ORDEN OGAN - review added 11th January 2010
Album Review: Easton Hope (2010)
For fans of:Fantasy Power Metal... and progressive Dragonforce-isms
German fantasy power metallers Orden Ogan unleashed their official debut album, Vale, in February 2008. Their history stretches back a lot further than that though. They were pumping out demos as far back as the late 1990's, and released Testimonium A.D., a self-financed album in 2004. Their work up to now has been widely lauded by the press, although it has so far escaped the metaphorical clutches of my ears.
Numerous musicians have passed through the ranks of the band through their existence. The seemingly stable current line-up consists of Seeb on guitars and vocals, Tobi on guitars, Nils on keyboards and vocals, Lars on bass, and Ghnu on drums.
The guys have an interesting sound. It's a melodious, symphonic take on power metal that is at times breathtaking. The harmonies are superb, as is the depth of the particularly fine production. The overall feel is of mythical lands, metallic dreams and epic musicianship.
The first track is a rolling intro, meaning first song-proper is 'Nobody Leaves'. It starts off with standard melodious speed metal, although those excellent harmonies are there from the off. The big moment is about a third of the way into the track when the band go all heavy on yo' ass. The combo of double kicks and frantically rattled strings is brain melting. I'd have loved to have heard a lot more of the heavy approach throughout the album.
The rest of the album wanders through the realms of powerful beauty. The softly spoken 'Requiem' breaks the flow, as does the frankly mad 'We Are Pirates', but otherwise Easton Hope often blends into itself too much for my tastes. Every song manages to find something unique - be it a riff, a chorus or a couple of interesting lyrics - but few of the songs really jump out. However, that's a small complaint because, as a whole, Orden Ogan have produced a bloody nice piece of work with this latest release. It's not something that everyone will love, but there's no doubt this is a fine addition to the genre. This is a band to keep an eye on.
Check out... The title track or 'Welcome Liberty' just about steal the prize.
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Track List:
01. Rise And Ruin
02. Nobody Leaves
03. Goodbye
04. Easton Hope
05. Welcome Liberty
06. All These Dark Years
07. Nothing Remains
08. Requiem
09. We Are Pirates
10. The Black Heart
11. Of Downfall And Decline
Label: AFM Records
Artist's website(s): Orden Ogan , MySpace
