Ravenhead

Nowadays the power metal scene is filled with so many bands that sound so similar or appear to be blatant copycats of a greater band. The competitive advantage that these bands have over one another is minimal at best. Thankfully, Orden Ogan is not one of these bands. Their sound is melodic, heavy, and most importantly, powerful. Power metal should and deserves to be powerful, and "Ravenhead" delivers just that. This band has produced great power metal in the past, but In my opinion, the songs on this album are more likely to get stuck in your head than those of their previous exploits. There are slightly less progressive elements to be found in the music here, but I believe the slight change in direction makes the album more accessible.

"Ravenhead" opens with a symphonic intro named after the band itself, which serves as a lead-in to the album's awesome and powerful title track. The main riff is explosive and melodic, and so are the vocal parts. The succeeding songs are just as powerful and explosive, but all original and quite awesome. On this release Orden Ogan have effectively demonstrated a knack for coming up with powerful and memorable melodies for the lyrical verses, especially in songs such as "F.E.V.E.R." and "Here At The End Of The World." Speaking of vocals, the two songs: "Here At The End Of The World" and "Sorrow Is Your Tale," feature Chris Boltendahl of Grave Digger, and Joacim Cans of HammerFall respectively. The presence of these two power metal giants definitely makes those two tracks stand out, and the former is probably my favorite song on the album.

Now, besides the heavy guitars, awesome vocals, solid bass playing, and superb drumming, there are other elements on this album that I really like. For example, the different folk instrumentation scattered among the album is enjoyable with sounds provided by the likes of flutes, acoustic guitars, and bagpipes. Another thing I really like are the symphonic elements such as choral backing vocals and some orchestral arrangements.

Each track on this release is pretty memorable. They do have a few things in common such as catchy and epic choruses, melodic riffs, and power. But other than those vague similarities, each song is quite different. None of them sound to similar and each one is pretty solid; and that factor can definitely help a metal album to be great. And most importantly, Orden Ogan continues to prove that it is not a clone of some other power metal band in the scene. I have heard of people sometimes comparing them to Blind Guardian, and while I can see why they might say that, I think Orden Ogan is great and inspirational in its own right. Overall, the only real problem I have with "Ravenhead" is that I'll probably have to wait at least two years for its successor.