ORDEN OGAN
“Final Days”
Album Review by British Steel Sam

9.5/10

From north of the Rhine River, in the town of Arnsberg, Westphalia, comes a desperate warning from the far-flung future. The machines are rising, AI is taking over, humanity is on the brink, but this is no ordinary message, because it is being delivered with all the power and fury, all the red hot guitar licks and thundering drum lines from the mighty ORDEN OGAN! The end of the world has never sounded so damn good!

These guys know what they are doing when it comes to putting together a slick sounding, sonically superb, heavy metal album. ORDEN OGAN have been around since 1996 and in their 25 years of existence they have churned out seven fantastic power metal albums (plus ten singles and three demos) – most recently and probably most well known of which are Gunmen (2017) and Ravenhead (2015). If you haven’t listened to these albums I thoroughly recommend giving them a try to know what this band is all about. If you like slick riffs, epic melodies and sing along vocals, all delivered in a punchy powerful package then these guys might be the band you’re looking for. So with that said lets turn our attention to their newest offering FINAL DAYS, and see how it stacks up.

Kicking off in great style, ‘HEART OF THE ANDROID’ starts with a burst of wonderfully chunky riffage and neat drum work. When it comes to guitarists the band isn’t in short supply with former bassist/current guitarist Niels Löffler, new guitarist Patrick Sperling and lead singer/guitarist and keyboard player Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann all giving the music their own twist. The thundering drum kicks delivered by Dirk Meyer-Berhorn and low down bass lines of Steven Wussow announce their presence in superb style and within moments this juicy hook of an intro has pulled you into the song. Sebastian or ‘Seeb’ was the founder of the band all the way back in 1996 and the bands only constant member, and his vocals are both rich and deep but also capable of soaring to heights that give their tracks such raw power! Modulated tones are a nice experimental touch that really works in this instance and the power behind this track is so potent that you will be headbanging away wherever you’re listening! The lyrics are pretty great too, and after only a couple of listens I found myself singing along at the top of my voice, I think this could be a real crowd pleaser when played live. Hot on its heels ‘IN THE DAWN OF THE AI’ cranks the speed and power up a few more notches, starting with a tasty technical riff before exploding into an all out heavy metal rampage! Double bass drumming, breakdown heavy guitar riffs, modulated vocals and twisting melodies all combine to create a headbanging beauty of a tune. It’s the melody that really sets this band apart form other metal acts in my opinion. Heavy riffs and awesome guitar work get your head nodding, then tempo changes and sing along choruses really draw the listener in and inspire you to turn it all the way up. Seeb’s vocals are fantastic, operatic but accessible and gritty (warning listening to this track turned right up whilst driving could result in speeding fines… just saying!).

Next up is the mighty ‘INFERNO’ a somewhat slower and more keyboard driven epic. A touch of early 2000’s metal, this is a melodic sing along track with plenty of gravitas behind it. The lyrics are dark and moody “the only cure for this society, is to burn its slaves in their anxiety, we’ve got to burn it down!” The guitar solo is a wonderful piece of technical work, and the track as a whole gives the listener a lot to like. ‘LET THE FIRE RAIN’ continues this red-hot theme with guitar heavy melodies and a slow dark feel that erupts into glorious melodic highs with each foot stamping sing along chorus! Double bass drumming and operatic/stadium filling vocals create a bridge that is sure to get everyone behind the band when they play live.

‘INTERSTELLAR’ raises the pace once again, leaping into a galloping, headbanging stride full of melodic delight. Seeb continues to steal the limelight at every opportunity with superb vocal and guitar work. Inspiring and opulent, this track is rich in metallic mastery and is engraved upon the listeners mind after just one listen. The track also features Gus G. (formerly of Dream Evil and Ozzy Osbourne) laying down a rather neat solo that fits oh so perfectly. “When your duty calls, You all will be standing tall, Cause the end of the day will hold victory!” ‘ALONE IN THE DARK’ features another guest artist, this time Ylva Eriksson of Brothers Of Metal steps into to weave an enchanting, despairing vocal melody into this slow, heavy, emotionally powerful song. Tracks like this really showcase the bands range and the delivery of each line is so strong that it stays with the listener long afterwards.

