UMUR "Entity" is the 5th full-length studio album by US death metal act Origin. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in June 2011. It´s the successor to "Antithesis" from 2008. The band have gone from being a five-piece on "Antithesis (2008)" to a trio lineup on "Entity". Lead vocalist James Lee has left Origin and the lead vocals are now shared by guitarist Paul Ryan and bassist Mike Flores. Guitarist Jeremy Turner has also left, but hasn´t been replaced here, so "Entity" was recorded by the three-piece lineup Paul Ryan (vocals, guitars), Mike Flores (vocals, bass), and John Longstreth (drums).

The lineup changes doesn´t really affect Origin´s brutal technical death metal core sound. We´re still treated to über technical and brutal death metal of the highest class. There´s been a positive development in the songwriting department though. "Entity" is without competition the most varied and memorable release up until then by Origin. While their previous releases had a tendency to appear one-dimensional after just a few tracks, it seems that Origin have focused a lot of their efforts on the songwriting this time around as opposed to the earlier releases where the focus always seemed to be on the technical playing first and memorable songwriting second. "Antithesis" did show a more diverse approach to the band´s technical brutal death metal style but still lacked the final finesse in the songwriting to push it from great to excellent. While "Entity" isn´t a flawless release either, I´d say Origin have taken one more step in the right direction with this release.

While the tracks are still brutal as hell with both deep growling and higher pitched screaming vocals on top, the band have incorporated a lot of tempo changes, heavier mid-paced grooves, some (a few) melodic themes (check out the melodic solo that closes "Conceiving Death") and a bit of experimentation with ideas not regularly heard on brutal death metal releases. The latter especially appear on the track "Committed" which features a section that can be described as experimental alternative extreme metal. One of the tracks where the heavy mid-paced groove is most successfully incorporated is on "Saliga" and on "Swarm" too. The 6:52 minutes long "Saliga" is definitely one of the highlights of the album. The other lengthy track on the album "Consequence of Solution", the powerful "Swarm", and "Conceiving Death" are highlights too, while some of the shorter tracks almost pass by so quick that you´ll never know what hit you. 7 out of 11 tracks are shorter than 3 minutes and most of those 7 tracks are closer to the 2 minute mark than the 3 minute ditto.

The musicianship is outstanding. Technical precision drumming, razor sharp and fast paced riffing, shredding fretboard work, and rythmic variation are what you´ll get when listening to "Entity". If I have to point out a weak link it would be the vocals which are pretty standard for the genre. "Entity" could definitely have been even more interesting with a more unique sounding vocalist. It shouldn´t be interpreted as if the vocals aren´t well performed or doesn´t sound great, but a more distinct sounding vocalist would just have made the listening experience even more interesting. So while I still feel there is room for improvement, I think Origin have created a high quality album in "Entity". Definitely one of the death metal highlights of the year. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

Time Signature Conceiving metal...

Genre: technical brutal death metal

Origin belong to the same category of death metal bands as Suffocation - that is, bands whose music is heavily brutal, but at the same time very technical and quite demanding to both musician and listener. It is artists like Origin and similar acts that put the nail in the coffin of the myth that brutal death metal does not require skill and musicianship. There is brutality galore on this release in the shape of lots of blastbeats and very fast double bass drum work, but contrary to the ideas that some people might get when they read this, the drumming is far from monotonous. While kept in the brutal and aggressive end of the gamut, John Longstreth makes use of several blastbeat techniques, combined with lots of different rhythmic structures and several fills, so this is by no means boring. Riffwise, the guitar work ranges from simple and brutal one-string tremolo riffage over complex and challenging guitar figures to really abstract and challenging stuff (while in the same category as Hate Eternal, I think that Origin's music is much less abstract and much more tangible, which I really appreciate). There are even a couple of groovy and thrashy riffs every now and then, which work really well. A lot of the guitar work incorporates eastern-sounding scales, which fit the brutal music very well.

Every track contains a plethora of riffs, and there are several changes as well, which means that there is a lot of dynamicity and excitement in store for the listener - but it also means that "Entity" can be a challenging listen to those who are not initiated into the world of extreme metal, and will require a couple of listens to click with some people (fortunately, it clicked with me immediately though).

The vocals are part growled and part scream-snarled (with some burpy, almost humorous-sounding things now and then), and, while not very innovative or original, the vocal style certainly suits the brutal music very well.

The musicianship on this album is very high, and "Entity" is characterized by a perfect equilibrium between brutality and technicality. It is simply a dark pearl of technical brutal death metal, and recommended to fans of the genre.