OGEN - Black Metal Unbound

[lorenzo_kolony]

Review by Greekrebels.com - 8/10

Ειλικρινά δεν περίμενα να ακούσω ποτέ καλό black metal δίσκο από την Ιταλία μιας αυτό το προνόμιο το έχουν συνήθως οι χώρες του βορρά. Πίσω από το όνομα OGEN κρύβεται το μυαλό της υπόθεσης όπου είναι ο Hartagga και ευθύνεται για τις συνθέσεις και ηχογραφήσεις φωνητικών, μπάσου και κιθάρας ενώ τα drums τα ανέλαβε ένας session drummer. Αυτή είναι η πρώτη του δουλειά που κυκλοφορεί και είναι ένα EP με πέντε πολύ καλά κομμάτια. Ο ήχος των κομματιών πλησιάζει αρκετές φορές αυτόν των Emperor αλλά περισσότερο της μετέπειτα σόλο πορείας του Ihsahn γιατί τα κομμάτια έχουν έναν πιο ταξιδιάρικο και σκεπτικό χαρακτήρα και αυτό ενισχύεται και από μερικά καθαρά φωνητικά που υπάρχουν. Σε άλλα σημεία που ''χώνει'' γενικά, μου θύμισε και λίγο Opeth αλλά στα πρώτα τους άλμπουμ που είχαν πιο επιθετικό χαρακτήρα. Γενικά ο δίσκος έχει πολύ καλές και ισορροπημένες συνθέσεις με πολλές μελωδίες και μελαγχολικές συγχορδίες και ωραίες εναλλαγές στα drums. Τα δύο πρώτα κομμάτια μου άρεσαν πολύ εξαρχής αλλά τα υπόλοιπα τρία χρειάστηκαν μερικές γύρες ακόμα για να μπουν στο κεφάλι μου. Πολύ καλή δουλειά όχι κάτι το συνταρακτικό που θα ανατρέψει την black metal σκηνή αλλά σίγουρα αρκετά αξιοπρεπές ώστε να δώσει κανείς την απαραίτητη σημασία όταν κυκλοφορήσει ο full-length δίσκος. -Ελπίζω να μην είμαι ο μόνος που θα περιμένει αυτόν τον δίσκο!

Link:
http://greekrebels.gr/component/con...-ogen-black-metal-unbound-kolony?directory=57

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

Review by Swiss webzine Griphonmetal.ch! :Smokin:

"Original, glacial, very inspired in songwriting.

Incredible surprise to my ears! They come from Lombardy (Italy) and are a duo with their debut album. After listening to this 24 minutes EP, I realized that in reality not all is lost ... in 2011 it is still possible to create high-quality Black Metal : original, glacial, very inspired in songwriting, with an excellent production and real emotions that spring forth!
"Shattered Earth Volcano" leads off ... "cold" and cadenced paces get a central outburst of blast beats and melancholic arpeggio as outro. .. Ogen's will to experiment, while remaining faithful to the origins of the genre, can be noticed at once. Sounds are fantastic: cold yet embracing at the same time.

"Black Tusk Retaliation" is the second track of the CD, definitely one of the best: guitars interlace in a very well structured way, arrangements are perfect and vaguely remind of early Arcturus or Emperor. A great job is done both by guitars and by the voice that alternates classic screaming with doses of clean evocative vocals, really well integrated in the chorus.

"Crest of the Forgotten" is one of those songs that makes you get up off your chair! Powerful, fast and nasty. However there is no lack of melody and here they return, like in a vortex: those guitars that divinely interlace, the synth, the clean vocals .... ORGASM!

"As Leaden Sun Shineth Upon" brings me back to that typically Emperor-style in mixing the guitar riffs and proposing them again with a good dose of originality ...

Next is "A Steep Slope to Desolation", a cadenced song ... as heavy as a boulder, that puts an end to a truly commendable EP, which will hardly get out of my stereo.

I look forward to listening to new compositions from Ogen soon, hoping that master mind Hartagga keeps writing and arranging riffs worthy of the best black metal bands worldwide.

To buy and support this EP is a MUST!" [Andrea Scimone]

Link:
http://www.gryphonmetal.ch/Ogen_BlackMetalUnbound.html

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

Review by Infernal Masquerade webzine!

"As we are going through our never ending queue of albums to review, today we have Ogen’s debut EP titled “Black Metal Unbound”. Without needing a very high IQ we can figure out that the Italian duo of Ogen play Black Metal. Coming seemingly out of nowhere, this two-man band delivers one of the best Black Metal releases we have heard in this 2011. Featuring intricate riffs and powerful melodies, the band does not fuck around when it comes to creating punishing BM compositions.

“Shattered Earth Volcano” opens this album with dominating riffs and very nicely paced drumming. This song marks the beginning of a set of five tracks that encompass many styles of Black Metal all in a well executed package. Since this song we can hear the Satyricon, Old Mans Child’s, and Emperor influences all around the music, but never sounding like a rip-off.

