Ravenhead

Ravenhead had lofty aspirations to fulfill, following the majestic To the End, and I think that Orden Ogan took an admirable route by letting the album excel on some of its own merits as opposed to rehashing the same formula - one that wasn't necessarily flawless to begin with. I mean, tunes like "To the End" and "Land of the Dead" are modern genre paragons, but just like Easton Hope, I find a lot of the earlier songs a bit mawkish and difficult to just pop in and appreciate piecemeal - which is exactly where Ravenhead shines. Sure, the band sounds a bit more tethered to stylistic convention, but the thrashing discord of the power metal riffs really shines on cuts like "Deaf Among the Blind" and especially the title track, with Levermann's throaty delivery maintaining high standards elsewhere.

Ravenhead also sounds less bombastic, which gives the riffs more of a foothold by proxy. And it isn't as if Orden Ogan let this open the back door to modern influence or anything, it just gives the tracks a more measured, head-down approach that helps maintain some equilibrium with the oft-layered vocals like on "F.E.V.E.R." - another album highlight and second volley coming immediately after the title track. At this point, the album begins to stumble as much as it will, with "Evil Lies in Every Man" annoying the shit out of me with the additional vocals, plus "Here at the End of the World" feels a bit of a gimmick, with Boltendahl making a pointless contribution to a song that would have been an album lowlight without him.

Getting back to individual performances, I have to say that the drums were very well played and mixed here. I really caught onto some of the cymbal work, especially during the title track (guessed that it is the best song here yet?). Seriously, the drum fills are one of the best things about it. I also felt that the melodies were very well crafted throughout this entire record; the closing half of "A Reason to Give" is simply flush with emotive, intricate note progressions. The salaciously heavy "Deaf Among the Blind" is probably the best tune on the back end of the album, featuring a real neck-jerker of a breakdown near the halfway point. So many good songs here, including the short instrumental "In Grief and Chains," which could have easily been phoned in, but really feels like it captures Ravenhead's entire mood in a mere two minutes.

Broiling venom may not be Orden Ogan's trademark, but they did dial up the riffage enough in the overall mix for me to appreciate this album from multiple angles. The layered choirs are always welcome in context because the riffs are never far behind, and the band rarely sells themselves short in that regard. This is probably my favorite album of theirs because it is just so focused and incontrovertibly catchy. Surely one that will be remembered, since the band's sense of sincere enthusiasm was still more than palatable at this juncture. A modern power metal classic, I'd say.