sound, nor do they hinder the sound.
Overall, the latest Origin record is a huge improvement over any of their previous works. It is a really entertaining listen, and they keep the intensity fresh throughout. There are no stale moments. That is something you don’t find often in modern death metal. For this, I give this album a really good score and say if you are a fan of death metal it is certainly worth your time to give it a listen.
Vocals: 6/10
Guitars: 8/10
Drums: 10/10
Songwriting: 8/10
Production: 10/10
Score: 8/10 – badass