ORDEN OGAN
Formed in 1996 by Sabastian “Seeb” Levermann (vocals, guitars, keys), Dirk Meyer-Berhorn (drums), Niels Löffler (bass), and Tobias Kersting(guitar), they initially created the name Tanzende Aingewaide for their band, then a year later rebranded as Orden Ogan. This mighty ensemble ascends to the heavens with over 20 years of excellent power metal anthems in their discography. Having recently toured with the likes of Rhapsody of Fire, these guys are no stranger to live shows building up to this awesome release. Much of what we see from album to album continues to grow into a more complete overall sound that, somehow, manages to improve over the years. Orden Ogan, thus far, are winning the eternal battle vs. Father Time! Let’s jump head first into ‘Gunmen’...
The opening track completely dismantles your brain with an awesome intro riff as we are brought into the world of the “Gunman”! The music video that was released prior to this album was awesome and hearing it as the opener track is cool as hell! Some familiarity along with kicking the door in for a new release! Jumping right into ‘Fields of Sorrow’… classic power metal guitars that remind us what exactly it is that Orden Ogan does so well. Another kick ass track that builds up to a powerful chorus.
‘Forlorn and Forsaken’ changes up the pacing a bit with slightly turned up speeds and fantastic transitions between different sections. All this and keeping it under 5 minutes is quite impressive. This leads us nicely into ‘Vampire in Ghost Town’, which feels very powerful and has a classic sound not done to this level of quality since early Falconer tracks from yesteryear. Excellent chanting chorus!
Liv Kristine joins the fray as a guest vocalist in the song ‘Come with Me to the Other Side’ in a fantastic supporting role with “Seeb”, continuing to thrash out glorious vocals as she did with Theatre of Tragedy. Everything about this track screams quality; one cannot deny how special this track feels!
Not the biggest fan of the placement of ‘Down Here (Wanted Dead or Alive)’, directly after the excellent ‘The Face of Silence’ and ‘Ashen Rain’. I mean, it’s not really a huge gripe, but the chorus sections are a little too similar, almost like an extension of ‘The Face of Silence’. Would have much rather heard this placed later on. Not a huge deal, just makes this song rather forgettable. Still, not a bad 3-minute track.
‘One Last Chance’ and ‘Finis Coronat Opus’ bring us to a close on this very excellent power metal recording. First, you have likely the most brutally pounding track seen on this release and that is followed by ‘Finis Coronat Opus’, proving that Orden Ogan has amazing range in their stylings with a serious, grand 6-minute track that pushes their overall sound past conventional power metal themes into a more epic side.
Orden Ogan’s ‘Gunmen’ deepens their discography quite a bit, with an album that packs a bit more punch than their last works as each track builds to a more powerful chorus and, overall, has more of an epic feel to it. Much of this work contains a western theme to it and it comes across as such a fresh concept that really sets itself apart from the rest of the metal community in 2017. Orden Ogan marches on with a release that will please new fans and old alike.
The opening track completely dismantles your brain with an awesome intro riff as we are brought into the world of the “Gunman”! The music video that was released prior to this album was awesome and hearing it as the opener track is cool as hell! Some familiarity along with kicking the door in for a new release! Jumping right into ‘Fields of Sorrow’… classic power metal guitars that remind us what exactly it is that Orden Ogan does so well. Another kick ass track that builds up to a powerful chorus.
‘Forlorn and Forsaken’ changes up the pacing a bit with slightly turned up speeds and fantastic transitions between different sections. All this and keeping it under 5 minutes is quite impressive. This leads us nicely into ‘Vampire in Ghost Town’, which feels very powerful and has a classic sound not done to this level of quality since early Falconer tracks from yesteryear. Excellent chanting chorus!
Liv Kristine joins the fray as a guest vocalist in the song ‘Come with Me to the Other Side’ in a fantastic supporting role with “Seeb”, continuing to thrash out glorious vocals as she did with Theatre of Tragedy. Everything about this track screams quality; one cannot deny how special this track feels!
Not the biggest fan of the placement of ‘Down Here (Wanted Dead or Alive)’, directly after the excellent ‘The Face of Silence’ and ‘Ashen Rain’. I mean, it’s not really a huge gripe, but the chorus sections are a little too similar, almost like an extension of ‘The Face of Silence’. Would have much rather heard this placed later on. Not a huge deal, just makes this song rather forgettable. Still, not a bad 3-minute track.
‘One Last Chance’ and ‘Finis Coronat Opus’ bring us to a close on this very excellent power metal recording. First, you have likely the most brutally pounding track seen on this release and that is followed by ‘Finis Coronat Opus’, proving that Orden Ogan has amazing range in their stylings with a serious, grand 6-minute track that pushes their overall sound past conventional power metal themes into a more epic side.
Orden Ogan’s ‘Gunmen’ deepens their discography quite a bit, with an album that packs a bit more punch than their last works as each track builds to a more powerful chorus and, overall, has more of an epic feel to it. Much of this work contains a western theme to it and it comes across as such a fresh concept that really sets itself apart from the rest of the metal community in 2017. Orden Ogan marches on with a release that will please new fans and old alike.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
AFM Records
Album
GUNMEN
Review by Joshua Jaeger
RUNNING TIME:
56:47
RELEASE DATE:
7th July 2017
TRACK LISTING
1) Gunmen
2) Fields of Sorrow
3) Forlorn and Forsaken
4) Vampire in Ghost Town
5) Come With Me to the Other Side#
6) The Face of Silence
7) Ashen Rain
8) Down Here (Wanted: Dead or Alive)
9) One Last Chance
10) Finis Coronat Opus
2) Fields of Sorrow
3) Forlorn and Forsaken
4) Vampire in Ghost Town
5) Come With Me to the Other Side#
6) The Face of Silence
7) Ashen Rain
8) Down Here (Wanted: Dead or Alive)
9) One Last Chance
10) Finis Coronat Opus
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Germany
"Orden Ogan marches on with a release that will please new fans and old alike."
