A suffocating surfeit of technique and sonic sterility may have driven many death metal bands to plunge backwards towards more organic, less blasé values in recent times, but Origin continue to be the exception
For all their blurred-finger extremity and precision, the Kansas crew have always managed to inject their sound with a sense of cosmic otherness and overwhelming power, and Omnipresent upholds that tradition. New vocalist Jason Keyser’s influence should not be underestimated. His unholy roar provides these devastating bursts of speed and dexterity with a feral focal point and a sense that the likes of Unattainable Zero and Manifest Desolate are exercises in bold human curiosity, rather than robotic showmanship. Beyond that, Origin’s ability to groove and grind sets them apart from their tech-obsessed contemporaries. The untrained ear may struggle to cope with the band’s sustained onslaught, but within the aural warzone of Source Of Icon O and Malthusian Collapse there are many gleaming hooks and moments of syncopated fury that once again prove that Origin are a unique and laudable force.
Via Agonia
