MSM:  Wikipedia describes Origin as an American technical death metal/brutal death metal from Topeka, Kansas.  How do you describe the music that is Origin?

Paul Ryan:  That is pretty much a generalized view of it.  I feel that we possess the technical and brutal aspects of metal music.  I see us as a tornado of death, I guess.

MSM:  (laughter) I like that…The tornado of death!

MSM:  I hate to ask this, but what is the origin of the band name Origin?

Paul:  It is a word that creates question in itself.  It could be beliefs in the beginning, or where you are.  It also has meaning in that we are trying to do something new or hasn’t been done before in this style of music.  A lot of our music has to do with personal interpretation, it is not so boldly written but more cryptic.  Like the lyrics of Napalm Death is a good example where they might mean something different to me than why they were written.  They hit me in a way when I was growing up that made me feel better about life.  That is what I like in our music and lyrical approach; I call it a positive release of negative energy.

MSM:  Alternative Press defined Relapse Records as “The Justice League of Extreme Metal”.  How has Origin’s relationship been with Relapse now that you have completed ‘Antithesis’, the forth release?

Paul:  It has been great.  Everyone has been super stoked as Relapse has been pushing it.  We have been touring everywhere in support of it.  Hats off to Relapse, this was the label we wanted to be with since the beginning.  We felt that the lineup and the promotion that we saw the label doing with our band that it was the right combination.

MSM:  That’s the best of working relationships that can happen between a label and a band.

MSM:  Describe the songwriting process on how you wrote this album?

Paul:  All the members of Origin live in four different states.  Since the goal was to have the album out by Spring, we went in the studio last November.  Fortunately, we work really well under pressure.  I wrote five songs and sent out the tablature to the guys so they could hear the songs develop.  Jeremy wrote one song and Mike and Jeremy wrote three songs together.  John made the ‘Void’ intermission song (track 7) I feel to give the listener a break from the music and to build the atmosphere for the second part of the album. 

MSM:  Absolutely.

Paul:  We sent demos back and forth the whole time.  We only had nine days to practice together as a band before going into the studio to record.  Nine hours a day for nine days, nothing but a workshop.  Then we went into the studio and while John was tracking, James was penning down vocal patterns.  When I tracked, James then wrote the words based on the vocal patterns.  It was all done in a small amount of time that I think kept the whole process fresh.  The pressure was on to outperform our last album.  I think we did because we didn’t have time to be over analytical or too technical, otherwise it could have turned out differently.

MSM:  What impresses me is that knowing the distance between all four members and yet this release is truly monumental.  Is it easy to throw down the phrase “epic” in describing ‘Antithesis’ without sounding over enthusiastic. 

MSM:  May 23rd was the tenth anniversary of your first show, opening up for Suffocation.  A decade later, you are headlining The Contamination Tour playing 19 shows in 12 states.  How has the tour been so far? 

Paul:  Great!  We have been hitting some markets we have played before throughout the years.  We had a great show in Fayetteville, Arkansas…in Austin and Victoria, Texas.  Some markets that usually don’t get to see shows but now there is a strong scene…There are kids that are playing guitar again and listening to metal that need a way to express themselves are coming to the shows and having a good time.  We have played the really nice venues to art galleries to the smaller venues and hole-in-the-walls...

MSM:  Some of the best shows are in the hole in the wall bars.

Paul:  It is part of the business and I have no problem with that.  We will show under any circumstances as long as we get to play!

MSM:  What is your most memorable show so far?  Tonight?

Paul:  (laughter) Tonight was a new twist in the Origin history!

MSM:  You guys were what, halfway through the first song when the building’s electrical system and lighting went out?

Paul:  Yeah.

MSM:  I stepped outside to get some fresh air and I can attest to the fact that no one was leaving to beat the crowd and go home.  You did not lose one person from the inconvenience of having to wait for the power to be restored.  The place was packed with devoted, crazy fans tonight and you did not disappoint at all.

Paul:  Right on!

MSM:  With bands like Testament gaining their second wind and practically becoming a household name to bands like Guns n Roses and Metallica anticipating record-breaking releases this year, what do you think of the current state of metal music?

Paul:  With more kids playing the guitar and writing music to express themselves, they are looking up to their peers.  Those are some big names and when I was younger I looked up to those bands.  I do believe the guitar is back!

MSM:  Yes!  We went a long time without guitar solos.

Paul:  Even our music has changed somewhat because of the foundation of the scene, yet on our own terms.  I have had my eyes up on the big dogs, and my ear down on the underground to find out what is going on.  I gotta have a pulse on both sides.

