ORDEN OGAN
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 21st January 2010.
Orden Ogan is a fantasy power metal from Germany. They recently released a new album, Easton Hope. We caught up with them to find out what it takes to make their music...and more.
Nils and Seeb answer questions on behalf of the band.
Hi, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions guys. Hope you are well?
Nils: Hey, thanks man! We’re very well at the moment…..!
Firstly, congratulations on the new album ‘Easton Hope’; I assume you are happy with the way it turned out?
Nils: Thank you very much! Yeah! We could not be happier at the moment. Everything turned out so well…. I’d use the word ‘euphoria’ actually!
Seeb: It was a lot of work. This time we did everything ourselves, including the mix. In the end we had real trouble to hold to the deadline and I didn't have much time for social contact or even much sleep in this time….. But it was worth it!!
How does it compare to previous album Vale?
Nils: I think we’ve made a huge step forward and made the whole thing bigger and heavier really. A very special element of "Easton Hope" is the ‘Choir Of Ogan’, a 14 man strong choir we recorded with in a big Cathedral in Wildeshausen / Germany. That’s epic! We have found a lot of cool melodies and catchy refrains of course too, but this album just has so much more….. If you liked “Vale”, you will love “Easton Hope”!
Seeb: I think the main difference is that we’d wanted "Vale" to have more pop appeal on purpose. We’d wanted to do a record that sounds very pleasing, even for people that are not into metal…..
But, this time, we just did what we do best: write heavy and very melodic stuff with catchy choruses. We didn't think too much about what people would think, because there are ALWAYS going to be different expectations about a record from different people…. And, as it turns out now, that was the right decision, because the record seems to be earning VERY good reactions so far...!
I also think the vocals improved a lot and the sound is much better. On “Vale” there were a lot of arrangements that were "mixed away" in the final mix. But, this time you can hear every lead, every instrument and all the arrangements. It's simply more of us!
Is there a definite Orden Ogan sound, or are you constantly developing and changing as time moves on?
Nils: Of course there is a change from record to record, if you compare “Testimonium a.d.” (our first self-released album) to “Vale” and “Vale” to “Easton Hope”…. the harmonic background of our songs stays the same. Hopefully, you will always know when there is an Orden Ogan song aired on the radio, it will stand out as ‘our song’... But obviously “Easton Hope” sounds more modern than “Vale”. That had to happen!
Seeb: Every band progresses in some way. Stagnancy is the death of music. But I really think this is it. “Easton Hope” finally sounds like the band we always wanted to sound like. Nils is right. Our melodies and harmonies are very special, and you can definitely distinguish Orden Ogan from other bands!
The challenge is to realise that every time…We realized this again when were working together with other musicians. For example, when we were doing the Choral recordings, there were several phrasings that the choir wanted to sing differently from how it was intended and it took us quite a while to get it to how it was meant to be...., but, that’s the beauty of the process.
Who have been your musical inspirations over the years?
Nils: My personal influences come from the 1970´s. Deep Purple and Pink Floyd were my musical background…. Unfortunately, there’s no room for any kind of Hammond sound within Orden Ogan…. But I think there might be a chance to bring in some old Mellotron type stuff in the future. Yeah! What do you say, Seeb? A bit more progressive style, dude?
Seeb: Ha! Ha! Progressive yes, Hammond no - I hate you! Ha! Ha! You know, everything that comes across for you, and moves you as a musician, is an inspiration in some way. We are often compared to Blind Guardian because of the choirs and so on. But, I think an even bigger inspiration for our vocal arrangements is the 60’s and the beat music (like The Hollies and so on)…. I grew up with that sound because my father listened to it over and over again. They have really outstanding vocal harmonies and arrangements.
Personally, I don't listen to power metal at all. Strange isn't it? I'm much more into the really hard stuff (and constantly drive my band members insane by listening to Nile or Mortician, ha! ha!).
Were there any particular stories or concepts in mind during the writing of Easton Hope?