Onto the seventh track of the album, and ‘BLACK HOLE’ pulls no punches in delving straight back into the bands power metal roots. Epic in scale and powerful in sound this track throws its weight around! It grabs the listener and draws them into this world of interstellar combat and disaster, twisting and turning melodies keep you hooked until the guitar solos come in thick and fast. A great all-round power metal masterpiece. ‘ABSOLUTION FOR OUR FINAL DAYS’ is another example of how rich and deep and opulent this albums sound is. Effortlessly powerful delivery with superb recording quality, the effect is utterly enthralling, leaving the listener hanging upon Sebastian’s every word. The lyrics in question are despairing but as epic as you could expect from these guys “Behold! The stars they fall and crash into the sea, Blood waves approaching us, Followers of the beast, …And you, you ask forgiveness, as if the words we say, Could cure this sickness, …And it doesn’t matter anyway” now that is what I call f*****g metal!

The penultimate track on the album is ‘HOLLOW’ and if this is the end of the world, Orden Ogan aren’t going out quietly! Bring out the guitar, keyboard, bass, double bass drumming and the choir… Then turn it all up to eleven! An element of 80’s inspired classic power metal shines through here, with brilliant key changes and melody, all wrapped up in a thoroughly modern, super clean and professional sound quality. This track is a perfect example of how the band can brawl with the big names, and in my opinion is another example of why their name belongs up there in the stars with the power metal greats. Its both rich and yet undiluted in atmosphere, it hits hard but also flows with a great melody. And more importantly you can bang your head to it, raise your horns high and feel the power of the metal lift your spirit higher! The final track on the album ‘IT IS OVER’ is a slow, emotional feeling piece that brings the destruction to a final earth-shattering conclusion. The mood is dark, the lyrics sombre, but the melody is still as enchanting as ever. It conjures images of the end of the world in slow motion, a strange kind of beautiful and terrible all at once. Even as some make a daring escape in spaceships to Mars, those left behind can only watch on and wait for the end to come.

In conclusion this is an absolutely superb album from a power metal band at the top of their game. These guys know what they are doing when it comes to producing some seriously epic metal, and have gained the ability to know and feel just what a song needs, when to dial it in, when to pull it back, and when to play it loud! I encourage any metal fan out there to give this album a listen, because I promise that no matter what your preferred style is you will find a lot to like in Orden Ogan’s sound. The lyrics and themes of this album may be dark, but the future for this power metal band from Westphalia is looking bright!

( Fun fact for those sci-fi nerds who are fascinated by the idea of a robotic uprising: as many know the word ‘robot’ has its origins in the Czech term ‘robota’ meaning ‘forced labour’ or ‘slavery’. The first idea of a ‘robot’ uprising comes not from our reliance on machines, but from the revolutions of 1848, a period in European history when it seemed that the ‘robots’ aka. the slaves, serfs and general poor working population, would overthrow the monarchies above them. Just in case you thought A.I. and Asimov started it all 😉 )

TRACKLIST

Heart Of The Android
In The Dawn Of The AI
Inferno
Let The Fire Rain
Interstellar (feat. Gus G)
Alone In The Dark
Black Hole
Absolution For Our Final Days
Hollow
It Is Over

http://www.ordenogan.de/
https://www.facebook.com/ORDENOGAN

This review is property of British Steel Sam and Metal Gods TV. It is strictly prohibited to copy any part of this review, unless you have both of the parties permission, or are part of the band/record label/PR company in question. Failure to adhere to these instructions will be considered as plagiarism and you will be reported to the appropriate authorities

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