I’ve always been a sucker for the style of Euro-power that Orden Ogan bring to the War Council. They fly in the same sky as Blind Guardian and seek the same kind of over-the-top bombast and epical scope, but they take all BG’s frills, hoopla, jiggery-pokery, and opera house shenanigans and boil them down to a reduction sauce that tastes way more direct and hooky. Albums like To The End and Ravenhead were jam-packed with memorable moments of unusual size, yet by borrowing from acts like Iron Savior, they wisely kept things heavy and chonky enough to feel dangerous rather than frilly and show tuney. 2021s Final Days used the same family recipe to deliver delightfully oversized, cheddar-forward cuts that somehow felt serious as f*ck despite the goofy subject matter. Now comes 8th album The Order of Fear and Orden Ogan try their hand at darker themes without overhauling their trademark style. Will a grim, gritty basecoat accent their glossy take on grandiose power? Let’s do a trial membership in The Order of Fear and see.
The album begins with a sudden jolt as “Kings of the Underworld” erupts out of nothing in full Euro-gallop and proceeds to run roughshod over your ears like a thoroughbred stallion that got into the trainer’s bathtub meth. It’s fast, furious, and anthemic with gang chants of “In union we stand.”1 It flies by in a heartbeat and it’s good, clean fun. Things get darker and heavier on the mid-tempo fist-pumping title track which has the classic Orden chorus loaded with pomp nuggets. It has a big anthemic vibe and it’s catchy on the first spin. “Moon Fire” is another brightly burning selection, balancing epic ambition with direct writing. A youthful version of Blind Guardian pulses through the song’s core but the Orden style guide keeps it easy to digest. It’s this album’s version of “F.E.V.E.R.” and it’s easy to get stuck on.
Every song through the album’s first two-thirds offers quality power metal moments with hooks. “Conquest” feels like something off To the End and it’s another rabble-rousing specimen with an epic sheen making it feel bigger than Cyber Jesus. That chorus is hot tar on fresh flypaper and good luck peeling it off your grey matter. Even uber dramatic power ballad “My Worst Enemy” is a win, with Seeb Levermann totally nailing the emo but earnest vocals and using illegal chorus sorcery to make you love it. It actually pisses me off how much I like this song and it pisses Madam X off too, because she is mighty tired of it. Despite all these successes, things get bogged down in the final stanza. “Anthem to the Darkside” is solid but runs too long at 7-plus-minutes, and then you’re immediately plundered by 8-plus-minute closer “The Long Darkness,” which is better, but it runs out of steam several minutes before the end. The album’s 48-minute length is reasonable on its face, but that last 16 minutes feels extra-stretched out, which makes the whole album feel that way, unfortunately.
As ever, Seeb’s big-time vocals make the material go down like a cold pilsner on a hot day. His Hansi Kürsche-esque delivery is a big weapon in the band’s arsenal and he brings gravitas to even the cheesiest moments. He’s one of the best power metal singers and he elevates everything he touches. He never oversings, though it would be so easy to do so on these kinds of tunes, and I commend him for his restraint.2 Niels Löffler and Patrick Sperling once again find that happy medium between Euro-wank and traditional metal crunch, keeping things from devolving into a colorful Broadway soundtrack. The beefy riffa*ge is a boon and the solos are grand but always tasteful. The big success as usual is the writing, which serves up one memorable moment after another. Eight of the ten songs are going to stick to one degree or another and things only go sideways when they try too hard to pen longer-form epics.
Orden Ogan know where their power bread is buttered and by and large, they stick to their strengths on The Order of Fear. There are 32 minutes of killer Euro-power here that will please fans and newcomers alike, and even the less amazing stuff isn’t bad, it’s just not as thrilling. As far as successful Euro-power goes in this day and age, Orden Ogan are near the top of the food chain. That means you can join The Order of Fear without too much fear. Sun’s out, Ogan’s out!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: reigningphoenixmusic.com
Websites: ordenogan.de | facebook.com/ordenogan
Releases Worldwide: July 5th, 2024
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