The harder the pad material is, the more the squeak. For example, trains usually have very loud brakes because the "pad" is cast iron!
Asbestos was rightly banned in pads and linings a few years ago. Since then, manufactures generally switched to semi-metallic recipes. The resultant pads were usually a bit harder, and had a higher tendancy to squek.
Metallic pads and linings have more recently hit the market. These are harder, and as a consequence, the squeak more easily and wear the rotors out quicker.
My advice: Stay with the semi-metallic OEM Akebono pads.