[usr 10.0 text=”true”]
REVIEW – After a 3 year break THE ORDER OF CHAOS have returned with their best record to date. This monster just comes right out of the gates with The Anthem of Pain; this song dismisses the fact that Amanda Kiernan is just another “female in metal”. Her vocal delivery all over this album is just flat-out impressive on so many levels. She goes screaming and soothing with so much passion and heart, you feel she wants to jump out of the speakers and grab you by the throat. It seems each record this band grows, and this time the growth may scare some fans of the band, this record does get a little melodic more than past releases but the sound the band has generated this time around is so tight. This is a band that really knows each other’s strengths and tries to showcase them all over each song. Amanda can go from screaming to soothing and then screaming again with so much heart and passion you just sink right into her voice. The title track is so catchy, that guitar sound is so crunchy and then you have the vocals and drums fighting each other to be heard.
This song I feel could open the doors to those fans that fell off the Arch Enemy bandwagon when Angela bailed. Death After Life is the song that I feel old school OOC fans will really get behind, it sounds like they went back to their roots. It has that raw passion fury that they really know how to execute so well. The Devil You Know is going to be the true test for fans of this band and where the band is at right now. The piano intro is beautiful and leads one to think they know where the song is heading, then we get a heavy groove and a catchy song that sounds like it would feel comfortable on modern rock radio. If they had a so-called sure-fire commercial track that could convert new fans, that song is the best example. This is a band who can write good catchy metal tracks that still pack punches yet try to incorporate new styles and directions and make them their own. In the world of pin-up models who want you to buy image over music, this is a band that I feel has one of the best singers in the business right now. The Order of Chaos is the fucking warning that metal is still alive and that female vocalists are more than masturbation fodder. After the 3 years gone, they have not only returned, they have taken over. This is one of the best albums of 2015. You have been warned, this is the year of Chaos.
