Sadly, Origins Vol. 1 is not as good as Behind the Music, the record that made a career for Sweden's The Soundtrack of Our Lives (TSOOL). The formula that made that record so compelling is still very much in evidence here: big riffs culled from classic rock songs, big vocals, and Big Rock production. The songs on Origins overflow with sounds that evoke familiar classic rock tunes without ever sounding derivative. Indeed, they often sound far more interesting than the source material. But where Behind the Music was consistently interesting and exciting from start to finish, Origins runs out of gas midway through and never recovers.

The riffs are still there, arena ready. The voice is still there, sometimes almost impossibly raspy and powerful, sometimes surprisingly delicate. And the Big Rock production is there, bigger than ever. But the band has sadly fallen victim to the Studio Magic

Paradox: a little studio magic can make a record. A lot can destroy it. And on Origins, everything has gotten so big and so polished that the record often sounds lifeless and dull.

The record starts out promisingly enough. "I Believe I've Found" is a fine opener, followed by the equally good "Transcendental Suicide," with its Who-invoking intro. And a more couple songs in, "Heading for a Breakdown" re-imagines "For What It's Worth" beautifully. But midway through, the record starts to veer astray. The Iggy-esque "Midnight Children" sounds leaden. "Lone Summer Dream" sounds similarly lifeless.

And the second half of the record never fulfills the promise of the first half. Where the bombast of Behind the Music was invigorating, on Origins Vol. 1 it is fatiguing. The end result is a record with some wonderful moments that somehow manages to wear out its welcome a bit too early. -KENNETH P.W. RAINEY