Order of Ennead – S/T
Order of Ennead is a side project born from the ashes of Council Of The Fallen, featuring Deicide drummer Steve Asheim and guitarist Kevin Quirion, with Quirion pulling double duty as axe-slinger and lead vocalist. The self-titled debut album from the new band pushes the boundaries of extreme black/death metal, with a unique and ambitious sound that at times mirrors the members’ other band, but crafts its own identify that will leave the listener floored for its whole 40-minute running length.
Order of Ennead is rooted in black metal, with Quirion’s raspy vocals and bleak mood evoked from the band, even through the crisp production. Unlike most black metal vocalists, Quirion is audible and clear, allowing the listener to sink their teeth into the deep moral and philosophical lyrical content. The star of Order of Ennead, though, isn’t Asheim’s drumming, which is phenomenal as always. No, the highlight is the relatively-unknown 19-year-old guitarist John Li. His lead work, in particular, is melodic, technical, and unpredictable, seemingly elevating the quality of the album on his young shoulders. If Order of Ennead is any indication of Li’s immense talent, you will be hearing a lot more from him in the future.
The album goes through many twists and turns; some expected, others surprising. Whether it’s the epic “As Long As I Have Myself I’m Not Alone,” or the Emperor-ish “The Culling,” the band goes out of their way to be as un-one-dimensional as possible. The second half of the album is where the band’s willingness to experiment becomes more evident, with the beautiful instrumental “An Interlude With Reason” leading into the frenzied chaos of “A Cry To The Perilous Sun.” The one-two punch of piano instrumental “Prelude To Ruin” and closer “Dismantling An Empire” is one of the best conclusions to any metal album this year, with the latter sporting a wonderful extended piano outro with a deeply morbid undertone.
Order of Ennead’s first album came out of left-field, and most likely, will be largely passed over in the general metal community. Order of Ennead is the type of album you come back to five years from now and wonder “why the hell didn’t this get the attention it deserved?” If Deicide was to break up tomorrow, I wouldn’t even be distressed, if Order of Ennead is any indication of the direction Asheim wants to go in. Order of Ennead’s diverse and thought-provoking debut deserves the attention of any open-minded death/black metal fan.
Rating: 8.5/10
Label: Earache
Website: http://www.myspace.com/orderofennead
By Dan Marsicano
(+42 rating, 9 votes)
