Nuclear War Now, black vinyl, gatefold, poster, Few bands in metal have had so profound an effect on their listeners as Order From Chaos. Though they received only a fraction of the attention to which they were rightfully entitled during their short-lived existence, those who have the capacity to recognize the inherent superiority of their music have been worshipping OFC ever since. “An Ending in Fire” represents the culmination of OFC’s output and is quite simply one of the most ambitious albums ever constructed. The stylistic complexity of A.E.I.F. coupled with the flawless execution of the performance has ensured that it will retain its monumental status in the annals of metal history for decades to come. When A.E.I.F. was recorded in 1995, OFC were at the apex of their art and saw this elaborate album as the pinnacle of their work. As a result, believing they had extended OFC to its fullest capacity, they chose to go their separate ways with Chuck Keller moving on to establish Vulpecula and later forming Ares Kingdom with OFC drummer Mike Miller while Pete Helmkamp pursued more technical and brutal elements with Angelcorpse and Revenge. Even now, however, some 13 years later, this album remains unsurpassed. So ahead of their time were OFC that only now are many in the metal underground coming to realize their majesty. OFC captures in their music the perfect union of power, honor, intelligence, and technical proficiency. Playing a style that blends elements of death metal, black metal, thrash, and perhaps even more disparate influences, OFC concocted a sound that has yet to be duplicated. Lyrically, OFC combine subtle and intelligent language with an impressive knowledge of philosophy, history, and science to weave together an intricate landscape of apocalyptic visions. The effect of OFC’s lyrical content was never as pronounced as it was on A.E.I.F. which demonstrates what is arguably both Chuck Keller’s and Pete Helmkamp’s most accomplished lyrical output. Conceptually, A.E.I.F. should not be construed as 9 distinct tracks. Rather, the album is comprised of only three pieces of music. The first of these, “Conqueror of Fear”, is a magnum opus unto itself. Written as a five part cycle, this song represents the ultimate realization OFC’s songwriting. “Conqueror of Fear” takes some of the most brilliant lyrical passages by Helmkamp and places them upon a densely layered yet highly controlled wall of turbulent and destructive riffs with the frenetic intensity of the music being driven in large measure by Miller’s devastatingly precise drumming. The next piece on the album is the 12 minute Chuck Keller epic, “There Lies Your Lord, Father of Victories.” Finally, the album ends with the three-part “Somnium Helios.” This song, also composed by Keller, describes the final cycle of life and the earth itself as our sun cools to a point at which it is no longer sufficient to sustain life before finally expanding to subsume our dead planet. Keller uses this eloquent narrative of the celestial fate of our sun and earth in an attempt to demolish any ill-conceived and naïve notions of eternal life that weak and foolish men may entertain. With this climactic end, OFC was finished. A.E.I.F., though recorded in 1995, would not be released until three years later and then only on CD. Now, after 10 years, NWN! has had bestowed upon it the tremendous honor of releasing this masterpiece on vinyl for the first time. This deluxe vinyl edition was realized through the cooperation and input of all of the original members and thus represents the first collaborative effort by the complete OFC lineup since its dissolution.
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