I remember taking it as a blatant exaggeration when Jeremy Turner (guitarist, vocalist and founding member of Origin) told me in an interview that the band plays 30% faster live, and that their new album will be faster, more aggressive and more diverse than their debut. After all, everyone playing extreme music these days makes similar promises, don’t they? If you’ve heard «Origin» (out on Relapse in 2000), you will perfectly understand why I was so skeptical about Jeremy’s words. If you haven’t heard the music of this young American band, then let me tell you this: describing your feelings after hearing an adequately accompanied sixteenth-note blastbeat (played at 200 bpm by a human drummer) is an apparently impossible task. Let’s consider a small test of logic now: would it be possible to adequately describe one’s feelings and emotions after hearing «Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas», if I told you that Jeremy was being totally accurate when he spoke of the band’s new album? All in all, mes amis, this review will be made of two parts — rational and emotional. If you’re totally into bare facts and bare facts only, I suggest that you stop reading at the conclusion of the first part.

The album starts out pretty suspiciously, with the sound of flies buzzing over a carrion. The nature of this carrion became clear to me after a mere 18 seconds, when my teeth were punched so deep down my throat by the wave of sound that I could easily chew with my ass. Yeah, everything’s pretty clear now. This isn’t plain carrion, these are the remains of those who haven’t heard anything heavier than Nightwish. If you’re having a tough time deciphering the moral side of this aural metaphor, I’ll spoon-feed it to you: if such names as Disgorge, Suffocation, Nile and Gorgasm are nothing more than mere names to you, I recommend that you forget about Origin for some time and harden yourself with Cannibal Corpse for a year or two. Believe me, it’s for your own good.

Those who still haven’t squeezed out their brains via listening to Suffocation at full volume 24 hours a day will already understand what style tag fits the music of Origin. As for those who already have no brains left… well, you need to know that Origin plays very technical deathgrind. On the other hand, if we are to compare Origin with other deathgrind bands, we can actually call Origin a technodeathgrind band, chiefly due to the amazing work of drummer John Longstreth (read on to learn more). High tempos, a deluge of 16th notes, powerful growls (often going arm-in-arm with angry screams), nontrivial (i.e., different from «verse-chorus» stuff) song composition, and machine-gun bursts of tortuous death metal riffs that quickly mutate into short and baleful grindcore rasps… all of these deathgrind traits are firmly present in Origin’s music. If you’re not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to modern deathgrind, imagine a seriously over-clocked and upgraded version of Suffocation, but with the schizoid melodic leanings of Cannibal Corpse and Malevolent Creation to complement the angular brutality. This should give you a very pale notion of what Origin does. If the Deathgrind Cookbook is your Bible, you’d better use the following recipe: take Nile in one hand, and Gorgasm in the other. Throw away any non-metal, slow, and overly melodic parts. Next, throw away all European spices, leaving only a bit of melodic flavor. Then mix copiously, and pepper everything with the intensity, brutality and aggression of Krisiun, Devourmend, and USA Disgorge. Turn up the speed and technicality about 1.5 times, and you’ll get something which more or less resembles Origin.

At this point, it’s worth saying a couple of words for the benefit of those who have already heard the first Originalbum. «III» really IS faster, more intense, and more aggressive than «O». I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. While the average tempo on «O» was floating in the area of 200 beats per minute, on «III» it approaches a fabulous 250 bpm. In order for the listener to feel the difference on his/her own puny carcass, Origin have re-recorded «Mental Torment» from the first album. Let me tell you that the difference is simply overwhelming — this time the band made it in 2:58, when the original song goes on for 3:49, and keep in mind that no changes in the composition of the song were made! Frankly speaking, if you listen to the original after the new version, it may seem more like laid-back doomdeath to you. If you have a weak heart, I don’t recommend cranking up the volume too high while listening to «III»— your motor might not survive such insane speed.

