ALBUM REVIEW: Armageddon – Equilibrium
Two years after the release of Erdentempel, EQUILIBRIUM return with their fifth studio album, Armageddon.
The new album is the first recorded by the band with new bassist Makki Solvalt, the only major change to the band between Erdentempel and Armageddon.
The tone for both the band and the album is set in the opening track, Sehnsucht, an epic instrumental lasting just under three minutes, which continues to build in tempo and volume before kicking straight into the second track on the album, Erwachen.
There is not a single song on the entire album which sounds too similar to any of the others, each having their own unique twists, but the vocals of Robse Dahn are unmistakable from start to finish, which will please many fans.
There are a number of songs which stand out from the rest on Armageddon, again highlighting the uniqueness of each track on the album. The third track, Katharis, is a prime example of this, starting with a simple bass solo, before the growl of Robse sends the track in a completely different direction and the familiar sounds of folk metal.
Another of the most notable tracks from Armageddon is Born To Be Epic, which kicks off with a fast paced heavy drum beat, setting the rhythm straight away. The sound throughout differs at various points, with the first verse very similar to most well-known heavy metal numbers, while the build up to the chorus takes up a more electronic sound, which fits in well with the riffs of Dom R. Crey and Hati Refaeli’s rhythmic drum beat.
The use of a choir in the background at differing stages gives the sense that this track is the standard of power metal tracks, followed up by the simple yet effective one line chorus, which when they are all combined makes it one of the highlights of the album.
While the essence of the album is quite dark, EQUILIBRIUM are able to mix in more jovial elements in the album, courtesy of René Berthiaume on keyboards. The track where this is most notable is Rise Again, again another fast paced song, which focuses more on the keyboard as the prime instrument to set the tone and rhythm.
While the lyrics themselves may not be so cheerful, the sound of the track tells a different story, similar in ways to other notable tracks from the power metal genre – one that immediately springs to mind is Ghost Division by SABATON.
On the whole, the album is technically strong – the sound throughout the album highlights that the band and the songs contained are of the power metal genre, with the mixture of keyboards, fast heavy riffs and vocals.
Fans of the band will most likely be pleased to see EQUILIBRIUM continue in similar fashion to their previous albums, as well of fans of the genre on a whole.
Despite that, there is nothing ground-breaking in the album, and while there is different elements of uniqueness between tracks, the concept itself is conventional and similar to most other power metal albums.
Rating: 8/10
Armageddon is set for release on August 12, via Nuclear Blast
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