Technical death metal band Origin are back with their sixth studio effort, Entity. The follow-up to 2008's Anthithesis, Entity sees the band stepping up their chops to a whole new level, somehow fitting even more notes into their already brutal sound.
Entity hits stores next Tuesday, June 7. In the meantime, GuitarWorld.com is bringing you the exclusive premiere of the track "Saligia," which you can stream below. Also, as an added bonus, check out GW.com's interview with Origin vocalist/guitarist Paul Ryan.
Origin - "Saligia"
GUITAR WORLD: Talk about your gear set-up on Entity.
PAUL RYAN: On Entity, I used my own amp, which is a rack setup that consists of a Mesa Boogie Stereo 100 power amp, Mesa Boogie Rec-Pre, DBX 166Xl Compressor/Limiter/Noise Gate and BBE Sonic Maximizer 882i.
I also use a Mesa Boogie Rectifier cab. I have a Jackson DKMG Dinky & DKMG Warrior, both with EMG 81 (bridge) and 85 (neck) pickups.
I use Dean Markley strings (.11 to .52), and I'm tuned to B F# B E G# C#, from low to high.
We spent a hour or so dialing in my tone for the recording, checking it with different mics before we (Engineer Rob Rebeck and I) decided that the AT4050 was getting the best tones for this application. I double tracked all the guitar parts and then did the solos.
Do you have a “secret weapon” as far as your guitar sound goes?
I would say good guitar cables really help the final product. Mogami are awesome as far as quality of sound and durability.
Rob Rebeck really pushes me to get the best take possible on recording, so I would say a great engineer could be considered a secret weapon.
What practice methods do you recommend for younger guitarists who might one day be able to pull off something like “Expulsions of Fury”? Also, do you use a metronome when practicing?
PRACTICE EVERY DAY!!! If something becomes easy, practice something else. I enjoy playing death metal as well as some of the '80s shred guys for chops. My playing style has changed as I develop new techniques and ideas. Sometimes going back and trying the old material is a good way of brushing up on old techniques. Try learning something outside of your style as well. It will help you think differently when composing new music.
I have used metronomes in the past, and in the studio you have to track to a click to make the album as tight as possible. Live, I like to go "off the rails" a little bit to give it more intensity. If you're going fast and completely in control, you're just not going fast enough.
Is there anything on the new record that might surprise old fans?
We opened up a little bit and created more dynamics. My songwriting and composition has grown over the years as it's a little more musical than the old stuff. I write music all the time that sometimes doesn't fit the brutal death metal "code," and some of that is finding its way into Origin material.
The band landed on the Billboard Heatseekers chart with Antithesis. Do you foresee the strong upward trend in the band’s success continuing? Would you like to see the band break the Top 200, or are charts meaningless?
Nuclear Blast is pushing this album, and with strong support from the label I forsee the trend continuing. The band has always been road dogs so performing live and putting out a good product is the easy part.
As far as charts go, getting recognized in a money grid, and popularity contests are things for labels to concern themselves with. I am more interested in the staying power of the record than the first-week sales. How many records did Slayer's Reign In Blood sell in the first week? Who cares? Its still one of the greatest metal albums of all time. That's what is really important.