“Black Tusk Retaliation” delivers a wicked opening that immediately sets that ‘darkness’ atmosphere that Black Metal should create, the riffing at around the 50 second mark is just plain brilliant and gets you in the groove of things immediately. The vocals are your typical raspy screams and we completely prefer them over the high pitched screams most bands seem to be abusing these days. The clean male vocals give a hint of early Ulver and Arcturus, creating and even more special atmosphere.

“Crest of the Forgotten” and “As a Leaden Sun Shineth Upon” deliver more brilliant melodic sections, clean vocals, and very thick ‘evil’ atmosphere created by the amazing guitar riffs. As you can imagine, this band is not doing anything revolutionary or will be winning any Nobel prizes for originality, but they manage to make GREAT music and that’s all that maters in our book.

On the closing track “A Steep Slope to Desolation”, the band wind downs this EP with a very nicely paced track. The constant tempo changes make this song a very dynamic and interesting one while still being both brutal and melodic. Especially the acoustic passage at the end of the track nicely closes this very hectic release.

If you like a very well crafted Black Metal release, look no further and get this brilliant EP. Ogen manages to craft five very powerful songs that nicely encompass many styles of Black Metal and this EP will surely reach any BM fan. This EP is a must have for all fans of Satyricon, Emperor, Borknagar, and similar bands." [Dark Emperor]

Link:
http://www.infernalmasquerade.com/?q=reviews/001769-ogen-–-black-metal-unbound-2011

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

New amazing review online - 9/10 @ Midwinterfires Webzine!

"Ogen is an Italian black metal project formed in 2010 by Hartagga. Hartagga writes all of the music and performs all of the instruments except the drums on Ogen’s first release Black Metal Unbound. Black Metal Unbound is a five song EP produced by Daniele Mandelli (Forgotten Tomb) and released in 2011 by Kolony Records. It is black metal inspired by nature and a personal quest to further explore extreme metal.

The production of this EP is excellent. It’s cold and crisp with a rawness to it that gives it a sort of old school black metal feel. The mix is great with every instrument balanced perfectly so that even with the heavier arrangements everything is easily heard. On top of the great production, all of the instruments are performed with a high level of skill. Musically Black Metal Unbound isn’t breaking through new boundaries but Hartagga doesn’t hold anything back making this EP a very solid release from start to finish with intricate song arrangements and progressive elements.

The vocals come in a few different flavours but mostly come in the form of demonic black metal growls. At times they are layered to accentuate certain parts of the lyrics. I can’t help but think of Old Man’s Child when describing the layered growls. Especially when they are accompanied by Old Man’s Child style melodies and rhythms. Clean vocals are also used throughout the EP and Hartagga does a good job of keeping them in check. They sound good and they fit the feel and mood of the music perfectly. FYI, George Kosmas of Be’lakor even makes an appearance on the first track “Shattered Earth volcano“.

The guitars are the highlight of the album. Hartagga isn’t afraid to delve into intricate melodies which don’t always follow standard direction. They are performed with precision and really create some extra interest within the songs. There are few a places where clean guitars are used and they really showcase the cold melodies and harmonies of the music. The rest of the music is distorted with plenty of tremolo picking in conjunction with some standard and not so standard chords. The bass is slightly distorted as well and for the most part it follows the rhythm guitars. It does add extra harmony at times and it also throws in some runs for good measure. The drumming is another great feature of the EP. Plenty of variation with mid to faced paced drum patterns and plenty of fills. It’s always changing to keep things interesting and there is plenty of double kicking to set the pace.

Every song on the EP is good and as a whole the music is balanced and flows well. There is one song though that stands out for me. It’s the second track “Black tusk retaliation“. It begins with a really cool distorted guitar melody that is quickly joined by a full arrangement of instruments. It’s cold, dark and has a really old school feel especially when the song transitions from the opening melody to the heavy chorded sections. I also really like the clean vocals which appear after the growls start the song. They are kind of dull almost (in a good way) with an echoed effect. It does remind me ever so slightly of old old school Fear Factory vocals – the ones that appear on Demanufacture to be exact. But Hartagga keeps them subtle and it adds some good atmosphere to the track. The fourth track “As a leaden sun shineth upon” is another highlight with a really classic feel.

Overall Black Metal Unbound is a great first release from Ogen. It’s interesting, has great production and is performed at a high caliber. The guitar work and song writing are excellent and I found the more I listened to it the more I liked it. I would highly recommend it to fans of Norwegian Black metal like Old Man’s Child, Emperor, Gorgoroth, and Mayhem. Hartagga is already working on new material which adds eerie acoustic elements to the mix and incorporates “non-obvious guitar riffing”. I’m quite interested to hear these new sounds because I think when combined with the high level of skill and production it will take the music to the next level. Ogen’s next release will be on Pecornian which is a brand new label created by Kolony Records. Black Metal Unbound is definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already and I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of Ogen as the name and the music continue to grow throughout the metal community." [James]

Link:
http://www.midwinterfires.com/2012/02/ogen-black-metal-unbound-2011/

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

Now you can download / listen to 'Transmission Radio Show' podcast of 27.12.2011, including an interview with Hartagga! (in Italian)

Link:
http://www.thegroundcreation.com/271211.mp3

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

New interview online @ Midwinter Fires webzine!

