It’s been all change in the Orden Ogan camp recently, and while obviously playing it’s part, not all of it due to the current Coronavirus situation. Firstly, because of a hand injury sustained in 2018, frontman Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann was forced to perform a series of summer dates minus his guitar, fronting the band as vocalist only. Realising he actually prefers performing this way, Levermann has chosen to step back from six-string duties, recruiting guitarist Patrick Sperling to take over in his stead.

Not content with that bit of reshuffling, bass player Niels Löffler has now switched instruments to join Sperling on guitar, the band, in turn, hiring former Xandria bassist Steven Wussow to replace him. Only Dirk Meyer-Berhorn remains immune from the upheaval, the drummer happy to remain behind his kit while probably just wondering what the actual fuck is going on around him.

 

And so, pushed back from its original November release date due to the Covid situation, Final Days (AFM Records), the latest studio offering from the quirky German five-piece has finally arrived. A science fiction concept album featuring their mascot Alister Vale, this latest turn will come as absolutely no surprise to fans of a band who have already written about swamp ghosts, post-apocalyptic winters, and wild west gunslingers.

 

Bursting with memorable melodies and powerful riffs, Final Days is another improved and accomplished slice of Germanic power metal. Opener ‘Heart of the Android’ is full of fast picking and chuggy riffs, ‘In the Dawn of the AI’ features computerised vocal effects, bleeps and blips and the sound of a 56k dial-up modem, while ‘Inferno’ proves to be nothing less than, well… towering. Big, instantly memorable choruses are the order of the day, and with its huge Iron Maiden ‘Heaven Can Wait’ style singalong, ‘Let the Fire Rain’ does not disappoint.

‘Interstellar’ combines fast chunky riffs with a Celtic feel and a Gus G guest guitar solo, ‘Alone in the Dark’ is a pulsing ballad driven by the vocals of Ylva Eriksson from Brothers of Metal, and with its thunderous drums and irresistible hooks, ‘Black Hole’ is guaranteed to annoy the neighbours for weeks. The dramatic ‘Absolution For Our Final Days’ is punctuated by a superb guitar solo while ‘Hollow’ employs downward fretboard slides to get its message across. Appropriately titled closer ‘It Is Over’ incorporates atmospheric keyboards and short sharp riffs, its soaring melodies constantly uncoil and strike, joining the rest of the album in burrowing into your brain for months to come.

Order the “Final Days” album here: https://shop.afm-records.de/orden-ogan/

8 / 10

GARY ALCOCK