MSM:  As a recording band on a well-known label, what do you think of Internet downloading? 

Paul:  To me, it reminds me a lot of the tape-trading days when I was growing up.  Now, with MySpace, it is easy to see if you are going to like a band.  Most kids will says that they downloaded it but bought it from the band on tour because it supports the band and they are fans of Origin. 

MSM:  With Topeka, Kansas as your stomping grounds from which you hail, are there any bands there that deserve some recognition?  Who should the readers of Metal Storm Magazine look out for?

Paul:  There are a bunch of talented musicians from Kansas in the scene.  One is Unmerciful, which have former members of Origin.  There is another band called Diskreet.  Those are the two major bands that totally stand out and have the Origin mentality to bring it live, but there are many talented kids and formidable bands out there.

MSM:  2009 is right around the corner getting ready to kick this year in the ass and bring the end of this decade to a close.  What is in the future for Origin?

Paul:  Well, right now we are trying to play shows to as many people as possible and have a good time doing it.  We got another tour coming up after this one.  After October, I’ll spend time taking it all in and figuring out what worked live and what didn’t, then start orchestrating the next album.  This one is going to be hard to top and we don’t want to rush the process.

MSM:  Just from a musician/listener’s perspective, ‘Antithesis’ is revolutionary and absolutely impressive from beginning to end.  It is truly a unique perspective on a unique style of metal music.

Paul:  Thank you.  It is a different mentality and different approach to music.  With Origin, we had to carve a niche in the scene for ourselves.  We are trying to stay at the forefront of the movement.  There are some amazing bands out there, but we share a distinctive approach to our songwriting structure.  I think that separates Origin from a lot of the technical death metal bands out there.

MSM:  More than riffs and screaming.

Paul:  Yeah.

MSM:  Paul, thank you for your time and the great performance in Oakland tonight.

MSM:  Historically, Baltimore is known for their contributions to Western jazz, classical and jazz music.  It is also well known for piano and woodwind manufacturing.  Truly, this is a city not exactly know for having metal roots, that is until recently as it has birthed Relapse Records’ American death metal band, Misery Index.  How long have you been writing and performing as a band?

Sparky:  Jason, our bass player, formed the band back in 2001 after he left Dying Fetus with Kevin Talley the original drummer of the band who was also a member of Dying Fetus and Mike Harrison, the original guitar player.  They recorded a five-song EP in the spring of 2001. After it got some favorable reaction, they asked me to join the band and we rolled on from there. 

MSM:  The name Misery Index was a term that President Carter made popular during his administration to gauge how the national effects of the unemployment and inflation rates were affecting the U.S.  What made the band choose this name?

Sparky:  There’s a band called Assuck which people who are familiar with grindcore and death metal might have heard of…

MSM:  (laughing) I saw them listed on your MySpace page.

Sparky:  They had an album back in the mid-90s called Misery Index.  So, the combination of being a fan of the band as well as Jason’s penchant for writing political and socially conscious lyrics, everything kinda worked together. 

MSM:  Congrats on your support slot on the Contamination Tour!  As of tonight’s show in Oakland, you are more than halfway through the 19 shows in 12 states scheduled dates.  What has been your favorite show so far?

Mark:  L.A. was pretty badass.  I don’t know how many people were there, like around 500+ or something like that.  That was a really good show, great crowd reaction.  This show tonight (Oakland, CA at the new Metro) was actually phenomenal…

Sparky:  Yeah!

Mark:  …as far as crowd response.  It was insane; they were tearing each other apart!  We like to see that.  Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulties and we had to cut it short.  But, we still had a good time and I think we made our point.

MSM:  People realize that they (technical difficulties) happen at metal shows.  Fans are pretty forgiving.  Half the audiences are either musicians or have seen enough metal shows to know what that shit is all about.

Sparky:  Yeah, unfortunately it happens too often.

MSM:  But no one walked away from your set feeling disappointed.  You guys showed up to impress and you accomplished your goals.

Sparky:  Thank you!

MSM:  MySpace metal fans have totally embraced Misery Index.  You have nearly 23,000 friends listed and your music gets and average of 350 to 450 hits per day.  Do you see the Internet as a valid option in reaching a wider audience?

Mark:  Of course!

Sparky:  Yeah!  This day and age the Internet in some ways is the only way to reach people.  Especially in other parts of the world where they don’t have access to go to shows all the time.  We are lucky here in the United States that bands constantly tour here.  We get people messaging us from Southeast Asia and the Middle East and all other places.  It is crazy with the Internet that everyone’s music can reach everyone all the time now.  I come from back in the tape-trading days and writing letters to bands.  Yeah, you could get your stuff out that way then.  Now, it is one-stop shopping.  You can just go online and any band that you hear the name of, you can search their name and bam, there’s their music!  It is a really tremendous way to be able to connect with people.

