Tuesday, July 10, 2012

HEAVY T.O. 2012: Origin

I was fortunate enough to hit up the 2011 edition of HEAVY T.O. and even purchased the tickets before the band were announced.  For some reason, I had a feeling it was going to be a good year :-)

Now, for these articles, I usually throw around some opinions and constructive criticisms.  I'm going to keep all feelings aside and just report on some need to know facts about these bands to make your experience at the festival a little more enjoyable.  If you know of someone going to the festival, pass the articles along and get them just as stoked as we are!  For today, I give you ORIGIN!

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Jason Keyser - Vocals | Paul Ryan - Guitars/Vocals | Mike Flores - Bass/Vocals | John Longstreth - Drums



One of the most intense and technical forces of the contemporary death metal world, ORIGIN, have returned to stake their claim as the leaders of metal’s new wave of extremity with their fifth studio effort entitled Entity. As expected, the death grind trio of Flores, Ryan, and Longstreth continue to churn out frantic hell paced grids of metal torment, but now further compliment the arrangements with a new found propensity for churning grooves and the hook laden approach that first reared its ugly, but accessible head on the bands 2007 offering, Antithesis. The band once again returned to Chapman Recording Studios, in Lenexa Kansas to work with long time engineer and friend, Robert Rebeck. As stated multiple times in the past, Origin proves once again, that they stand head and shoulders above their peers.

ORIGIN was formed in Topeka, Kansas in 1997. The original line up consisted of Paul Ryan, Jeremy Turner, Clinton Appelhanz, George Fluke, and Mark Manning. With a solid line up in place, the band completed a 4 song demo in 1998 entitled A Coming Into Existence and played their first show opening for Suffocation in May of the same year. As the band continued to hone their skills and line up(enter John Longstreth on drums / Doug Williams on bass), more shows followed and the band gained a reputation for going toe to toe with legendary acts such as Napalm Death, Nile, and Gorguts. An appearance at November to Dismember Metal Fest in Texas prompted Philadelphia based Relapse Records to sign the band in December of 1999.

As a newly signed recording act for Relapse Records, the band entered Studio One in Racine Wisconsin to record its self titled debut in 2000. ORIGIN played the March Metal Meltdown in New Jersey, and for the first time the band hit the road on a full length tour entitled "Contamination 2000" with label mates Cephalic Carnage and Exhumed. Shortly after, the band hit the road with Vader on the Death Across America tour. "November to Dismember" in Orange County, California was a real eye opener to the band, as 1,500 people and a very shocked Relapse Records staff bared witness as the band revealed their new vocalist, James "General" Lee.



Not content to sit idle, ORIGIN advanced with yet another U.S tour, this time alongside Candiria, Cryptopsy and Poison the Well. ORIGIN secured new bassist Mike Flores after Doug Williams decided to make a departure from the band to concentrate on family. A small headline tour ensued before beginning work on the next album. The band worked obsessively in frozen winter climates in a severely under heated garage for weeks on end to create the now classic, Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas record. The album displayed the revamped quintets firepower with a frighteningly powerful leap forward in brutality, technical dexterity and writing prowess. New arrangements such as Larvae of the Lie, Implosion of Eternity, and Portal would soon become classic live staples for the band.

Immediately following the release of Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas, ORIGIN hit the road as part of a summer metal tour with Nile, Arch Enemy and Hate Eternal. As this tour successfully concluded, Jeremy Turner retired from the band and Clinton Applelhanz was brought back into the fold on guitar to carry on touring. A tour with Immolation, Vader, and The Berzerker was executed and immediately followed by a small headline tour with All That Remains, Scar Culture and Crematorium. This live trek would end with the departure of Longstreth.


(Finite)

The band played its first show with a new line-up, (drummer James King and newly re-aquired guitarist Clinton Applehanz) in September 2003 in Topeka, Kansas. The show was video taped and used as footage for the "Portal," music video. The band then landed a headlining west coast tour in January 2004 with Uphill Battle. In the summer, ORIGIN toured the Midwest, playing the Milwaukee Metalfest 2004 and The Texas Death and Grindfest with Soilent Green and Kill the Client.

As of spring 2006, James King and Clint Appelhanz had left ORIGIN to focus on Unmerciful with Jeremy Turner and Tony Reust. In April, Longstreth returned to ORIGIN, and the band embarked upon a highly successful 9 week summer headlining tour across North America. With Paul Ryan performing all guitar parts on this tour, the band solidified itself as a (live) quartet and has remained in this format to this day. The sets were very long, dense, and brutal as Origin played up to an hour and a half each night.

On February 8th 2007, ORIGIN finally played in Europe with label mates Misery Index and Necrophagist. A newly signed, fellow Topeka band called Diskreet joined this tour as an opener. As the band began working on its 4th album, Jeremy Turner rejoined ORIGIN and the band was back to what has been referred to as "the classic Informis lineup". On the album, the clear differences between the writing styles of Ryan and Turner can be easily picked out.

The following album Antithesis, was released April 1, 2008, and peaked at #21 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. The band released a music video for the song "Finite" on May 23, 2008 and was shown on MTV2’s Head Banger's Ball shortly after. An appearance on the 2009 Summer Slaughter U.S Tour as well as tours with Misery Index and Abysmal Dawn followed.

