ORDEN OGAN - "GUNMEN" (2017)

ORDEN OGAN - "GUNMEN"
(Running time: 56:47 minutes; 10 songs)
("AFM Records"; 2017; CD):

Hey guys, yes, next post is coming up and so if you've read yesterday's post then you now know that this bloody 'cold' didn't fuckin' disappeared as quickly and as suddenly as it came yesterday, damn it, and so I'm sitting this saturday at home and my planned and long awaited concert trip crossing-through-Germany to go and celebrate a christmas in hell with SIX FEET UNDER and a big bunch of other cool bands... nah, no damn bloody fucking option today... and you know what? This sucks!!! Okay, okay, okay, calming down... enough of the senseless bitching-around and instead of this crybaby-shit I can also do something productive with my free time and so here now comes the next review for you up here by me, yes, and this time it's my take on the new 2017 full length album of/by ORDEN OGAN titled "GUNMEN" and released more or less recently via "AFM REOCRDS", yes, and so now here we go one more time again: ORDEN OGAN are a band that I never knew before some-time this very year I visted my parents and my mother played one of their older albums (can't remember the title right now, sorry...) and I was promptly stunned and it was pretty clear that I would need to 'dig-myself-a-further-bit-into' ORDEN OGAN and their discography, yes, and so I did, yes, and I did this as usual as it's my 'habit' with their most-current release and in the case of ORDEN OGAN I did so with their new 2017 full length album "GUNMEN", yes, and what shall I say... this was totally a right decision. ORDEN OGAN are a german Heavy Metal or better Power Metal band and they play it in a pretty modern or maybe better 'fresh'n'up-to-date' as well as epic and all the time truly very powerful and heavy and yet still through'n'through melodic and symphonic style'n'way. I really like this stuff, I mean for sure sometimes I think that the songs could be done tighten up a bit and the sort of 'omni-present' keyboard simply isn't really my 'most-favorite-thing' but this two 'critical-thinking-moments' are only so very few that  with this short sentence already 'everything-that's-wrong-about-it' is now already said'n'done, yes, if you get what I mean and/or want to say. Beside this expect a massive load of really huge guitars that are done simply just great and amazing and are full of fantastic riffs and a huge diversity and that totally shine with being packed up full with singing leads and outstanding solos, delivering fantastic huge, epic, as well as hymnal and catchy melody lines without end, yes, and also with being packed up full with forceful riffs and smashing rhythms and a big diversity in and of the rhythmic structure and Arrangements and the pace-structure of the songs that cover a truly wide and broad distance from modern and yet still organic grooves to fresh strong metallic rocking 'go-and-bang-your-head' parts over hymnal and catchy 'fists-in-the-air' moments in parts surely influenced by none other than almighty and larger than life RUNNING WILD  over symphonic and playful 'silent' elements up to powerful forward storming and pumping Speed Metal parts influenced by for example HELLOWEEN and loud blasting sheer Epic Metal greatness in the tradition of BLIND GUARDIAN we'll find pretty much it all here on ORDEN OGAN's "GUNMEN", yes, and this fantastic guitar work is enriched by mostly (very) good even if sometimes very (to over-)present keyboards and backed up by a stunning, massive, and yet 'greatly' varying rhythm section that's also absolutely tight and precise and without mercy consequent to the point played. On top of it we get strong and (very) charismatic lead vocals, yes, that are here and there nicely backed up by high quality back up chantings and strong female co-lead-vocals delivered by Liv Kristine. The songwriting is very grapping and exciting and also damn fucking rousing, yes, and how the songwriting is 'structured' or what it offers all to you and me or us when listening to ORDEN OGAN's "GUNMEN" I've already described quite a bit some sentences above when desribing the truly outstanding guitar work, yes, at least sort of, so there you find it all and I don't have to repeat myself already here and now. That the guys in ORDEN OGAN are also really strong and skilled musicians I mention here only for the record. A very cool and interesting sort of lyrical concept with really good and exciting lyrics, an absolutely beautiful gorgeous artwork, and a widescreen bombastic production sound then finally round it all up, yes, turning "GUNMEN" definitely into the complete package, period. My personal favorites are definitely the loud'n'proud "GUNMAN" (pure force and power turned into music), "FIELDS OF SORROW" with some of the greatest verse arrangements that I've heard in quite a while, the stunning "FORLON AND FORSAKEN", the everything else totally outshining "VAMPIRE IN GHOST TOWN" with great RUNNING WILD impressions (and my personal absolute über-favorite-hit), the killing "THE FACE OF SILENCE", and the great "ASHEN RAIN" and "ONE LAST CHANCE", yes, so start your discovery of ORDEN OGAN's "GUNMEN" with this masterpieces, oh bloody hell yeahr, but do yourself the huge favour and don't think or anticipate that the not mentioned songs would be weak stuff or so, hell no, the only really let-down is maybe the stereotypical "FINIS CORONAT OPUS", hm, but maybe that's also just me, or what ever, who knows. One last thing that I still (or maybe again) have to mention is the very big to huge strong own identity of ORDEN OGAN, yes, and also the all the time very high levels of energy, dynamics, and absolute power. Yes, really, really great. Anyhow, yes, I can only highly recommend this very one here, ORDEN OGAN's "GUNMEN", to any fan of Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Epic Metal, and maybe also in parts Speed Metal as well as Melodic Metal and Symphonic Metal, yes, so enough of the talking, for sure, so just go out and get it if you still shouldn't call it your own anyway anyhow. Highly recommended and another massively big surprise that 2017 finally brought up to light for me.

(9 of 10 points)

http://www.ordenogan.de/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)

ORDEN OGAN - "VAMPIRE IN GHOSTTOWN" (2017, "GUNMEN")

ORDEN OGAN - "GUNMAN" (2017, "GUNMEN")