Origin was here. They played loudly. They re-asserted the meaning of intensity and, mind you, musicianship. There were bands playing before Origin, the opening acts you'd call them & the differences in standards were rather stark. I'm not here to magnify those deficiencies but for an acclaimed act like Origin, a certain compliance settlement was ordered to remind everyone that a compromise is not the order for the day. Especially so when the band is playing away from home & the gear supplied are probably not on the priority list.
With that said, I got a glimpse of what the band had for the show (gear-wise, that is). The most satisfying sight would be Paul Ryan's embrace of a Marshall JCM900. Armed with his Jackson Warrior & a couple of pedals, it was sonic assault from the word go. Whatever the setting, it cut through the mix & this is indeed important in a band context. The objective here is to deliver audible passages to the audience & not cave in to your preferred, customized & highly specific tone. It may very well sound splendid on a personal account but not when one plays with a no-nonsense drummer & a bassist who can match one's technicality & brutality. Origin was an awesome bill to say the least, one worth the attendance.