However, the difference between «O» and «III» is not only in the increase of the average tempo. There is also a progression toward more diverse, more technical, and more melodic material. Let’s look at all these things in more depth. The main drawback of the debut Origin album was a noticeable sameness in the songs: sometimes very similar parts were used in different tracks, and many of the songs started out with almost the same chord. While the brutality meter was going off-scale for the album’s duration, a lot of songs desperately lacked memorable moments (melody-wise), so even the most diehard of deathgrind fans were confusing various songs from time to time. Fortunately, «III» has a more than adequate amount of memorable moments, both melody-wise and rhythm-wise. Almost every song has something that will be left in your memory after the listening is over, something that will create an individual image of the song in your head. Such a moment will probably come during the first song, which kicks off with a slaughterous start that will turn your eyes around, thus compelling you to rewind it for a second listen as soon as the aural chaos becomes somewhat stabilized (near the end of the first minute). The second song, «Inhuman», might remind you of «Unite The Dead» by Cannibal Corpse with its rhythmically similar vocal parts, the same usage of triplets (at least in the beginning), and similarly brutal riffs. «Perversion Of Hate», with its blackish vocals and beautiful melodies, will demonstrate how real men should play «blackened» death metal, especially to every fan of the last Dimmu Borgir disc, just fasten your seatbelt at 1:50. The beginning of this song should be embraced by all fans of Gorgasm. The fifth track, «Portal», will surprise many with its broody guitar hangs around 1:23. Finally, around the 1:08 mark of the last (ninth) track, your eyes will glitter with joyous disbelief after witnessing an insane, neck-snapping moshfest which curdles the blood with its murderous delivery (I can’t imagine the level of mayhem in the moshpit during this part). At 2:37 of the same track, you’ll kiss your jaw goodbye upon being assaulted by a continuous supersonic blastbeat that virtually sounds like a gabber drill at 1000 bpm.

Speaking of technicality, it’s worth mentioning that Origin’s debut album has already featured nontraditional rhythm parts played at headspinning speed. There are no fewer of these parts on «III», but the playing speed has increased. Thus, some moments can be perceived as chaotic upon first sight. When I first heard «Awaken The Suffering», I felt that I didn’t quite understand what was going on after the 30th second of the song. This turns the objective estimation of technicality into quite a difficult task. But as far as I can tell, the amount of «ragged», complex, and nontrivial rhythm structures has increased. As for melody, it’s simple: besides that timeless, brutal rattle a-la Suffocation, you also get some rare glimpses of audible melody (which you can not only hear, but even memorize), murkily dissonant death metal riffs in the vein of Cannibal Corpse and Gorgasm (for example, the very beginning of «Perversion Of Hate»), beautiful melodies that are more characteristic of trendy black metal bands who have recently started to play death metal (also on «Perversion Of Hate», at 1:50), and melodic death metal sawings, tremolized to dust (the very beginning or the very end of the album). All in all, Origin have diversified their already-expressive arsenal with triplet grids, complex rhythmic tornadoes, comparatively melodic guitar parts, higher compositional skill, and an increased usage of high vocals. All in all, these elements never fail to bring delight.

