The Order of Fear

There are only a few bands around of which I can confidently say I know their entire discography. Orden Ogan is one of those, primarily because it’s I believe the first proper power metal band I got familiar with, but also because I’ve never grown tired of their music. “To The End”, “Ravenhead” and “Gunmen” especially still roam freely in my head. The German’s first offerings were pretty good too, although I’ve always found the quality and consistency in those albums doesn’t match Orden Ogan’s peak during the 2010s. Now that the band’s kind of eponymous album is out (Orden Ogan is supposed to mean Order of Fear) it’s time to see whether the band revisits their peak or whether they’ve gone astray again – just as they did slightly on “Final Days”.

Things take an immediate left turn with Kings of the Underworld. The opening song is a straight-up power metal fest with a soaring chorus and a typical double bass drum pattern that doesn’t directly fit modern Orden Ogan’s style of power metal. Weirdly, after this surprise the band continue “The Order of Fear” with more of the same from “Final Days” which doesn’t go down well all the time. The title track – apart from the fact that it contains a continuity error: if Orden Ogan actually does mean The Order of Fear don’t we then have two tracks with the same name? See the intro track to “Ravenhead” – is a rather uneventful and forgettable slow piece, while Moon Fire repeats its simple chorus too often. Granted, that chorus sticks but isn’t exciting enough to leave a mark.

Conquest does a better job as it’s a joyful power metal anthem I feel only Orden Ogan can write these days. The inclusion of folksy instruments further cements Conquest’s position as one of the stronger tracks on the album, but I doubt the modulation of the final chorus was necessary. Blind Man is another strong piece, but like too many songs on here it features a slow, stomping chorus which doesn’t help the flow of the album. Unexpectedly it’s the ballad My Worst Enemy that saves the day, as it’s easily one of the best ones Orden Ogan have written. Seeb Levermann delivers an honestly heartfelt performance while the instrumentation is minimized – only the drum parts could have been played a tad more restrained – which as a whole works really well. However, ending the album with two seven minute-plus epics with an awkward spoken word piece in between feels overwhelming and tiring.

All in all, The Order of Fear is a slightly frustrating listen. There’s no denying that Orden Ogan is a very good band that has its own unique style and charm. Levermann has proven himself to be one of the best vocalists in the genre, the guitars sound fresh when they take the spotlight but are put in the background to make space for orchestrations or keyboards and the production is spot-on. All this does ensure that we get another solid and at times fun record with a couple of stand-out pieces like Kings of the Underworld, Conquest and Anthem to the Darkside but also seems to mean there’s not much excitement left to find on this album. I’ve heard the songs close to ten times now, but I can’t say I remember many of them. While “Final Days” was a good record with a couple of annoying yet forgivable missteps here and there, “The Order of Fear” is too stale and unsurprising resulting in a gnawing disappointment I really wish I hadn’t felt.