Seeb: Yes, “Easton Hope” is a concept story that tells the events before the story of the "Vale" record. It's a dark fantasy setting (but without dragons and all that bullshit!), where people have to deal with very real problems. The protagonist, Alister Vale, that's the guy on the cover artwork, is cursed: he cannot rest and has to go on walking the earth. But, unfortunately, everything that he leaves behind withers and decays, then dies.
Easton Hope” is the capital of the so-called Empire where the last of the "Lords" that once ruled lives. He's a tyrant, basically and Alister wants to depose him. He succeeds but, unfortunately, the whole city starts to burn.…. Metaphorically, the story is about what people do with the freedom that is given to them. And what has more weight - the good of a single person or the good of many..?
Which came first, the title or the music?
Seeb: Well, we had the title in mind very early on, because we were talking about the events that could have taken place before "Vale" when we were drawing up the concept of that album…. That’s 2007; There were a lot of ideas and even some finished songs that are now on "Easton Hope" even back then, so to be honest - I can't tell you…. I don’t know myself. I think it was just a natural process.
Was recording the album work, pleasure, or a bit of both?
Nils: Song writing is a great pleasure for me as it’s going on all the time. But, doing the recordings was hard work, especially for Seeb, as he was songwriter, engineer and producer all at once. He had a lot of sleepless nights, I can tell you...!!
Seeb: Yeah, as I told you already… I am songwriter, engineer, producer, mixer and, please don't forget - Singer and Guitarist... To be honest, there were times when I just didn't want to sing or to edit or mix or whatever….! But, as I said before, the result turned out to be really great and it's something we can be really proud of – so, it all was really worth it. Next time though, no deadlines. It will be done when it’s done!
To be honest, most of the time, it was a pleasure, if I had to really put my thumb on it though… I love working in the studio. Lars Dietrich (Engineer of Caliban, Heaven Shall Burn, and Samael, etc..) and I have our own studio and it’s a really good environment; a very positive space!
How were the recording sessions organized, then – was everything written and demoed before you hit the studio or was some of the material written whilst you were there?
Nils: I’d say the rough shape of every song was finalized before we started the recordings and there were demos that Seeb and I had both done…. But the more the overall sound improves and the better the ideas become in your mind, the quicker it gets there…!
Seeb: Mmmmh. I’d actually say a bit of both would be a more accurate statement. “Nobody Leaves” and “Goodbye” for example, were finished as Demos back in 2008. But we literally wrote "The Black Heart" and recorded it at the same time. Since we have our own studio we can record whenever we like. That's a big advantage, as you can hear directly what may work and what won’t. I love working on all that detail…. That’s my part of the process…!
The new record is big on harmonies. Do you do anything special to achieve that sound?
Seeb: Thank you very much. I think we’re just being ourselves, to be truthful. That is "the Orden Ogan Sound" we spoke about earlier. It's just our way of writing and arranging things. I think another thing is, that we are very open-minded to different kinds of music. Nils and I compose a lot of film music as well as this, and we use this knowledge and kind of working in the way we build our own Melodic Metal Sound.
Nils: I think we arrange very carefully and think twice about every single note. There is not a single note here we were not looking for. Then, I cannot say really that we do anything special... We just write music we would like to hear ourselves.
We love the rattling heavy section about a third of the way into ‘Nobody Leaves’. Is that heavier side of your sound something you’d like to explore more in the future?
Nils: Actually I’d like that, yes. But big melodies are the most important thing for me.
Seeb: I agree. Toni, our other guitarist, is writing a lot of very heavy riffs and I’d really like to explore that side of the band, but sadly, this time we didn't make too many songs out of his great ideas because he had joined the band after "Vale" was almost completely written and it was hard to incorporate too much of that into the final mix….
In general, I think the heavy stuff suits Orden Ogan well, so I'm willing to increase the heavy elements in the future, although melodies and melancholy are the most important things for me as well.
Do you have any favourite moments or tracks on the album?
Nils: That’s a hard question, because I really like every single song on the album, but I was totally surprised when Seeb showed me "Requiem"…. I think he came up with one of the best tracks of his life when writing that.
