Origin

Somewhat comparable to the likes of extreme metal veterans Cryptopsy and relative newcomers such as Cephalic Carnage, the Kansas-based quintet Origin specializes in ridiculously technical, fast, and punishing death/grind metal. The group was initially founded by guitarists Paul Ryan and Jeremy Turner in July of 1997. Over the next six months, the duo enlisted bassist Clint Appelhanz, vocalist Mark Manning, and drummer George Fluke to fill out the first Origin lineup, which went on to record the demo A Coming Into Existence in October of 1998. The following year, a new rhythm section came on board in the form of bassist Doug Williams (formerly of Cephalic Carnage) and drummer John Longstreth (formerly of Angel Corpse). This lineup went on to record the group's self-titled debut album for Relapse Records, which was released in 2000. In the wake of this CD, Origin went on extensive tours with fellow death metal extremists including Cryptopsy, Vader, Cephalic Carnage, and Dying Fetus. More lineup changes would follow before the band could make it back into the studio, as vocalist James Lee stepped in to replace Manning and bassist Mike Flores moved in as the replacement for Williams. With this new lineup in place, Origin recorded their second CD, Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas, which was released in mid-2002, again on Relapse. ~ William York, Rovi