Having been biding their time to unleash their latest slab of pessimistic technical death metal, it seems that Origin‘s patience has paid off. Already not the easiest genre to get your head round, with many bands falling into the just noise category very easily Origin seem to have always stood alone. This doesn’t mean to say that this is an easy ride, by no means is it. Origin are known for their “riffarps” as they coined the saying and their relentless drumming. The sheer talent needed of each band member to consistently pull this music off alone is an arduous task.

Now that we have established that this genre is already hard work as it is, you need something to let you stand out from the crowd. Opener “All Things Dead” takes no prisoners and from the word go is unrelenting until the 3 minutes and 36 seconds are up, whilst always having had the desolate outlook of mankind and its inevitable extinction, Origin have enough ammunition for a nice miserable outlook. But where they seem to show some form of evolution are the moments of rest from all the pummelling. Small interludes like “Continuum” really help to carry this dystopian space feel. Beginning with major chords echoing that wonderous feeling of space itself but then moving into darker territory, a would be perfect soundtrack to the classic “Aliens” if Ripley was a metalhead. Whilst also just giving the listener a bit of a break, but it most importantly breaks the album up. Even the augmented stlye riffs in “Manifest Desolate” create a more memorable style. Instead of having mad technicality and brutal sweeps all the way through we’re treated to a side that works incredibly well.

That doesn’t mean that Origin have not made another severely deadly album, with tracks like “The Absurdity Of What I Am” which begins in typical obsidian madness and then slowly builds to a rather groovy riff accompanied by Jason Keyser’s demonic vocals sounding as though space and time itself are ending . As well as penultimate brilliantly titled “Malthusian Collapse” a riff that would conjure a blackhole in the second part of the song. Much can be said that once you’ve waded through the tech wizardy there are a lot of elements where the band really know how to get you to bang your head, but it never lasts long and you’re greeted with the screech of Paul Ryan‘s inimitable guitar. The overall feel of the album is a more mature way of song writing not following the childlish ways that playing as fast as you can just to show off. With “Redistribution Of Filth” even having a punk vibe, gives it a feeling of being slightly out of place but definitely with signature Origin riffs .

Although the genre that Origin are in is never going to be considered mainstream, it can be a bit of a daunting listen it has to be said. Unlike so many of their peers that fall short where it matters, writing stale similar sounding songs that have a tendency to blur into one and leave the listener lacking when they need it most, Origin not only throw down the gauntlet but essentially call it their own once again.