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Orden Ogan - Ravenhead review



Reviewer:
8.6

215 users:
8.27
Band: Orden Ogan
Album: Ravenhead
Release date: January 2015


Disc I
01. Orden Ogan
02. Ravenhead
03. F.E.V.E.R
04. The Lake
05. Evil Lies In Every Man
06. Here At The End Of The World
07. A Reason To Give
08. Deaf Among The Blind
09. Sorrow Is Your Tale
10. In Grief And Chains
11. Too Soon
12. F.E.V.E.R [8-Bit version] [limited edition bonus]
13. The Things We Believe In [Folk version] [limited edition bonus]

Disc II [limited edition DVD live at Summer Breeze Open Air]
01. To New Shores Of Sadness
02. The Lord Of The Flies
03. We Are Pirates
04. To The End
05. Angels War
06. The Things We Believe In

For years I have looked for a power metal album that doesn't rely on the high-pitched wails that are so defining of that genre and Ravenhead is the closest I have come to fulfilling that dream. I love the atmosphere Orden Ogan is able to craft here, making the perfect soundtrack to an epic adventure whether you're sailing the high seas or battling the various evils of the world. I personally find myself playing Ravenhead often as I go through the equally epic world of Skyrim and I find my excursions through mystical dwarven ruins to be greatly enhanced by it.

Power metal is a difficult genre to appreciate as it too often sounds like a vocal range exercise caught on tape instead of a cohesive song. Thankfully, Ravenhead is all about focusing on the atmosphere with the vocals adding an extra punch to, rather than being a distraction from, the overall feel of each track. It isn't often I can get a friend to sit down and listen to a power metal song without them wanting me to skip it but "A Reason To Give" went over well with my group of friends, even being picked out as a highlight of a playlist I had put together. Orden Ogan may not be appealing to the typical power metal fans but I think they have created a sound that reaches far beyond that niche.

= In Short = Ravenhead is a chorus-heavy, adventure-driven album that rarely slows down. The vocalist is a bit grittier than the typical power metal belter and that is one of the biggest pluses from my perspective. The vocals and instruments work in tandem to create an imagination-stimulating atmosphere unlike anything I have ever heard before and is worth checking out even if power metal isn't typically your genre of choice.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 10
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 8
Production: 10

Written by WayTooManyCDs | 31.05.2016




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.

Staff review by
Susan
Rating:
8.7
Over the river and through to woods, to Orden Ogan's new album we go! If you thought that predecessor To The End was epic then wait till you hear Ravenhead. The band delivers another chapter of the goodness we have come to love from them, with new journeys, battles, grief, and pure fucking glory. They simultaneously expanded and refined their signature sound of catchy, resplendent, and beautifully mournful power metal.

Read more ››
published 17.01.2015 | Comments (19)


Comments

Comments: 1   Visited by: 20 users
18.07.2016 - 13:11
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
This band is more what power metal can give and jumps higher
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
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I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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