Order of Ennead

This is a new Florida band featuring members of the now defunct Council of the Fallen. In addition, Kevin Quirion and Steve Asheim are both active members of Deicide. Scott Patrick was a former member of Resurrection. They've stirred up enough buzz to get a signing with Earache, so I was eager to check them out. And while I do love the production of the album, mileage may vary.

Order of Ennead performs a straightforward style of black/death metal with snarling, wicked vocals, intense drumming, and fast as fuck guitar blazing. For most of the tracks present, this is unwavering, melodic and in the case of some tunes (like "Conferring with Demons") quite atmospheric. The down side is despite their insane amounts of talent, they are unable to come up with catchy riffs which would draw me to any of their particular songs. It's pretty much your standard Swedish or Norse black metal discord meshed in with some hyper death metal. Lyrically the band covers occult and philosophical themes, but Quirion's snarls have little charisma to them.

Clearly this is a band with an impressive pedigree and insanely high standards of production. If only their music could live up to this. I think the only song I went back to for a few times was "A Cry to the Perilous Sun" with its charging gallop and melodies. Well, being that they are signed with Earache, we should be hearing more from this band, and they have all the tools to deliver some more memorable devastation. But I'm giving it a pass this time out.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Review originally written for http://www.teethofthedivine.com by Erik Thomas

Basically, Order of Ennead is a continuation of label and line up hampered act Council of the Fallen, who released two very solid albums of blistering black/death metal in 2002s Revealing Damnation and 2004s Deciphering the Soul. Both I which I highly recommend.

However, of note with this new iteration is that Deicide drummer Steve Asheim has joined the fold of determined original/founding guitarist vocalist Kevin Quiron (who also helps Deicide out when on tour), adding to the legacy of elite drummers that assisted Quiron back on the Council of the Fallen days (namely Derek Roddy and Tim Yeung). Also worth mentioning is the addition of lead guitarist John Li, a Ralph Santolla (Iced Earth, Deicide, Obituary) disciple, and it shows on the band’s self titled debut.

Now with a solid label, the sound of Order of Ennead is expectedly a continuation of Council of the Fallen, that’s to say searing black metal with a Floridian death metal back bone, but with Asheim’s drums and Li’s melodic leads, as well as Quiron’s more introspective lyrics, the material clamors for your undivided attention in a swathe of tightness intensity and intelligence.

Right from opener “Seeking the Prophets”, through “Reflection, An Endless Endeavour”, steady lurch of “As Long As I Have Myself I Am Not Alone”, personal trio of favorites “The Culling” and controlled fury of “Conferring with Demons” and “As If Rose I Wither”, melodic “Cry to a Perilous Sun” to epic 6 minute closer “Dismantling an Empire” (complete with excellent piano laced outro), the tone and tenacity will be familiar to anyone familiar with the Council of the Fallen material as its source sound. Li adds some sweeping solos to the mix of Quiron’s sharp riffing and feral rasp, as well as Asheim’s expected workman like intensity behind the kit. As with the Council of the Fallen days, there are a couple acoustic interludes in “Interlude with Reason” and “Prelude to Ruin”, but they are short, well done and break up the supremely confident, and tightly produced black/death assault.

While most of the metal media and US fans seem to be smearing their corpse paint over US black metal acts like Sothis and Abigail Williams, do your self a favor and break from the pack and listen to a far more talented and creative act that has been delivering a US take on black metal since 2000 with far more individuality and brilliance.

With his contribution to the death metal genre with Deicide, drummer Steve Asheim has ensured that his name will forever be in the death metal Hall of Fame. Now, with Deicide’s uncertain future it is finally time for one of the most under rated drummers in death metal to spread his wings out a bit and Order of Ennead is the man’s new project.

