Review by Stephen Pedicino
From an enigmatic vast land of the wild and adventurous comes an audible storm of that will redefine epic metal as we know it. Equilibrium was a new name for me until this treat called Sagas arrived in my mailbox. What we have here is an ambitious effort undertaken by a remarkably young band from Germany.
“Prolog Auf Erden” introduces and encompasses the splendorous tone of Sagas. With its bombastic medieval nature latched to a thunderous heavy-metal umbra, you’ll instantly know these Europeans have much to offer. It sets the mood perfectly and opens up the floodgates with some serious balls.
Our first full song is “Wurzelbert.” To compress a long description into an analogy, imagine Children of Bodom mixed with Korpiklaani and a turbo-charged engine of EPICNESS. You won’t fully absorb everything at once, but fear not. The plethoric mixture of sounds is quick and sharp but arranged in a way that stays interesting enough to listen to again and again. A bit more than I was expecting from a band I previously knew nothing about!
This untamed assault continues with “Blut Im Auge.” A power metal foundation supports a folk-spirited framework that is simply HUGE. I can’t fully pinpoint why, but the production sounds very spacious and well schemed. Big enough to engross the listener while still remaining fun. Even though the harsh raspy vocals dominate, the song still bulges with an uplifting feel. I’ll admit, it makes me frolic like a nerd when I hear it.
As you might have presumed, we have an extending amount of styles present on Sagas. Primarily, power and folk metal comprise most of the sound. But transient shades of prog, symphonic, and black metal are also woven into this multi-faceted opus. It may sound like a lot, and even after you listen it still may seem overwhelming. But for an educated listener who appreciates something fun yet intricate, this album is a real treat.
The aforementioned black metal aspect is probably most prevalent on our fifth track, “Verrat.” Strong blastbeats and a thrashy groove start things off without the addition of the keyboard that was ubiquitous on the first three tracks. A few sections of the song actually resemble mid-era Dimmu Borgir! The song sharpens the blade of the album and extends a hand to the headbangers out there. Overall, a more evil track.
It is important to note that even though the first half of the album bares a roughly constant tempo, you never get the impression that Equilibrium is regurgitating or replicating anything. Every song has its own organization and purpose. They prove that you can base variation around a consistent tempo without sounding iterative.
What really impresses me is the bands ability to sound fun and daring yet create parts of serious emotional depth. A good example of this depth is in the instrumental, “Heidirauche.” Equilibrium finally puts on the brakes here. The dramatic aura and classical touch would make a prime candidate for any montage of Braveheart (Ah, how I miss the old days of Mel Gibson…) It sets the stage for one of my favorites off the album, “Die Weide Und Der Flu.” An anthem for the warrior within us all…..It will capture you’re emotions and hypnotize you into a prolonged state of epic glory. I kid you not!!! The well-placed tremolo guitars and soaring keyboards beautifully augment the powerful vocal work of Helge Stang (did I NOT give this man credit yet?) His range is great and he never sounds over-exerted or unpleasantly coarse. Emotion, drama, adventure, intrigue and pure force are all wonderfully encapsulated within this beast of a song! It’s impossible not to appreciate and I can guarantee some will grabbed by the heart. Truly awesome….
‘Des Sangers Fluch” is slower paced but in the same vein as our previous track. A stoic riff and deep keyboard accompany a lower tone of growls presented by Helge Stang. The tune is rich in texture and cavernous in size. What more can I say? It’s a song without a blemish. The proceeding track, “Ruf in Den Wind,” reintroduces the tinge of the first part of the album. It is definitely more in touch with the happy-folk, sharp-edged element of the band. With that said, it’s superbly crafted and doesn’t really copy any of the prior songs. Clearly, this band has a humongous palette from which they paint their sound.
Alright, strap yourselves in and make sure you use the bathroom before our final “song” off Sagas. “Mana,” clocks in at over sixteen minutes and fortunately isn’t filled with empty, silent parts that often characterized tracks of this length. And guess what….its entirely instrumental! Not even Dream Theater has recorded an instrumental of such length. BELIEVE my friends!!! It really is a roller coaster, featuring all measurable tempos and all instruments heard prior on the album. It’s just something you have to hear for yourself. Putting it all into words would not do it justice. (Not to mention my fingers don’t have that much more stamina)
More than 79 minutes of music!!! Any more and they would have had to make the album a two-disc affair. Such is a duration is something you only see on progressive albums or really experimental frameworks. Never have I listened to an album that has such a runtime length yet such density and speed! I really can see this band making a huge name for themselves in years to come. They have the talent, and it’s great to see that they were picked up by one of the biggest labels in metal, Nuclear Blast. With enough promotion I can see Equilibrium making a rise to stardom.