In 2010, the band signed to German-based Nuclear Blast Records and recorded their debut for the label in November. Soon to be unleashed upon the world this summer is their fifth opus, the savage Entity. Be prepared to witness ORIGIN in their finest hour.



Catch the band, with their new frontman, Jason Keyser on tour with Hate Eternal, Vital Remains and Abysmal Dawn in North America. Look for ORIGIN on tour in Europe, South America, Mexico, Asia, Australia and the rest of the world in 2011 and 2012.



Now of course this album would have to have some reviews behind it.  I'm sure you folks (much like myself) do appreciate a few reviews of an album to see what the band has in store.  Now obviously you come to your own conclusions, but here are a couple album reviews to see what others are saying about "Entity":


"All in all, this really shouldn't surprise anyone who's listened to Origin's records before, It's another great-sounding, well-paced and well-executed technical death metal beauty. The issue here is that it's the same formula with no real changes in sound. Origin hasn't broken the skill ceiling they've created, hasn't raised their own bar, and hasn't really changed all that much. They still make great music, and they're still death effing metal. Enjoy the record." -Sputnik Music

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"The long anticipated release of Entity will satisfy all their fans giving them a big pleasure-smile. The rest should give yourselves  a chance to listen to a death metal masterpiece and be familiar to the world and high skilled music of the Origin.  Thumbs Up!" -Metal Temple

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"It may be redundant to state but the members of Origin are still amazing musicians and manage to outplay the vast majority of tech bands, while still writing songs that are fun to listen to. Origin not only proves that it has chops but that it can write songs that are actually entertaining to listen to for non-musicians, which puts the group way ahead of most technical bands. While soulless shredders like Dylan Ruskin and Yngwie Malmsteen may gain an audience, they can in no way compare to the duo of Ryan and Flores who manage to interject taste into what they do. The result is that they come across as less clinical and more fun than most shred guitarists and bassists, which may make Origin the metal band that wins over the free jazz crowd.

'Entity' is an amazingly heavy, well-written and surprisingly catchy tech metal album that's more accessible than the band's previous work, while not changing Origin's sound dramatically. If there’s anything that can hold over tech fans until the new Converge album, this is it." -Metal Underground

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You can check out Origin at the following links:

- Facebook
- Twitter
- Myspace
- YouTube

*ORIGIN WILL BE PERFORMING ON SUNDAY (THE 12TH) AT THE JAGERMEISTER WEST STAGE FROM 12:10-12:30*

As well as Heavy T.O. and Heavy MTL, Origin will act as support for the upcoming "Iron Will Tour" with Kataklysm, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Vital Remains and Rose Funeral:


With Origin, Fleshgod Apocalypse and Rose Funeral:

08/11 Montreal, QC – Heavy MTL
08/12 Toronto, ON – Heavy TO
08/13 Detroit, MI – Blondie’s

With Origin, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Rose Funeral and Diabholico:

08/17 Regina, SK – The Exchange
08/18 Calgary, AB – The Distillery
08/19 Kelowna, BC – Sapphire Night Club
08/20 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
08/21 Prince George, BC – The Generator
08/22 Edmonton, AB – Pawn Shop
08/23 Brandon, MB – North Hill Inn
08/24 Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre

With Origin, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Vital Remains and Rose Funeral:

08/25 St. Paul, MN – Station 4
08/26 Chicago, IL – Reggie’s Rock Club

With Fleshgod Apocalypse, Vital Remains and Rose Funeral:

08/27 Cleveland, OH – Peabody’s
08/31 Springfield, VA – Jaxx
09/02 Tampa, FL – The Orpheum
09/04 Houston, TX – Numbers Night Club
09/05 Dallas, TX – Trees

For those living across the Atlantic, be sure to check them out as they tour Europe in the coming days with Suffocation:


SUFFOCATION with ORIGIN, RE ARMED, UNBREAKABLE HATRED and SLAUGHTER DENIAL* PERFORMING AT:

July 5th Germany, Hunxe @ Extremefest**
July 6th Swiss, Pratteln @ Extremefest**
July 7th Austria, Sankt Poelten / VAZ area @ Extremefest**
July 8th Slovenia, LjubLjana @ Gala Hala
July 9th Croatia, Zagreb @ Club Mochvara
July 11th Slovakia, Bratislava @ Majestic Music Club
July 12th Czech, Trutnov @ Battlefield - Obscene Extreme Festival**
July 13th Hungary, Pecs @ Rockmaraton**
July 14th Italy, Conegliano @ Appartamento Hoffman
July 15th Italy, Rome @ Traffic*
July 16th Italy, Milano - Bresso @ The Blue Rose Saloon*
July 17th France, Lyon @ CCO*
July 18th France, Nantes @ Feraillier*
July 19th France, Colmar @ Le Grillen*
July 20th Germany, Steinbach / Langenbach @ Queens of Metal**
July 21st Germany,  Kassel @ K19*
July 22nd Germany, Berlin @ K17*
July 23rd Denmark, Esbjerg @ Konfus*
July 25th Denmark, Copenhagen @ Pumpehuset*
July 26th Germany, Rostock @ Alte Zuckerfabrickl*
July 27th Netherland, Eindhoven @ Dynamo*
July 28th Netherland, Steenwijk @ Stonehenge Festival – Suffocation only
July 28th Germany, Obersinn @ Eisenwahn – Origin only

**SUFFOCATION and ORIGIN only

*With Slaughter Denial

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