ORDEN OGAN – Ravenhead 2015 + lossless

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[spoiler]Over the time ORDEN OGAN have been on the scene, they have become synonymous with truly epic Metal and make no sacrifices when they set out to write music. One thing for which I think they are unique are the inclusions of so-called "breakdowns" (which consist of slowed-tempos, use of the crash cymbal, and heavy bar chord riffs) in Power Metal music, which to my knowledge is clearly not a common thing. That feature, plus the commanding vocals and dueling lead guitar solos make ORDEN OGAN an outstanding force in Metal. "Ravenhead" is another glorious installment to their band discography.There are many themes for their song titles and I find the fact that the lyrics follow those themes to be refreshing and speaks to the quality of this band as songwriters and musicians. I believe that this band doesn't receive nearly enough credit on their own considering they stand next to big-named bands (think BLIND GUARDIAN) in the same genre. "Ravenhead" features a variety of themes and I'm very impressed with the enigmatic aspect of this album.To elaborate on the actual music, I need use just one word: astounding. There are elements of Folk Metal, Progressive Metal, and even a Thrash Metal-style riff or two (as is present in "Deaf Among the Blind") which all combine to create an atmosphere of Metal which has no equal. This is high-caliber Metal and requires special attention during recording, mixing, and production. No assumptions need be made about the effort put into those elements, as the entire album seems to play like a film score in its own movie. What type of movie it would be is up to the listener. This album is long enough that it really could play in a cinema. The majority of songs on the eleven-track are a minimum of four-and-a-half minutes with some nearing the six-minute mark. Writing songs that long without being boring or repetitive is not an easy task and ORDEN OGAN do it over and over again.

In my opinion, I think "Ravenhead" will be listed as one of the best albums of 2015 and one of my new favorites in the ranks of Power Metal. No stone was left unturned for the sake of writing original material and the harmonious vocals left me with chills on my skin. If you listen to only one album this year, you would not be disappointed whatsoever and I give this a 10/10 because this is the type of album that only comes along once in a rare while. Now let yourself be transported to the amazing world of "Ravenhead"![/spoiler]