I confess from the outset that power metal isn’t really my thing. I find something about the over-rich all too polished production and safe, clean strung songwriting weirdly teeth grinding and the incessant need to pander to the dungeons and dragons crowd unflattering at best. So when a power metal album comes around and it’s not just good, it’s probably one of the musical highlights of my year, imagine my surprise. I had to check that my feet were still firmly on the floor and not glued next to ceiling light fixtures.
Orden Ogan are in theory another AFM records certified family friendly power metal affair (not knocking AFM at all, I happen to love a significant part of their roster – something in the Welsh part of me that is actually Scandinavian or German). The band have been grinding away since 1996 yet didn’t release their first album ‘Tesimonium A.D.’ until 2004, and in the years since have released four more; ‘Gunmen’ being their fifth’
I think the moment I realised that ‘Gunmen’ was something different was a little way into the first track when the vocals kicked in and I didn’t want to twat myself with a wrench. The vocals throughout are a soaring, cacophonous affair that strays away from your typical screeching higher register power metal vocals, helped by the fact that frontman ‘Sebastian Levermann’ can actually sing. The layering of vocals in the chorus of tracks like ‘Gunman’ and ‘Fields of Sorrow’ create this operatic choiral effect without it sounding cheesy or token; it’s all very tastefully done and the band hit a balance between vocal acrobatics and big sing-a-long verses.
The songwriting and instrumentation is likewise intelligent and tasteful. Each song hits around the six minute mark in length and there’s plenty of twists and turns to fill the run time, with each instrument having enough room for their own flamboyant display and enough self-awareness to back off and let another member of the ensemble have a turn in the spotlight. Then again, some of the shining moments on the record is when everything comes together in one huge climactic splurge that is so fantastically satisfying I find myself having to wipe the keyboard afterwards.
‘Vampire in Ghost Town’ borders the cheese limit but is just strong enough to pull it back, even if the chorus is like watching a copy of ‘Red Dead Redemption’ sink into a vat of molten brie. ‘Forlorn and Forsaken’ has riffs dropping casually from every orifice and a chorus so fantastically sing-a-long if you fail to learn the lyrics first time around you have been officially ousted as a robot.
‘One Last Chance’ brings out the big larger than life chugs and riffing more stylistically reminiscent of the ‘Ravenhead’ era material, and the eight minute close ‘Finis Coronat Opus’ effectively ties up the album by including every musical theme explored this far in equal measure and neatly tied up with a dramatic chorus and an almost uplifting outro section provided by soulful guitars, a choir and subtle synth elements.
It’s the overarching theme of ‘Gunmen’ that really ties the bow. The artwork combined with the thematic music video for the title track mixed with the lyrical content conjures up imagery of something between ‘Fallout New Vegas’ and ‘A Fistful of Dollars’. Riding through the wild west as a heroic gunslinger is something I’ve not really experienced in recent metal ventures, but maybe this is a sub-genre theme that I’ve somehow missed.
I’d normally say that if this sort of thing doesn’t usually tickle your fancy then ‘Gunmen’ would be no different, however I don’t believe this is the case; using my miserable hard-to-please self as a case study in this instance. Even if the gunslinging wild west theme turns you off fast than a prospective partner approaching you with toeclippers, a whisk and chilli anal lube while in a compromising position, then the intelligence of songwriting and the arrangement of the individual elements as part of a greater whole combined with solid musicianship and catchy hooks should balance out the experience for you, regardless of your sub-genre preferences. 8
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