Album Review: Equilibrium – Equinox (Nuclear Blast)

Back after a lengthy hiatus, the German folk metal band, Equilibrium usher in a new era. One that involves a brand-new singer (Fabian Getto) and a brand-new album called ‘Equinox’, their sixth studio album. Released on November 28th, 2025, via Nuclear Blast.

It has been six long years since we last had an Equilibrium album to look over, but let’s not bemoan the time we’ve been without them, rather, let’s celebrate their return. A triumphant return that sees the band expanding their folk metal sound into more modern territories, creating something that feels timeless but true to the sound that has made them such a beloved name to date.

It’s not just that this album is more experimental, it’s more that the album sees the band embracing new ideas with the kind of confidence that suggests this has been a long time coming. It does mean their sound is more indefinable than ever, but they’ve never been an easy band to categorise anyway. We call them folk, because it’s the thing they align with the most but if there’s one thing this album proves, it is the fact that Equilibrium are their own thing completely.

The result of all of this is a varied and creative album that starts strongly thanks to the anthemic power of Earth Tongue and the vibrant intensity of Awakening but truly hits its stride with stunning Legends. Equilibrium hitting an epic high and showing just how the past can mesh with the now so well (musically) in the right hands. I love this track and must have listened to it ten times over before carrying on with the rest of the album. That’s how addictive it is.

Though, that’s not to suggest there isn’t other high points on the rest of the album, because there are plenty. Such as chest beaters like the cinematic Archivist, highly dramatic and power-driven efforts like Gnosis (the ending is spectacular) and tracks that have potent mystical folk qualities, but still sound suitably metal-focused, such as the compelling Bloodwood. Equilibrium taking us up to the halfway point in dynamic fashion.

One of the things that might surprise is how lively the album continues to be as it goes on. It is fair to say that Equilibrium’s time away has reinvigorated them and the proof is in tracks like I’ll Be Thunder, Anderwelt, and One Hundred Hands. Each as vibrant as the other, with notable shifts in style that makes for a consistently interesting listen. It’s no easy task to keep a listener focused for a handful of tracks, let alone the hefty amount that Equinox has, but making engaging music seems so easy in the hands of a band like this.

Especially as more cinematic vibes are present on the potent Borrowed Waters, followed by a bit of folky throat-singing via Rituals of Sun and Moon, before Nexus stands up proudly as, arguably, the album’s best example of how Equilibrium have modernised their sound. The drums on it are almost industrial in style, and the different sets of vocals really change things up. It’s what I like to a call ‘a heart-racer’ of a track. It is another undeniable highlight, the last as Tides of Time is a short outro. One with melody and drama, but by this point, most listeners will be well and truly spent.

Equilibrium are back and changing the folk metal landscape completely… again.

Equilibrium – Equinox Track Listing:

1. Earth Tongue
2. Awakening
3. Legends
4. Archivist
5. Gnosis
6. Bloodwood
7. I’ll Be Thunder
8. Anderswelt
9. One Hundred Hands
10. Borrowed Waters
11. Rituals Of Sun and Moon
12. Nexus
13. Tides Of Time

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