Album Reviews : Order of Ennead – An Examination of Being

Whether this is essentially the side project of key Deicide member Steve Asheim, a continuation of the now-defunct Council of the Fallen or just a band that coincidentally features several of the same members is debatable; but chances are, that’s enough to convince some of you to have a listen right now. Sitting very squarely in the middle of black and melodic death metal, Order of Ennead’s second album An Examination of Being provides a fantastic equilibrium of brutality and melody.

It’s an album of subtle highs and subtle lows. While for the most part, the album blasts along with the same general idea in each track, several of them lack that one little melody or that something different that makes the song worth listening to. Opener “The Concept of our Extinction” has a chorus that was still in my head when the closing track rolled around while “…In The Mirror” just hits the sweet-spot with its varying speeds, ripper solos and a smidgen of groovy bass. They might not be bringing anything new to the genre, but they’re superbly written and pulled off with a good dose of grunt.

I guess that’s the factor that really saves tracks like “The Scriptures of Purification” from being flat-out boring. While they definitely aren’t up there with the others in general quality, there is a lot of energy and dirt to the album to bring them to life. Kevin Quirion’s extremely harsh vocals are spectacular both in consistency and grimness and there is a solid, consistent balance of heavy riffs and melodic leads to keep things from becoming too monotonous. Asheim’s drumming is tight and powerful, but without any real highlights.

An Examination of Being is a good album; nothing truly special, but worth a listen. Just keep in mind the album will shorten in length on subsequent listens, once you’ve discovered the ones that really don’t beg for another listen. 7/10

Band: Order of Ennead
Album: An Examination of Being
Year: 2010
Genre: Blackened death metal
Origin: USA
Label: Earache/Riot
http://www.myspace.com/orderofennead

Track listing:
1. The Concept of our Extinction
2. The Scriptures of Purification
3. Lies Upon the Lips of Judas
4. This Mortal Journey
5. …In The Mirror
6. An Examination of Being
7. Conduits to Eternity
8. A Portal to Rapture
9. A Betrayal of Self <- Reviewers choice