Orden Organ, Almanac, Manimal – Matrix, GER
Bochum (Germany), 18 March 2016
When I arrive at the Matrix, club I can already see the queue at the entrance from far away. The crowd is amazingly huge, especially because it is the first headliner tour for Orden Ogan. Nice to see that excellent albums and regular live presence pay off in this case.
Because of an interview, MANIMAL are already playing their last song when I finally arrive at the Matrix tube. Although the Swedish guys do not move very much on the small stage, they make a good impression. Most people in the audience seem to like the Painkiller style Heavy Metal as the band is bid farewell with a big hand. Finally, they have to carry their gear from stage by themselves. That’s true Heavy Metal underground!
Viktor Smolski (former Rage and Lingua Mortis Orchestra) does actually not set up his equipment by himself, but I find it impressive that he dares a completely new start from scratch with Almanac. It is also impressive that the band brings the complex songs from “Tsar” on stage with a 3 man band only, plus 2 vocalists (David Readman and Jeannette Marchewka, Andy B. Franck is missing today because he cannot play every concert on this tour). Naturally they also need to add some samples, but not too many. The setlist is of course more or less limited to their only album, of which 6 songs played. The final two songs are ‘Innocent’ and ‘Empty Hollow’ by Rage, which give the show a nice ending. So all in all, the band did a good job, especially because the tour was confirmed on short notice and the songs are unknown to the audience (the album was released today) and – almost more important – the audience loved it. New beginning – well-done!
When Orden Ogan are entering stage at 22 o’clock, they are being welcomed frenetically by the filled up Matrix. With ‘Ravenhead’ they have a great start into their set. The band is in a good mood and is also very motivated right from the start of their first show of their first headliner tour. Bandleader Seeb is actually a bit too motivated: When playing the 2nd song of the set ‘Land of the Dead’, he starts singing too early, but he is stopped by the head shaking of bass player Niels. In their set ‘The Lake’, ‘We are pirates’ and ‘To New Shores of Sadness’ are real killer songs. But the absolute highlight of the regular set is ‘The Ice Kings’, played live for the first time and sung by the whole crowd. The following ‘The Things We Believe in’ can hold this level, finishing the regular set. The band returns after a short break with ‘Evil Lies in Every Man’ and the Jurassic ‘Mystic Symphony’, which can keep up with ‘The Ice Kings’ high. After short 90 minutes the show ends – a bit too early for my taste.
photos: Timo Pässler
Setlist Orden Ogan
Ravenhead
Land of the Dead
We Are Pirates
The lake
The Black Heart
Sorrow is your Tale
Deaf Among the Blind
To New Shores of Sadness
The Ice Kings
F.E.V.E.R.
Here at the End of the World
The Things We Believe In
Evil Lies in Every Man
Mystic Symphony
