This band hails from Germany and during the almost 13 years of activity has released three full length albums. The last of those is the "Easton Hope" that is also the subject of the review you are reading. ORDEN OGAN say in their official myspace page that they are the next band to hold the German power Metal banners in the same height like RUNNNING WILD, GAMMA RAY and BLIND GUARDIAN have been doing the last two decades. Is this an over-their-heads statement? Well, this review will partially answer to this question because after all it is a matter of personal taste and perspective.

The piano based intro "Rise And Ruin" opens the album and brings some elements that the die-hard fans often call fantasy Metal. Personally, I hate this term since it reminds me the over-worked composition of band's like RHAPSODY. Hopefully, this does not last long and "Nobody Leaves" takes over with a nice heavy guitar riff and some BLIND GUARDIAN sounding vocal harmonies. The tempo is fast and overall addictive reaching a sing-along chorus in the vein of the aforementioned Tolkien inspired band. While the tempo slows down a little ORDEN OGAN lay down some really catchy melodies with killer vocals that dominate this part of the song. Seeb share in some extent the harshness of Hansi but with a stronger dose of melody. The German band slightly touches the progressive approach by giving more space to the keyboards and by introducing several tempo changes. To my delight this progressive lining remains minimal choosing the symphonic profile and in the end does not overloads the songs.

What I really liked in "Easton Hope" are the groovy and heavier breaks where the solid rhythm guitar work gives some enticing excuses to headbang. I managed to dig out some RUNNING WILD influences in some guitar fills featuring Kasparek's way of guitar in the self-title track, in the epic sounding riffs in "Nothing Remains" and -of course- in the killer "We Are Pirates" (watch the video clip below). The last one screams RUNNNIG WILD with the "Riding The Storm" groove and Majk Moti as guest guitarist who has been with Rock 'n' Rolf from 1985 until 1990. The accordion break somewhere in the middle deserves additional kudos breathing more pirate air in the album!

By looking the tracklist I realized that the album shows all the band's potentials during the second half; there we found the twin guitar riffs, the epic atmosphere, the catchy sing-along lines and the general up-tempo structure that might answer affirmatively to the question I mentioned in the intro. This album is a classic German one that pays the respect in full extent to all the bands that gave birth to this Metal genre. I am sure that ORDEN OGAN will gain more publicity with "Easton Hope" and hopefully give some RUNNING WILD-esque moments that we already missing. This album is full of energy and Metal so, invest with your eyes closed!