The Best of '08 - Part 3: Antithesis

Artist: Origin
Album: Antithesis
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Year: 2008
Label: Relapse Records

Tracklisting:

1.	The Aftermath	04:39
2.	Algorithm	03:32
3.	Consuming Misery	04:06
4.	Wrath of Vishnu	04:44
5.	Finite	03:08
6.	The Appalling	02:55
7.	Void	00:40
8.	Ubiquitous	05:34
9.	The Beyond Within	03:20
10.	Antithesis	09:32
Total playing time		42:10

Rating: 9.3/10.0 - "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds"

Origin have been one of the leaders of the technical death metal scene for years now, and Antithesis is the latest (and in my opinion, greatest) offering by this inhumanly skilled quintet. All of Origin's trademarks are to be found in this album: Longstreth's furious gravity blasts (that he is (in)famous for), the steroid enhanced riffing, and unrelenting quadruple vocal attack of Lee and company. However, as tempting as this formula may be, it was in fact what led to the rather repetitive nature of each of the offerings this band has given. Their trademark sound as it seems, in recent years, has been their weakness as well as their strength. Fear not however, as on Antithesis, the band has overcome the pitfalls of their rather sterile previous efforts, and have proven that evolution is in fact possible, even for a band with a history as far-reaching as theirs. And the evolution that they have displayed on this monster of an album will kick the sorry shit out of your ass like no other album you've ever heard.

Despite having mentioned that all of the band's traditional musical elements are intact, they have improved and perfected areas which they were lacking (for instance, songs flow a lot more smoothly into one another this time around, and are structured FAR more intelligently). But most importantly they have made one major realization that most technical death metal bands these days seem too stupid to realize: restraint is sometimes GOOD. Because seriously, for bands such as Necrophaggot and the like, put your musical cock back in your pants, 'cause I don't give a shit how many notes you can play in a millisecond; if you can't write good songs for shit put away your instruments and fuck off. Don't get me wrong though, this is still very much a tech death metal album. It has enough lightning fast sweeps, lengthy solos, and odd-time signatures to keep the average fan happy, but this time around the band have placed the right chops at the right time and place. Also, Longstreth finally has got it through his head that smacking those skins at three-gazillion beats per minute with fills every half second while loaded on amphetamine tends to cause headaches. Instead of the technical self masturbation that was seen on Echoes of Decimation, songwriting and structure takes prominence here, and that's a much needed breath of air in the stale scene that is technical death metal.

Songs are arranged and composed excellently, and also of note is the way the songs follow each other on the album. From the opening track, you will be inevitably and mercilessly destroyed in a blaze of the tightest, most well structured death metal you've probably ever heard. From then till the epic nine minute title track (also the last track), you won't get a chance to breathe due to the aural beatdown that this album delivers the way only Origin can. All instrumentalists are at their finest hour here, staying perfectly in tandem despite the mind-numbingly complex songwriting. There is not a single damned imperfection in their playing that I can spot, and trust me, I've searched for them. These fuckers (bassist included) are able to pull off sweeps so fast and so smoothly at tempos exceeding 300 bpm, and Longstreth is right behind them executing gravity blasts and double kick fills that would make Kollias hang his head in shame. However, as mentioned above, you won't be drowned in the technicality, as the band has their slower, more groove oriented moments as well. It's a good mix, and quite a leap from the blasturbation-fest that is their previous albums.

I do harbor a few minor complaints with this album, mainly the production. It's clean as fuck (which isn't neccesarily a bad thing), but doesn't favor either end, meaning the album lacks punch unless you crank up your volume knob. And then there's the deal with the drums: they're triggered to the point where it can become a blur of clicks. I commend Jon's stamina, but when your drums are triggered to the point where you can effectively be replaced by a machine, it don't mean a damn thing. Finally, there's a 40 second break that seems to have been thrown in to the tracklisting for no apparent reason. It serves nothing, and just seems to be there. I have no clue what sort of purpose it serves whatsoever, but it's a completely useless sound effect that just seems to have been shat there by someone who thought it would add to the album somehow.

So in the end, Antithesis doesn't contain profound, thought-provoking lyrics, innovation of any sort, and doesn't breach any new ground, but it doesn't seek to do that in the first place. The album is merely another addition (and evolution) to the band's fruitful discography, and by extention, of the whole genre in itself. And damn does it do a good job of it. If you're looking for a furiously complex and addictive album in equal measure; you've found it - Origin's Antithesis will do you well.