MSM:  How do you feel about Internet downloading?

Sparky:  I fully support it. 

Mark:  Download it. 

Sparky:  Download it.  Burn it.  Give it to your friends.  Spread it around.  The labels kinda created their own monster when they went away from the vinyl format and went to digital format when the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed.  It allowed recordable CD players to enter the U.S. market and then things went downhill in terms of a label’s ability to hold you by the throat and say this is what you are going to pay for something.  Underground bands need to be able to have the opportunity to have their stuff spread around by fans that are going to show other fans what the music is.  Labels are just going to have to figure out how to do their business differently to stay relevant. Otherwise, they will cease to exist like every other industry that has gone by the wayside.

MSM:  Right on!   

MSM:  How does working with Relapse Records differ from your last label, Nuclear Blast?

Sparky:  With Relapse, we are a little bit higher on the totem pole.  They don’t have so many bands on the label.  Nuclear Blast being a German-based label with American offices as well…they have tons of bands that sell hundreds of thousands of records, especially overseas.  For a band like us while we definitely appreciated the work they did with us, I don’t think we were really ever high on their list of things to worry about.  As with Relapse, they are genuinely fans of the bands they sign and bring in, so you can tell that when they are working with a band, they are sincere about it.

Mark:  They are really great people and we are all friends.  They are very personable and easy to get along with.  They produce results and get stuff done.  They answer your calls, basically.

Sparky:  Yup!

MSM:  Betsey with Relapse was very cool to Metal Storm and made sure she kept us informed with all the details of the show.

Mark:  Betsey is cool.

MSM:  Your merchandise and album artwork truly kicks ass!  Who does your work?

Sparky:  With the new record, Orion who is the in-house artist at Relapse, he created all the layout stuff and the front cover for Traitors, the new album we have coming out.  In the past, we have worked with an artist by the name of Greg Houston who is based out of Baltimore.  He does pieces of artwork where we give him an idea and he comes up with a rough draft, show it to us and then he’ll create the whole thing.  For tee-shirts, we work with a company called Grind Design from Germany.  They create a lot of different designs.  Basically, anything that is cool and fits in with our aesthetic and is eye-catching for people to pick it up and check it out.

MSM:  Wear that extreme artwork and advertise the band at the same time.

Sparky:  Yes indeed.

MSM:  Being Baltimore natives, what other bands hail from your stomping grounds that deserve some recognition from the legion of Metal Storm Magazine?

Sparky:  Through the years, there have been a handful of bands…Meatjack.  Trephine.  Triac.  Magrudergrind.  There are a lot of bands in the D.C./Baltimore that have had the opportunity to go out and tour.  Actually, Mark and Adam (drums) are from St. Louis and they moved out to Baltimore…so there is another half of the band that have their own bands that they grew up with and played with.  So Mark, you wanna do some shout-outs?

Mark:  Yeah…Adam joined to 2004 and I joined in 2005 and the first tour I did was with Suffocation.  From St. Louis, there are a few bands coming from that city…

Sparky:  Pimp your band!

Mark:  Adam has a band called All Will Fall and I have a project called Cast The Stone.  They were once our full-time projects and now since we are in Misery index, they are our side projects.  I have an EP that is in the works right now that will be mixed shortly now that all the tracking is done.  It has got my boy, Jesse Shobel on the drums who played with Strong Intention and Eternal Ruin, both from the Baltimore area. My bass player Derek Haden has done stuff with Covenance also from Baltimore; he is currently in Unmerciful with Unique Leader.  

MSM:  We are nearing the end of 2008 fairly quickly.  What does the next year have in store for the Misery Index fans?

Sparky:  The new album will be out on September 30th with Relapse called Traitors.  We plan on doing a bunch of touring like we always do.  If people go to MySpace, there is a brand new song, which we are playing live called “Occupation”.  And, we believe that Relapse will probably do an e-card soon so people can check the record out.  Say what’s up online and we’ll stay in touch and send any info about tours coming up and hopefully we’ll see everyone soon.

Mark:  We will definitely be doing a lot touring for Traitors.

Sparky:  Yes indeed.

MSM:  That is some great news for the Misery Index fans!

Mark:  You will see us soon!

MSM:  Thank you for your time, Sparky and Mark.  Remember to keep it metal!