Seeb: Thanks a lot, man. I personally love every song on this record. But “All These Dark Years" is probably the best one for me. At least, this is the one I listen to mostly.
Did you have any guest artists working on Easton Hope?
Nils: Yes, we had Majk Moti, the former Running Wild guitarist, playing on "We Are Pirates!". He did a great job and you can see the results on our “Making Of Easton Hope” Videos on Youtube, right now – I think that’s Part 3!
Seeb: And Thomen Stauch (the former Blind Guardian drummer) played with us on "Nothing Remains"…... They are both great guys. Majk and the band became real friends, actually. The work with Thomen was possibly more "professional", but I guess it had to be like that because we just had one day for setting up the drums and recording the song….?
Actually, the situation with Thomen was very funny: we rehearsed that song weeks and weeks before we heard from him and on several parts our drummer Ghnu changed the double bass bits to something akin to Blind Guardian like thrash beats. We said, If we were going to do this, this way, there can be only one guy who could play it….. And, the funny thing is, I got the mail from Thomen on that very day….!
And of course, don’t forget those 14 crazy guys and one girl that sing the Choir parts, Jon...!
Who was the artist behind the album’s artwork, and how did the design of the picture come about?
Nils: It is Andreas Marschall. He made a lot of big cover art for Running Wild, Nightwish, Dimmu Borgir, Grave Digger and Blind Guardian (just to name a few) in the 1990´s.
Seeb: Actually, this is a lovely story. Andreas hasn’t done too much cover work in recent years but we really wanted him to do ours. We asked him even though it looked like there was no chance to get him on board…. But, then I heard, luckily that he immediately fell in love with the "Vale" record and wanted to do the design. We had a rough idea of how it should look because we could see the concept story behind the record in our mind’s eye. But, we just told him our ideas and let him paint on his own. If you work together with outstanding artists like Andreas Marschall it’s always good to give them space for their own creativity. It was such an honour to see the result!
How did the deal with AFM come about? Was the record finished by the time they came onboard?
Nils: I’ve heard that AFM heard Orden Ogan and liked the band from the first minute and that’s an immense feeling for me. They offered a very good deal and we couldn’t say no. AFM has been one of our favourite Labels since we can remember. We were just starting the recordings when the deal was signed.
Seeb: It was always very important to us to have a label that gives 110% for us and really believes in us. We could have signed various deals from known companies even before "Vale" - but I think most of these labels just saw the profit and didn't want to do it because they really liked the band or believed in it? Our A&R guy, Timo has been a big fan of Orden Ogan since he heard "Vale" for the first time and everybody at AFM really likes the band and believes in it. That's the best thing that can happen to a band, believe me!
What difference is the label going to make to you as a band?
Seeb: Huge…With "Vale" and Yonah Records, we were at the limit of what we could achieve on our own. AFM is a very professional, working company that does a good job. I hoped that there would be less work for us to do after the signing, in some ways, but the opposite was the case. Today I had around 8 interviews and there’s no end in sight. But it's great. It's what we've been waiting for, for years.
Nils: AFM will spread the word of Orden Ogan throughout the world. Concerning the workload we’ve had…. Bah… It’s a gift to work with the guys from AFM. They are really able to move something and I hope a lot more metal-heads, all over the world, will now hear from us!
I see you are playing a good few gigs this year. What should fans expect from an Orden Ogan live show?
Nils: Orden Ogan shows are about having fun. We have fun and the audience should have fun, simple. Just have a party!
Seeb: Yeah, although we're doing serious music in a very serious way, especially in the studio, we just want really to party with the crowd live. But don't expect us to play everything just like it is on CD!! We love to improvise a lot and I think this is what makes bands like ours interesting. If you want to hear the CD version - go and listen to the CD...!
Do you prefer smaller club gigs or big shows like Wacken – you’re there this year, right?
Nils: Correct! Both worlds are definitely worth the experience, and in a small club you are closer to the audience. It’s more intimate. I like that more. Then, I’ve not played Wacken yet, so I will tell you afterwards!
