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May 2025

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December 2024

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Orden Ogan: Ravenhead

Heavy/Power Metal

4.0/5.0

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AFM Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 14.01.2015

Their name is perplexing, even a bit goofy, they like to dress in costume, their videos are theatrical, and their music's bombastic. But, I'll admit it, I like Orden Ogan's melodic power metal. By the way, roughly translated from German and Celtic, their name means 'order of fear.'

Orden Ogan: the fish was this big that got away.

Well fear not traditional power metal fans, Orden Ogan delivers once more, even if not the same as in the past. Ambitious, extravagant, and largely a heavy metal exaggeration, it's amazing the wall of power metal pounding these four dudes can put out. Frankly, there's nothing necessarily novel or new in Orden Ogan's approach to the genre. It's simply that they do it well, with style and flair. Big melodies, large choruses and choral vocals abound, propelled by monster riffs and symphonic layers (likely from guitar synths). There are guitar solos, but curiously they are subdued or minimal throughout; the chord arrangements seem to hold the greater sway. This has always perplexed me. How can you have 'true' metal without ripping guitar solos? In this case, Orden Ogan could be the cousins or clones of Powerwolf. To their credit, they do throw in a few folk elements here and there; the strongest appearance comes within A Reason To Give. Essentially, Ravenhead finds Orden Ogan both in their groove and at the top of their game, even though that game and groove hasn't changed much.

Postscript: My CD arrived from AFM recently. (Big THANK YOU to them.) It includes a bonus DVD with OO playing at the 2013 Summer Breeze. Sound and visual is suprisingly good; somebody's behind the stage adding the additional keys and such. The sound being so good makes me wonder if there wasn't some magic performed in the studio later. And I can't believe the band wears all that heavy garb to perform. It's gotta be hot.

ORDEN OGAN - F.E.V.E.R // official clip // AFM Records

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Essentially, Ravenhead finds Orden Ogan both in their groove and at the top of their game, even though that game and groove hasn't changed much.

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Three decades on and still going strong is the iconic progressive rock band, The Flower Kings, founded by veteran multi-instrumentalist and composer Roine Stolt. Since 1994, The Flower Kings have been known ... [ Read More ]