Band : Orden Ogan
Album title : Easton Hope
Label : AFM Records
Distributor : Rock Inc. – Bertus
Release date : 22/01/2010
Release : CD

This German outfit started life in June 1996 under the name of Tanzende Aingeweide, but changed that to their current one in 1997. That same year they released a first demo tape entitled Into Oblivion, followed by Anthem To The Darkside in 1998 and Soli Deo Gloria in 1999…all getting positive response from German press.

Followed a couple of years of line-up changes, during which the band developed their current style of Melodic Metal with Progressive and Power Metal elements, introducing it through their self-released 2004 album Testimonium A.D., an album which took away ravingly high ratings (an average of 9,5/10) in most German magazines. It took the band until January 2008 to release their official debut album Vale through German imprint Yonah Records. By then, their line-up had stabilized to the current one including guitarist/ singer Seeb, guitarist Tobi, keyboardist/ singer Nills, bassist Lars (the last addition) and drummer Ghnu. Hailed by German magazine Rock Hard as “the one and only legitimate Blind Guardian successor”, Orden Ogan played no less than 50 shows during 2008, plenty of which were on festivals. 2009 saw the release of the band’s debut album in Brazil and Japan.

Otherwize, 2009 has apparently been somewhat of a sabattical year for Orden Ogan, time during which they wrote and recorded the new album we now have on the slate (ànd got their deal with AFM)…and I daresay the positive side of things as described above were not exagerated! There’s a wonderful melodic bombasticism about thi band that is ever-so-appealing! To give a description, I’d best use a vert reveiling phrase in their own biography at myspace.com/ordenogan: “Symphonic keyboards melt into grinding guitar riffs and bombastic choir and orchestral arrangements creating an impressive wall of sound.” Soundwize, things are contemporary in nature, but the band does avoid clichés, remaining fresh and original throughout! A legitimate successor to Blind Guardian? Good heavens, Orden Ogan makes that band pale by comparison! Check out a number of songs off the new album (plus 3 off Vale and another off Testimonium A.D.) plus some video footage at the band’s MySpace to convince yourself!

93/100

Tony.