Origin

Those who believed that Origin have pushed their playing to the limits of human capability with the sheer speed of 2002’s Informis Inifinitas Inhumanitas are in for a treat — if anything, Echoes of Decimation sees them shredding faster than ever before, unfortunately sacrificing much of their appeal in the process. While many will be satisfied by the direction (more technical, faster) the group has taken, the songwriting suffers as a result — there is only so much you do with constant blasts and songs that never break the three-minute barrier, especially when riffs this carefully assembled race by too quickly to thoroughly appreciate. Former drummer Jonathan Longstreth’s physics-defying cymbal work was once the buoy in a sea of relentless mayhem — now, especially with the noticeably dulled mix, it simply sounds like a drum machine. There is something to be said for music that requires this level of skill and stamina to play, but there is undeniably something missing here. Whether or not it can be subdued in light of the disc’s salvageable qualities (read: tech, fast) is a matter of the listener’s taste.