Link:
http://www.midwinterfires.com/2012/03/interview-ogen/

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

A new review of 'Black Metal Unbound' by Germany's My Revelations webzine online - rating is 12/15!

"Dass Black Metal Alben von Solokünstlern erschaffen werden, ist ja überhaupt nichts Neues mehr. Dass es aber auch ohne den Avantgarde Anspruch geht, beweist der italienische Musiker Hartagga hier mit seiner Debüt EP "Black Metal Unbound" seines Soloprojekts "Ogen". Für die Traditionalisten unter den Black Metal Fans dürfte dieses Album schwerer zu verdauen sein, da die Produktion richtig gut ist. Die Gitarren, der Schlagzeug Sound und auch der Gesang sind fett abgemischt. Zudem ist die Scheibe sehr melodisch und weist eine große Bandbreite an verschiedenen Stilmitteln auf. Es wird nicht einfach nur herzzerreißend durch die Platte gekreischt, nein, Hartagga weiß auch seine Gesangsstimme sehr gut einzusetzen. Zudem kommt man hier fast gänzlich ohne diverse Synthesizer Effekte aus um Atmosphäre zu erzeugen. Im Intro des erstens Tracks wird zwar ein Rauschen, was wohl zunehmenden pfeifenden Wind darstellen soll, benutzt, um in die Platte zu starten, aber das war es dann auch schon mit plakativen Effekten. Danach wird ziemlich große musikalische Kunst präsentiert. Mit zunehmender Spieldauer bekommt das Ganze immer mehr Tiefe und spätestens ab dem zweiten Track, "Black Tusk Retaliation" merkt man, das man es hier mit einem wirklich guten Musiker zu tun hat. Die Gesangsstimme sowie das Riffing und die Geschwindigkeit des Schlagzeugs passen einfach wie die Faust aufs Auge. Bei "Crest Of The Forgotten" wird man zeitweise an ein altes Opeth Riff erinnert, was aber auch keinesfalls als Rip-off zu verstehen ist, sondern eher an die technische Fertigkeit Hartaggas appelliert. Das ausklingende Gitarrenspiel am Ende der Platte bietet einen würdigen Abschluss und rundet den tollen Gesamteindruck ab. Mit dem pfeifenden Wind auch am Ende schließt sich sogar der plakative Kreis. Als kleines Bonbon konnte man als Gastmusiker den Sänger der australischen Melodic Death Metal Band Be'lakor gewinnen. Bleibt am Ende nur zu bedauern, das "Black Metal Unbound" nur eine EP ist und der Spaß nach 5 Songs schon wieder ein Ende hat." [Marc Fischer]

Link:
http://www.myrevelations.de/index.p...eviews&submodule=review_detail&reviewid=10128

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

OGEN: check this new interesting review online @ The Alchemist's Cave!

"Released exactly one year ago, Black Metal Unbound was one of my favorite releases of 2011. The one-man band came out of nowhere (well, Italy) and released this amazingly forward-thinking EP. Its title is a perfect description for the music; black metal not bound to any doctrine, dogma, or belief. There’s no raw-as-a-volcanic-desert production, no excessive blast beats or simplistic augmented power chord riffs. It’s melodic, interesting, and well-written black metal with a blood-drop of progression. Guitarist and vocalist Hartagga knows exactly what he wants to make, and he does it without compromise.

I’ve found the most successful black metal bands tend to do things at one of two speeds. Blistering, neck-breaking onslaughts or crushingly slow torments. Anything in the middle ground seems to fall into mediocrity and can lose its appeal. Black Metal Unbound does mid-tempo right; it never lingers too long on a riff and rarely repeats itself. It’s the kind of deep, intricate black metal that only gets better with dozens of listens and still begs for more time. And a year later, I’m still listening.

Final Thoughts: Lays waste to the stereotype that only Scandinavia and Cascadia can produce beautiful, nature-inspired black metal. This first release by Ogen shows they will soon be a force to be reckoned with."

Link:
http://alchemistscave.wordpress.com/?p=283&preview=true

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

Tonight (8.30-10.00 pm) you can listen to a new interview with Hartagga @ Il Pozzo dei Dannati radioshow (The Pit of the Damned). Just digit www.yastaradio.com on your browser and you're done! The show will be also airplayed on July 11 (7.00-8.30 pm @ Yastaradio), July 12 (22.30-23.00 pm @ Radio Popolare Verona, 104 Mhz), July 13 (4.00-5.30 am @ Yastaradio), July 14 (1.00-2.30 am @ Yastaradio).