ORIGIN: New Album Should Arrive in 2013

Last night I had the chance to see technical death metal titans Origin at Station 4 in St. Paul, and catch up a little bit with guitarist Paul Ryan. I'll get a full show review with pictures posted, but in the meantime I thought I'd highlight a few things from my conversation with Paul. I originally met Paul way back in 1998 after a show in Kansas City. I was telling Paul about my plans to start up a metal magazine, and we eventually walked over to his car so he could give a copy of Origin's first demo, A Coming Into Existence, for review. Not long after, Origin was opening some big death metal shows in the Eastern Kansas area and got signed to Relapse. I used to catch Origin whenever they toured in Southern California around 1999-2001, but I hadn't seen Paul or the band in many years.

"Can you believe we're still doing this?" Paul laughed with me after a crushing hour-long set. A death metal band from Topeka, of all places, surviving and carving out a career during the worst slump in the history of the recording industry.


"I just knew that all I wanted to do was play guitar when I was 13," Paul continued, as he reflected that he knew he'd have to pay his dues and work hard to bring Origin up to their current standing atop the death metal scene. Paul is still one of the nicest guys and it was great to get reacquainted with an old friend. Our chat was short and not recorded as an interview, but here a few points that are worth sharing:


- Paul has a lot of riffs and music already written, and a new album should hopefully be released next year
- Origin's current contract with Nuclear Blast was only for one album, but Nuclear Blast has already expressed interest in continuing their work with the band
- Paul has been very happy working with Nuclear Blast
- The band should begin working on songs for the next record following their August North American tour with Kataklysm


Before the Kataklysm tour, Origin heads back over to Europe for a month-long tour in July with Suffocation. Origin's current headlining tour winds up tonight in Lawrence, Kansas with a show at the Granada Theater.


Origin returns to Station 4 in St. Paul on Saturday, August 25 as main support to Kataklysm with Fleshgod Apocalypse, Vital Remains, and Rose Funeral.