Let’s speak a bit about the individual roles of each participant in this depiction of aural carnage. Despite the more diverse melodies, the guitars and bass frequently work in a sort of monolithic unison. Fortunately, there’s nothing unusual or extreme about their tuning — everything is pretty traditional and decipherable. This is obviously a good thing, because if the guitars and bass had been tuned too low, the result would be a stew so muddy that it would easily put Disgorge’s «Forensick» to shame. This album has two main vocal styles. First, there’s the mid-ranged half-growl/half-scream that is so typical of modern American extreme music (especially for hardcore and metalcore). It camps somewhere between Cryptopsy and Fisher-era Cannibal Corpse. Second, there are specifically high-pitched black-metal screams/shrieks, which frightfully remind one of Dimmu Borgir. Both vocal styles are powerful, aggressive, impressive, and fairly decipherable. But perhaps most importantly, they ideally fit the music. As for the unusual parts, I’d mention the vocals at the beginning of «Inhuman» (which sound very similar to Cannibal Corpse’s «Unite The Dead» from the standpoint of tone color and rhythmic delivery), and the ultraspeed reciting on the last track. As for the drummer, I’ll put this to you simply, and without any exaggerations: there are no doubts (and there should be none) that John Longstreth is the best drummer in extreme music alongside with Brann Dailor (ex-Today Is The Day, Mastodon). Describing this man’s playing is as easy as catching a grown-up elephant with a condom. Have you ever heard a blastbeat comprised of 16th notes with a tempo that runs close to 250 bpm? He’s not a drummer, guys. He’s a perforator mongrelized with a minigun. My tongue won’t call it a blastbeat, even if you give it a big bag of black caviar. Blurbeat? Quite a fitting description. Nevertheless, don’t even dare to think that Longstreth stops at that. In addition to the blurbeats and standard blastbeats, which cover death metal (snare with 8ths, bass drums with 16ths), grindcore (snare and bass drum with 8ths, alternating) and Suffocation-like rhythms (snare and bass drum with 8ths, simultaneously), John manages to play something absolutely unutterable — for example, he sometimes mixes blurbeats, grindcore blastbeats, and death metal blastbeats in a single phrase, after which the result is decorated with lavish pours of hats and rides. Don’t forget that all the while, everything is being played at rabid, head-ripping speed. Frankly speaking, I suspect that the band has slipped a red hot frying pan under John’s ass, telling him that it will remain there until he records all his parts. Madness, pure madness.

Summing up the results of the rational part of this review, I must say the following: if you’re partial to death metal (and hey, I’m not speaking about Swedish melodic heavy metal wannabes), I STRONGLY recommend that you listen to «Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas», because it represents a new landmark in deathgrind that leaves behind everything that came before Origin in this genre. If you’re a fan of brutal death metal and/or deathgrind, you simply MUST get this album at any cost. Otherwise, you might as well hang yourself in the crap-house, or stop listening to extreme metal altogether. Trust me; when you hear it, you’ll understand! «III» is an album of gorgeous power, aggression, beauty and tightness. Anyone who considers himself/herself a metal fan, must have this album in his/her collection. That’s it.

Now let’s talk about emotions and personal impressions. I’ll put it to you straight away: it’s absolutely impossible to say anything without swearing. And here’s the problem: on the one hand, using expletives to describe this album means that only expletives will be used at all, and on the other hand, there won’t be much of a point in even speaking of this album without the use of expletives, because it will eventually devolve into that anyway. Do you remember the shock you felt upon last hearing something that surpassed all previous attempts at aural extremity? I always try to imagine how metal old-timers felt when Possessed and Death first emerged on the scene. How did they react when the first Napalm Death and Carcass albums started to roar in their bedrooms? What were people thinking as they literally rolled on the floor in hysterics after hearing Slayer’s «Reign In Blood» album, with the press claiming that there can’t be anything faster than this? Well, now I know what those feelings are like, because I felt it all when I was listening to «III» for the first time. Now that I’m writing this review (after listening to the album around thirty-forty times), the sensation has been naturally blunted a bit. However, I clearly remember how I was shocked on that Sunday, as I tried to digest the facts. I clearly remember the face of my friend who was listening to my enthusiasm towards «III» for several hours with growing disbelief. Finally, he got to hear the album himself. As he sat silently with open mouth and saucer eyes, he could only manage to squeeze out a nearly unintelligible pseudo-phrase: «oh my god… this is… damn… fuck…». I don’t think I should comment here, because my first reaction was just about the same, the only difference being that nobody was raving about «III» in front of me. Thus, my amazement was even bigger. Shocking, unbelievable, insane, ineffable, murderous, monstrous, peerless, unique — «III» has earned it all for its 28-and-a-half minutes. This is the best deathgrind release ever, and an album of the year candidate. Simply put, it’s one of the most extreme albums in the history of music.

Origin are ripping you new assholes with such intensity that your ass will be like a sieve as the album draws to a close. Forget about trying to cover yourself with your trusty bulletproof frying pans — they won’t save you. Better fasten your seatbelt, turn up the volume to the maximum, put «III» in your CD-player, and prepare to witness an unspeakable aural holocaust. As for me, I gotta look for pliers to poke my teeth out of my ass…

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