Unearthed in the classical New England of Maine, the band known only as Ogre presents a startling revelation. Consider this; the revelation on hand here is not barely new or an advancement, but rather a much-welcome regression. Take the traditional norms of history; history is build on certain principles of factual events and people, and every now and then something new is found that takes the old and changes our modern prospective on it. Like finding a primitive offshoot of backwoods settlers deep in the Maine wilds, flourishing in an utopia, Ogre offer such anarchronistic bliss.

Ogre comes across as so much more interesting than their contemporizes as for the most part, virtually all of their peers in the underground rock/metal scenes have forgotten the existence of the music they joyously peddle. I think its safe to say that after hearing Ogre, there's no doubt in my mind that the 1970's rock scene never died, but rather was buried so deeply under all the competition it took a decade or two to claw itself out. This is where Ogre excels; like their namesake, they are forced to overcome vast odds simply by scraping past it with their unyielding sense of what constitutes rock.

The Church of Ogre worships at the altar of Black Sabbath, under the sign of the vintage Pentagram, and wearing robes of Deep Purple. Hymns include such classic fare as Cirith Ungol (a big one lyrically in my opinion, though probably not at first glance), and a tad of AC/DC, Rush, and Led Zeppelin. More contemporary favorites see the touch of Abdullah, Witchcraft, and maybe even YOB. 

The demo kicks into gear with "Age of Ice." After a demented sample, an old-fashioned and retro guitar riff kicks things off as upbeat licks and trotting drums provide a backdrop for bassist/vocalist Ed Cunningham to get all Sabbath on us, moaning about the oncoming ice age and sounding like the heralded Prince of Darkness himself. Not one but two sweet guitar solos show this is the ghost of rock past, and he is a lot better than some of the stuff you may have heard lately. 

"The River" is rafted in with a slow, meandering bass line and guitarist Ross Markonish's wavering phaser wankery. The Sabbath/Pentagram worthy chorus of 1970's sludge riffs is pitch-perfect; that is until the band stops mid-song and kicks out a jamming gallop of wicked guitars and upbeat bass. The song's slow dissolution into an arena rock solo worthy of Rush perhaps seals the deal and makes this one of the best tracks on offer. "Digital Graffiti" mixes trace amounts of funk with more retro doom rock and lyrics talking of cyber-punks and overpopulation. The song's frequent tempo changes and glorious funk rock outbursts will have guitar lovers grinning from ear-to-ear. 

"Colonizer (Plague of the Planets)" is wispy 1970's doom that would do Sweden's Witchcraft one better; that is until the band moves farther into classic Sabbath territory (the Paranoid album anyone?) and wraps the song up full-circle back where they started with the whole Witchcraft jamming. 

"The Jaded Beast (Pts. I and II)" deserves special mentions as one of the best "epic" songs I've heard. Yep, I'd place this right up there with YOB, Nile, Sabbath, and Mastodon. 

Though it's not the longest track here (a miniscule 10:23 compared to "The River's" 11:07) it is definitely the grandest in scope. Opening with a fantastic Cirith Ungol/Pentagram riff, the song slowly builds into a tale of Attila the Hun's rampaging armies moving into the Western world of Rome and largely obliterating it....or so at seems as the song begins. By the epic's end, one has witnessed several centuries of Asian aggression into Western Europe, and seen the broiling fury that ignites in Europe ("The Giant Dragon" or "The Jaded Beast) at its end, sending the European powers on a period of colonial strong-arming that would shape our world to this very present day. For history buffs like myself, this will ring with resounding clarity. For anyone else, this song just kicks ass. The little touches of an extra drum beat or two to represent the clanging armor of Tartar horsemen and a high-pitched wailing guitar to sound the call of the invading hordes will make this song that much more powerful. It closes with a fantastic instrumental barnstormer that will get just about anyone going ballistic. 

The next two songs are preview tracks from the upcoming Ogre album (their second full-length) and show the band getting even better. "Dogmen (of Planet Earth)" is a swank kicking-of-the jams that manages to be catchy, heavy, and superbly technical all at the same time. "The Gas" is a towering inferno of gasoline-fueled retro rock; sit back and bask in the glory of its glow. Oh, and is that Iron Maiden whose guitar harmonies influenced the harmonies in here? I'd dare say they are.

Three words: so damn good. Ogre may be a band who plays the music time itself forgot, but the spirit of rock sure the hell hasn't. Channeling some of the best bands to ever play a rock concert, Ogre will foolishly inspire some to label them copycats. Before that happens, I'd like to point out no one can copywrite (and thank God for this) talent and Ogre has it in spades. Rock is not dead, it's just unsigned! This is one of the best demos I've ever been lucky enough to wrap my mitts around and I can't wait for more. In the spirit of rock 'n roll, these dudes get a five star rating no questions asked.

If you like this band, review, or both, keep your eyes posted for my upcoming review of Ogre's "Dawn of the Proto-Man" full-length debut. I promise it's a good one!
 

Rating:

Track Listing

1. Age of Ice
2. The River
3. Digital Graffiti
4. Colonizer (Plague of Planets)
5. The Jaded Beast (Pts. I and II)
6. Dogmen (of Planet Earth) rough demo track from their upcoming 2nd album
7. The Gas rough demo track from their upcoming 2nd album

Check out www.myspace.com/ogre for tour dates, band member blogging, song downloads, news, pictures, etc.

Visit the official homepage
 

More articles for this artist