Put together by Deicide’s touring guitarist Kevin Quiron from the ashes of his last death metal band Council of the Fallen, Order of Ennead is for the most part, blackened death metal. Now I know that particular sub-sub-genre has been overused and exploited but here me out for a bit. Order of Ennead is a good few notches higher on the evolutionary ladder of extreme metal than that definition might suggest. The music is a mixture of the last two Emperor albums going head to head with prime Angel Corpse and Deicide. If that particular combination rocks your boat then it gets a bit better. The star of the show is the superb lead playing of John Li.

I don’t know where this fellow came from but damn, can he play some kickass leads.
The songs are short and devoid of all unnecessary fat while being supremely heavy with an undercurrent of blackish melody. Right from fast and furious album opener Seeking the Prophets to mid album stunner Introspection and the Loss of Denial to closer Dismantling an Empire which starts like a rabid dog that’s being held tight by the chain around its neck and ends with its extended piano outro , the consistency in songwriting simply does not wane.

Each song starts off like it’s got a fire under its ass before going off into a middle section that gives Li a chance to display his chops. At the same time, each song has its own unique identity. Quiron’s vocals are a blackened rasp that manage to be articulate and fits the music perfectly while Asheim’s playing is thunderous in parts and restrained in others making this one of his best performances.

Overall I’d say that Order of Ennead has come up with a terrific debut album. Sure, the band is not doing anything new or ground breaking but the level of musicianship and songwriting is of such a caliber that it leaves most of the competition eating dust.

Originally written for http://www.kvltsite.com

Only a few months ago the metal media was trying to paint Florida’s pride and joy, Deicide, as having lost the will to go on. This provided drummer Steve Asheim with a convenient window in which to put the name of his new band out there: Order Of Ennead. They were formed from the ashes (no pun intended) of previous side-project, Council Of The Fallen, featuring Asheim on drums, Scott Patrick on bass, John Li on lead guitar and Kevin Quirion on vocals and guitar. Their sound is tight, with a slick production that emphasises the alchemic nature of the band. Despite being firmly rooted in the black metal ‘feel’, death metal also runs amok, perhaps unsurprisingly, through Asheim’s drumming. You may be thinking ‘Great, another Belphegor clone! ’, but the truly appealing element in Order Of Ennead’s melting pot is the lead guitar work. The guitar solos are melodic, yet retain a very metal dynamic and speed, and are performed expertly by Li. No relation, if that’s what you’re thinking.

Seemingly oblivious to the fact that Steve Asheim is meant to be the big name in Order Of Ennead, the guitarists really are the stars of the show, with John Li’s aforementioned soloing skill and Kevin Quirion’s impressive juggling between rasping vocals and rock solid tremolo rhythms taking centre stage. That is not to undermine the drumming though, as Steve Asheim’s lightning fast bass and blasts return once again to give us all a mild headache.

Order Of Ennead clearly state the efforts put into their lyrical content. The album deals with various moral, personal and philosophical issues in a surprisingly calm and effective manner. In fact, ‘The Culling’, which is about “distancing yourself from negativity and those that are negative”, is probably the most death metal song on this CD. Not a problem, of course, but a little bizarre considering that the senile Satanism of Glen Benton is a point of comparison, despite Benton having no involvement what'soever in Order Of Ennead. Indeed, Kevin Quirion’s vocal style is also far removed from that of his new Deicide bandmate; his intelligible rasping style is more ‘With Strength I Burn’ than ‘In Hell I Burn’. He ties in neatly with Order Of Ennead’s black metal foundation, without spoiling the numerous death and thrash based segments.

‘Order Of Ennead’ is a meticulously crafted work, with flawless structures and dynamics. From no-nonsense opener ‘Seeking The Prophets’ to the furious black metal and extended piano outro of ‘Dismantling An Empire’, it manages to both kick ass and ooze classiness simultaneously. Standout tracks include ‘As If A Rose I Wither’, ‘Introspection And The Loss Of Denial’ and the beautiful ‘An Interlude With Reason’. They are confirmed to be working on their second album already, and if it’s half as good as this, Order Of Ennead will quickly become a force to be reckoned with in extreme metal.