Order Of Ennead was formed from the ashes of Council Of The Fallen. Members of the group include vocalist/guitarist Kevin Quirion, drummer Steve Asheim (Deicide), bassist Scott Patrick and guitarist John Li. Jack Owen (Cannibal Corpse, Deicide) is filling in as the tour guitarist. Quirion gives us the scoop on the band’s origin and sound, their self-titled debut and more.

How did the band get together?
Kevin Quirion: Our bass player, Scott Patrick, knew everyone.

I had jammed with him before in a former project and he was currently jamming with Steve Asheim. Deicide had some down time so Scott played Steve some of the material I was working on. I guess he liked it because a couple weeks later we started putting songs together. Scott also knew John Li, who was a student of Ralph Santolla.

Where did the name come from?
Steve came across the Ennead while reading. The Ennead are the nine beings that created man and gave us knowledge. We have taken this idea and applied it to the lyrical concepts of the band. Within ourselves are the Ennead, so in turn we have the ability to give ourselves knowledge by looking within and discovering self.

Is Order Of Ennead’s sound similar to Council Of The Fallen?
To me yes. The only differences are Steve's drumming, Order Of Ennead has no death metal vocals and it’s a lot tighter. I wrote the songs for COTF and for OOE so it’s going to be a very similar writing style. With COTF, everyone lived far apart and we ended up only getting together for recording, which we'd have to fit into two weeks.

With OOE, we all live close and we practice two or three times a week. We also had an entire month to record the debut album. That helps a lot.

How does the band’s songwriting process work?
I'll give the guys a CD with about 15 songs on it . I'll show up to the practice spot and Steve will have one picked out. Then we start working out the drums. Sometimes we add a section or increase the times a riff is played so it flows better. Next we record the song with drums and a scratch guitar. It’s just a rough copy, but sounds better then some black metal albums. When we have enough material for an album we re-record the drums only. Then we take them and record the guitars, Scott will add his clever bass fills, I do the vocals and last we get John Li over to come up with some solo themes.

How did you hook up with Earache?
Steve had a relationship with them since Deicide put out three albums on the label. When he told them he had another project going they wanted to hear it.

What are your expectations for the album?
We just hope it gets out there. We want to tour as much as possible so people need to hear it and start a buzz. Earache's doing a good job getting the word out.

What are your upcoming tour plans?
Right now we have two local dates in Tampa, one with Hate Eternal and one with labelmates Municipal Waste. Looks like we'll be doing the U.S. in February with Deicide and we are trying to get on a tour of Europe in March. Deicide is going to Europe in January, so that’s why we have to wait a little longer to get Order Of Ennead on the road.

Is Jack Owen now in the band, or is he just a hired gun for the tour?
Right now he's just touring with us. John Li is in school and busy with that. All that will be decided when it comes time to record the next album, but as far as I can see Jack will be doing the tours with us. We are trying to keep him busy so he doesn't wander off.

You’ve been filling in with Deicide recently. What does the future hold with you and Deicide?
I've already played a show in the U.S. and some dates in Italy and Mexico with them. We are going to Central America in November, South America in December and Europe in January. I should just be doing the tours, as far as I can tell.

How did you get started in music?
I have a brother who played guitar so I had him show me some chords and I took it over from there. Guitar magazines with tab helped a bunch. I'd learn Metallica songs and some Sepultura and Slayer. When I heard the distortion of death metal I knew that it was what I wanted to sound like.

Was there a song or album that inspired you to want to perform music?
Early Deicide, Morbid Angel and pretty much any band that was on Roadrunner in the early ‘90s. Whenever I hear Kreator I always feel like picking up my guitar.

Who are some current artists you admire?
It’s always the same for me: Cradle Of Filth, Amon Amarth, Carpathian Forest, Nevermore and just a whole bunch more. With the last two albums Kreator has returned and the newest one should be the same.

What’s your all time favorite album?
That is so hard to answer. There isn't one and if you listen to Order Of Ennead you'll hear that. Here are a few I love: the first Deicide, Kreator – Coma Of Souls, Nevermore = Dead Heart In A Dead World, Carpathian Forest –Black Shining Leather, Amon Amarth (hard to pick just one), Cradle Of Filth (hard to pick just one also). Death – Individual Thought Patterns is good too. It’s just impossible to pick one. I can do a top twenty, but that’s about the best I can do.

Do you have a day job?
Not currently. With Deicide doing random shows each month it makes it difficult to get a steady job. I make ends meet. I'm good with spending when I can and not spending when I can't.

What is your religion/belief system?
Agnostic. I was raised Catholic, but it didn't take long to see the answers they avoid and the dogma is just ridiculous. There is a Buddhist streak in me also, as well as the hope that Karma is real.

What are the best and worst things about being in a band?
The best is performing, the sense of accomplishment when holding the finished CD and having an outlet to express oneself. The worst thing is waiting in a dressing room for 6 hours to play and being in some of the most interesting places in the world and not having the time to explore them.

What is your most prized possession (not including family or pets)?
My sense of awareness and attitude towards life. Got you there huh? If my most prized possession was physical it could be taken away, and possessions don't define who a person is, their actions do.