Seeb: I can’t really explain what I like best. Of course, I like being close to the fans and being able to interact with them directly from the stage but, come on - Wacken is the biggest metal festival in the world. It's every metal band’s dream to play there. I guess we'll have between 10,000 and 80,000 metal heads in front of the stage - depending on the time….. And, that's really awesome!
What’s your most memorable gig so far, and any ones you are particularly looking forward to?
Nils: Personally, most memorable… "Celtic Rock Open Air" in Gummersbach, in 2002, with In Extremo. That was my first year with Orden Ogan and the big audience was great. But the reason why it is so memorable, is that our former bass player Sebastian Severin beat his cancer that year and was doing his first gig there, sitting on a chair, without any hair….. That was a great 45 minutes.
Seeb: We’ve played a lot of cool shows. We once played "Hoehlenrock", in a cave! You can find a video of it on youtube…. (search for Orden Ogan / "Angels War"). 3,000 people in a cave! That's a sight you won't see every day...!
Other shows that are memorable are, for example, when your drummer falls off the drum riser in the middle of a break… You turn around and your drummer is gone? That was weird…!
What’s the most stupid/funny thing any of you have done whilst touring – either drunk or sober...?
Nils: Tell him the “Wardrobe Story”!
Seeb: Really? Ha! Ha! Oh, yes. Yours!! When we played a festival in Greece, Nils had too much of the good ol’ Greek wine, no? You have to know that he doesn't drink too much normally, OK….? So, in the middle of the night, or lets say, morning, when we were back from the traditional Greek wedding we’d all been invited to as special guests (which is a crazy story in itself….), we all lay in our hotel room beds, sleeping. All over sudden, there was this incredibly loud noise. Our drummer Ghnu and I wake up and see this man, standing in front of a big closet. In his underpants - Nils. He was obviously sleeping and he took all the blankets out of the closet, piling them on our sleeping bass player. When the closet was empty, he just went back to bed again, as if nothing had happened. The next morning, Lars wakes up under around 20 blankets….? In Greece, in the summer...!! Lovely!”
Do you intend to tour Europe and possibly even the UK this year?
Seeb: We’d love to, yes! There are plans for a UK and a US tour this year, but unfortunately, there is nothing confirmed yet.
Does anyone in the band have any other musical projects or bands on the go?
Nils: Not really… We are concentrating on Orden Ogan at the moment and there is no time left to do anything else...
What was the last record you bought, and what are your top 5 records of all time?
Nils: Mine, Katatonia – “Night Is The New Day”….
Top 5: 1. Deep Purple - Made in Japan. Everything else is changing constantly...
Seeb: Last record I bought was Hatebreed’s “Hatebreed”…
Top 5: 1. Running Wild - Death Or Glory, 2. Metallica - And Justice For All, 3. Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side, 4. Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark, 5. Annihilator - Set The World On Fire.
Do you live the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, or are you at least trying to live it?
Nils: I’m a student... So, YES! But I don’t currently have any sex and do not take any drugs. So just Rock ‘N Roll, ha! ha!
Seeb: Ha! ha! ha! Yeah, I think having 3 hours sleep per night to finish your band’s record off is some kind of a rock 'n' roll lifestyle, don’t you? I also don't take any drugs, I don't even drink alcohol….! But, I've got nothing against sex or rock 'n' roll!
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Nils: I´m working on a new Orden Ogan Homepage that will be online this week.
Seeb: And, for me…? Doing three more interviews...!
Anything else you would like to mention?
Nils: Of course! A big thanks to your readers for checking us out. Hopefully they will buy "Easton Hope" and come and see us on tour! Best regards from Germany, metal-heads!
Seeb: There's a giant squirrel behind you! Oh, no there isn’t! Oh yes, there is!! Watch out!
Thanks for your time guys!!
Nils: Thank YOU!
Seeb: AYE!
Thanks again to Nils and Seeb for their time. The new Orden Ogan album, Easton Hope is out on AFM Records now. Check out the Rock Realms review here.
http://www.myspace.com/ordenogan
