{"id":166586,"date":"2025-12-03T20:14:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T20:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/166586\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T20:14:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T20:14:09","slug":"equilibrium-equinox-review-angry-metal-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/166586\/","title":{"rendered":"Equilibrium – Equinox Review | Angry Metal Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"More than almost any other metal niche, folk metal has to walk a treacherously thin line between \u201cactually good music\u201d and \u201cfull-body cringe.\u201d For every band that can fuse arena-sized melodies with genuine folk charm, there are three more tumbling headfirst into the Neckbeard Abyss\u2122, condemned to soundtrack the Nordic-themed house parties of Reddit mods everywhere. Equilibrium has stood proudly on both sides of that divide. Their early triumphs of Turis Frayter and Sagas were mead-soaked romps packed with syrupy pagan hooks and enough triumphant Bjoriffs to level a longhouse, but ever since, the spark has dimmed, and each new release has brought diminishing returns. Armageddon (2016) was passable<\/a>, and Renegades (2019) marked a true low point, trading their Viking swagger for a baffling electro-trance-metal makeover that landed with all the grace of a drunken troll. Now, six years later, Equilibrium returns with Equinox, a tightened lineup and a new vocalist in tow, promising a glorious reclamation of their folk-metal throne. Have they forged another worthy slab of epic, mead-raising metal? Or are they destined to spend eternity staring wistfully at the echoes of their own past conquests?<\/p>\n

Equinox marks a clear return to form for Equilibrium after the detour of Renegades. The electronic and metalcore elements from their last record still linger, occasionally poking their neon-tinted heads out, but the heart of the band\u2019s sound is back in full force: that boisterous blend of Finntroll and Ensiferum filtered through the Europower cheese of Rhapsody of Fire, now with a touch of Avatar added. The songs are built on a familiar mix of traditional woodwinds, thick distorted guitars, and gaudy synth lines, with newcomer Fabi\u2019s fearsome growl leading the charge through straightforward verses and repeated choruses. When these ingredients click, and the newer sonic flourishes collide with the band\u2019s classic, folk-driven sense of epic grandeur, the result can be exhilarating. Tracks like \u201cGnosis,\u201d \u201cAwakening\u201d and \u201cBloodwood\u201d move easily between core-tinged riffs and massive, sing-along Viking choruses, delivered with the bombast Equilibrium is known for. Unfortunately, the rest of the album doesn\u2019t reach the same heights.<\/p>\n

According to the band, Equinox was originally intended as an EP rather than a full-length release, and the pacing issues and filler make that easy to believe. Large sections of several songs feel like padding before the actual track begins. Both \u201cBorrowed Waters\u201d and \u201cLegends\u201d open with long, drawn-out \u201catmospheric\u201d intros that sap the impact of what follows, and the album includes no fewer than three interludes (\u201cArchivist,\u201d \u201cRituals of Sun and Moon\u201d and \u201cTides of Time\u201d). These moments don\u2019t do the record any favors. They\u2019re often delivered through a jarring mix of electronic trap drums, over-the-top synth lines and the band\u2019s more traditional woodwind flourishes, creating a stylistic mishmash that feels pulled straight from a fantasy-themed Fortnite event. At times, these elements collide with simplistic, \u201ctribal,\u201d repetition-heavy vocals (\u201cEarth Tongue\u201d), resulting in something that sounds closer to a hyper-dramatic Nordaboo YouTube montage<\/a> than classic Equilibrium. Even though the album does contain plenty of fully formed songs, these detours make the overall experience feel uneven and lopsided.<\/p>\n

\"\"There are moments on Equinox where Equilibrium\u2019s updated approach works despite its flaws. \u201cI\u2019ll Be Thunder\u201d is a concise, effective track that blends electronic and orchestral elements into a tightly written folk-metal package. Even the seemingly toxic trance-metal\/rap\/metalcore hybrid verse in \u201cOne Hundred Hands\u201d is intriguing, though the autotuned chorus and generic breakdown drag the song down. To the band\u2019s credit, the mixing is solid across the album. It\u2019s polished without being crushed by excessive loudness for a Nuclear Blast release, and producer Daniel McCook does an admirable job balancing the electronic, orchestral, and metal components. The result is a surprisingly even production that rewards multiple listens. I just wish there were more aspects of Equinox I could praise without reservations.<\/p>\n

Equinox is a difficult album to recommend despite its strengths. Equilibrium have mostly abandoned the divisive sound of their previous record, while adapting its electronic elements in a return to form. The singles here do capture the bombast of their earlier work and are fun enough on their own, but the record around them is inconsistent and, at times, baffling in its execution. Equilibrium could certainly do a lot worse, but this is far from the re-conquest of the folk metal throne it could\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/p>\n

Rating: 2.0\/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 256 kb\/s mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records<\/a>
Websites: equilibrium-metal.net<\/a> | facebook.com\/equilibrium<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: November 28th, 2025<\/p>\n

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