Cominig Soon:”The Order of Fear” by ORDEN OGAN

Story: Ralph Greco, Jr.

ORDEN OGAN is a standout in the power metal genre and is a crucial part of the international metal scene. Since their debut album, Vale, was released in 2008, the band has risen to undisputed greatness. With their previous album Final Days, climbed to number 3 on the official German album charts, and currently on Spotify, they count close to half a million monthly listeners.”

Now their latest epic The Order of Fear continues the saga of ORDEN OGAN with a particularly triumphant lesson in dark power metal.

This seventh album, arriving July 5th via Reigning Phoenix music and led by mastermind Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann, is a triumphant march, a lesson in power metal itself and is probably the heaviest music that ORDEN OGAN has ever unleashed. “The album is much more stripped down,” agrees Seeb. “It is to the point, more metallic, direct, and perhaps ‘authentic’. The guitars are more in the foreground, but of course, it didn’t work entirely without orchestral elements,” he laughs.

The Order of Fear seamlessly fits into the band’s impressive catalog: less progressive than Easton Hope, less poppy than Final Days, and harder than To The End. With shorter, catchy songs, it fills a gap. And Seeb can write songs, as the last few years have impressively shown: anthems like “Gunman” and “The Things We Believe In” each have gathered around 15 million clicks on Spotify. The creation of The Order of Fear was nevertheless not an easy task, as Seeb recalls: “At the beginning of composing, we were at a dead end. We knew where we wanted to go, but we didn’t really make progress.” Then came a truly amazing turn: a hardcore fan from Uruguay caught the band’s attention with his great cover versions of ORDEN OGAN songs. Seeb says: “A phone call later, it was clear that we would compose together. This guy is crazy, he breathes ORDEN OGAN and immediately knew what we had in mind for The Order of Fear.”

In a Hollywood-style story, ten tracks come together on The Order of Fear, with parts of the fan’s contributions found in three tracks. For Seeb, it was a unique opportunity to see his band through different eyes – and for ORDEN OGAN, a much-needed outside perspective. “The rest practically wrote itself. I knew all along where I wanted to go, I just didn’t see the way there before.”

Behind the magnificent artwork by Dan Goldsworthy, adorned with numerous references to the previous album covers, lurks a beast of a record. A manifesto of dark power metal, which further spins the dark story of the cursed protagonist Alister Vale.

“The story we told on our previous albums has long since developed a life of its own,” says Seeb. “It has become a real lore, which has not yet been written down outside the lyrics. Until now: everything started in 2008 with our debut Vale,” recalls the mastermind. “The protagonist of the same name lives in a dark parallel world and is a member of an aristocratic circle that, disguised as a government, does sinister things behind closed doors. Believing he’s doing good, Vale breaks up the circle but is cursed for it and as a consequence must wander. However, everything he leaves behind also perishes. Our album ‘Ravenhead’ from 2015, is about the eponymous monastery where the ancient monks of ORDEN OGAN reside. Here, Vale seeks answers.”

And this is just the beginning: Far from this monastery, there exists an even more radical splinter group of ORDEN OGAN, the “Order of Fear”. “Vale hears the ‘call’ of this order,” Seeb continues. “Voices in his head tell him they can free him from his curse. So he sets out on the long journey there with his old companion Abel. The monks tell him that the only way to break the curse is to commit an even more heinous act than the one done to him: he must spill the blood of his one true friend by moonlight. A philosophical question: Does the suffering of many outweigh the suffering of the individual? Vale promptly beheads his companion and must then realize that he was deceived. The curse is not broken, but intensified. The order never intended to help Vale, but to direct the power of the curse against humanity to destroy it.” How does it end? The rest of the album tells the tale.

