Order Of Ennead | ‘An Examination Of Being’

It’s incredible.

Not the album… no. The fact that after sitting several times now through these nine tracks, I still can’t remember a single riff. Not least a single song. This modern death metal album simply passes the listener by in the same way that Hate Eternal used to.

It’s not entirely blasts, scales and nothing else. But it’s close. Remember that this is Steve Ashiem’s side project. Nowadays he’s widely credited with being the real brains behind Deicide, and it’s good to hear him branching out. But in this instance, it’s the musicians around him who let the side down. They’re boring.

Most boring of all are the vocals. Real grunts would have improved this album immesurably, but the crap rasps just sound thin and meaningless. I can’t hear a single lyric. Perhaps that’s for the better though. Song titles like ‘The Concept Of Our Extinction’ and ‘A Betrayal Of Self’ suggest that they’d be complete shite.

If you like Melechesh and Absu you might find something of merit in here, though without the real aggression or ethnic eccentricity that come with each. It’s processed sounding, played just a bit too well, and generally sounds like a tuition DVD rather than the outpourings of a gang of angry men. Which death metal should.

You could invest your hard earned cash better. ‘Blackened Death Metal’ has rarely been a winner in any form, least of all here.

1.8 / 5 - Earl Grey ::: 12/06/10