AFM
2010
1. Rise And Ruin (Intro)
2. Nobody Leaves
3. Goodbye
4. Easton Hope
5. Welcome Liberty
6. All These Dark Years
7. Nothing Remains
8. Requiem
9. We Are Pirates
10. The Black Heart
11. Of Downfall And Decline
Easton Hope is Orden Ogan's third album, but my first experience with them as I've been checking out some bands I'm unfamiliar with of late. Looking for some new blood in my collection I guess.
Orden Ogan present a pretty epic style of power metal with a fair amount of bombast, but they actually remind me of a toned down version of Blind Guardian. Not so much overproduction, vocal layering, etc. Persuader also comes to mind in that regard. The album is boosted by good choruses that sound epic but also melodic which feel kind of like medieval folk choirs and some sharp riffs and strong songwriting. Pretty good stuff all around as it sounds polished, but not over the top and the production allows the songs to breathe. There are also some good touches of piano, orchestration, etc but they don't really take over the music. I'm told this band started off more folkish and hints of that remain, but what I'm listening to mostly sounds more like straight ahead epic power metal with just a touch of influence in the vocals. One exception to that would be We Are Pirates which does have a certain folky note to it if not a lot of non-standard/folk instrumentation. It also reminds me a little of Running Wild for reasons that should be fairly apparent. I also hear a bit of that influence when the band switches to ballad mode on Requiem.
Overall, I find this to be a pretty solid album from start to finish with a powerful sound. Certainly, I would recommend this one to fans of Blind Guardian and epic power metal. Good release from a somewhat under the radar band.
Highlights: Nobody Leaves, Goodbye, Nothing Remains
Rating - 3.5/5
2. Nobody Leaves
3. Goodbye
4. Easton Hope
5. Welcome Liberty
6. All These Dark Years
7. Nothing Remains
8. Requiem
9. We Are Pirates
10. The Black Heart
11. Of Downfall And Decline
Easton Hope is Orden Ogan's third album, but my first experience with them as I've been checking out some bands I'm unfamiliar with of late. Looking for some new blood in my collection I guess.
Orden Ogan present a pretty epic style of power metal with a fair amount of bombast, but they actually remind me of a toned down version of Blind Guardian. Not so much overproduction, vocal layering, etc. Persuader also comes to mind in that regard. The album is boosted by good choruses that sound epic but also melodic which feel kind of like medieval folk choirs and some sharp riffs and strong songwriting. Pretty good stuff all around as it sounds polished, but not over the top and the production allows the songs to breathe. There are also some good touches of piano, orchestration, etc but they don't really take over the music. I'm told this band started off more folkish and hints of that remain, but what I'm listening to mostly sounds more like straight ahead epic power metal with just a touch of influence in the vocals. One exception to that would be We Are Pirates which does have a certain folky note to it if not a lot of non-standard/folk instrumentation. It also reminds me a little of Running Wild for reasons that should be fairly apparent. I also hear a bit of that influence when the band switches to ballad mode on Requiem.
Overall, I find this to be a pretty solid album from start to finish with a powerful sound. Certainly, I would recommend this one to fans of Blind Guardian and epic power metal. Good release from a somewhat under the radar band.
Highlights: Nobody Leaves, Goodbye, Nothing Remains
Rating - 3.5/5
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