This cinematic story is told in ten songs, soon also available in a reading version through the official ORDEN OGAN fan club. Perfectly underscored by some of the greatest anthems this band has written to date. The ballad “My Worst Enemy”, the heavy “The Order of Fear”, “Moon Fire” with its glowing riffs, and the fast “Kings of the Underworld” make the story vivid, while two special tracks refer to the band’s history: “The Long Darkness” comes from the “Gunmen” sessions of 2017, while “Anthem to the Darkside” goes back to the band’s high school days. “I’ve wanted to re-record this song for years, and now it finally worked out,” comments Seeb. “We wouldn’t write a song like this today, but it still feels right and like ORDEN OGAN in context. Plus, it fits perfectly thematically.”

ORDEN OGAN – The Order Of Fear

— Due Out On July 5, 2024 Via Reigning Phoenix Music —

PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE NOW

ORDEN OGAN live:

“Fegefeuer” Tour 2024

w/ FEUERSCHWANZ, DOMINUM

Presented by Metal Hammer, EMP & Extra Tours

02.06.2024 CZ Pilsen – Metalfest [TICKETS]

05.06.2024 SE Sölvesborg – Sweden Rock Festival [TICKETS]

07.06.2024 NL Leeuwarden – Into The Grave [TICKETS]

13.06.2024 ES Zamora – Z! Live Rock [TICKETS]

15.06.2024 FI Vaasa – Lisää Löylyä Rock Festival [TICKETS]

28.06.2024 FR Clisson – Hellfest *SOLD OUT*

04.07.2024 DE Aschaffenburg – Colos-Saal (w/ BRAINSTORM) [TICKETS] *NEW*

05.07.2024 DE Mühlheim an der Ruhr – Castle Rock [TICKETS]

06.07.2024 DE Ballenstedt – Rockharz Open Air *SOLD OUT*

07.07.2024 DE Bestwig – Fort Fun (w/ RAGE) [TICKETS] *NEW*

11.07.2024 AT Leoben – Area 53 Festival [TICKETS]

19.07.2024 DE Dannewerk – Dannewerk Open Air [TICKETS]

27.07.2024 DE Rengsdorf – Rock The Forest [TICKETS]

02.08.2024 RO Râșnov – Rockstadt Extreme Fest [TICKETS]

09.08.2024 BE Kortrijk – Alcatraz Metal Festival [TICKETS]

17.08.2024 DE Dinkelsbühl – Summer Breeze Open Air [TICKETS]

“Fegefeuer” Tour 2024

w/ FEUERSCHWANZ, DOMINUM

Presented by Metal Hammer, EMP & Extra Tours

27.11.2024 NL Eindhoven – Effenaar [TICKETS]

28.11.2024 NL Haarlem – Patronaat [TICKETS]

29.11.2024 FR Paris – Le Trabendo [TICKETS]

03.12.2024 IT Trezzo sull’Adda (MI) – Live Music Club [TICKETS]

06.12.2024 AT Vienna – Arena *SOLD OUT*

ORDEN OGAN are:

Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann | vocals

Niels Löffler | guitars

Patrick Sperling | guitars

Steven Wussow | bass

Dirk Meyer-Berhorn | drums

More on ORDEN OGAN:

greenman-studios.de | Facebook Seeb | Instagram Seeb

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About Reigning Phoenix Music:

Founded in 2023, Reigning Phoenix Music is the 100% independently owned vision of music industry professional Gerardo Martinez and avionics and tech entrepreneur, Sven Bogner. The blueprint is to continue to help heavy metal, extreme and hard music thrive by partnering with an array of well-established acts, new talent, and iconic artists by offering the best services and practices in the industry. RPM’s paramount goal is to help the artists amplify their music and talent into a winning formula for success!

More on RPM:

Ralph Greco, Jr. is the devilishly clever nom de plume of professional writer/musician Ralph Greco who lives in the wilds of suburban New Jersey. He is also a podcast co-host, but as everyone has a podcast these days, this fact is of very little consequence.

Ralph can be reached by writing ralphiedawriter@gmail.com