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‘Of Once And Future Kings’ ORDER OF NINE |
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With music and vocals both reminiscent of Iron Maiden at times, opener DREAM THIEVE is a raw and thrashy offering that leads nicely into A.I.C, featuring powerful and often chugging guitars and heavy drumming. The guitar work is very busy and is similar to Megadeth in some respects. The song breaks down into a melodic guitar piece before venturing back to its fierce verse.
36 FRAME has a very mellow intro. Think of Metallica’s ‘Fade To Black’ (Ride The Lightning) or ‘Sanitarium’ (Master Of Puppets) and you just might get the idea. More wide ranging vocals are evident on this track and they bring the song to life, dictating the mood and the attitude.
GARGOYLE’s demonic intro leads into a powerful song featuring echoey vocal effects and a ferocious drumming display but there is little to write home about, similar in that respect to the LAST IMPRESSIONS, which features heavy guitar riffs and a classic solo but nothing more.
NOVEMBER 1st is similar to DREAM THIEVE in a thrashy sense, again reminiscent of Megadeth at times. It is somewhat overshadowed however by THE GREAT ESCAPE. With an intro similar to Metallica’s ‘The Call of the Ktulu’ (Ride The Lightning), it breaks into a similarly mellow verse before bursting to life with a frenzy of thrashy guitars before venturing into doom territory. It reverts back to the melody of the verse in an interesting twist of genres, similar in style to Black Sabbath’s ‘Master of Insanity’ (Dehumanizer).
UNWANTED GUEST offers little by way of variety and is no different from the other tracks, simply heavy metal goodness.
Final track NAMELESS 2000 has a melodic rock intro and sounds much different from what has gone before. However, it is interesting to see this hint of variety on the closing track rather than earlier in the album. Like THE GREAT ESCAPE it does venture onto heavier grounds but never escapes the groove that has been created already. It is excellent ballad-esque heavy rock.
The fact that Order Of Nine have been compared to some of the heavy metal superpowers suggests a very special record indeed. Mixing heavy drumming and guitars with the wide ranging vocals gives it a very raw and powerful feel that remains evident throughout. Without ever letting up, the album rips through the listener before gently laying itself to rest on the heavy, yet melodic closing track. Not a band to be missed. Released by Nightmare Records Order Of Nine Website: www.orderofnine.com Review by Jonathan Brown
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