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EQUILIBRIUM
Erdentempel

Nuclear Blast (2014)
Rating: 6/10

Erdentempel is Equilibrium’s fourth full-length album and third for Nuclear Blast. These German folk metallers have made quite a name for themselves within their genre, but haven’t really broke beyond the barrier and spilled over into the lake of wider appeal. I first heard the band on their Nuclear Blast debut, Sagas (2008), an album that still blows me away with each new listen. Erdentempel, on the other hand, is a bit more to take in.

The main problem on this album, as I see it, is that many of the songs simply sound like they are at war with each other. The band are certainly at a crossroads as it’s obvious that they could drop the extreme metal schtick and find a much broader fanbase.

‘Wirtshaus Gaudi’’s oompa pump, the Nightwish-ish ‘Waldschrein’, and ‘Uns’rer Flöten Klang’, with its upbeat forest fare dominating the last third of the song, are all solid evidence that Equilibrium have a lot more to offer than extreme metal. They all are heavy on the folk-inspired parts and it’s those parts that really suck you in, resulting in the extreme parts becoming a generic sounding semi-annoyance.

On the flipside of all of that, the band are also damn good at extreme metal at times. ‘Freiflug’ is the best example of this; backed by gothic keyboards, horns, and punchy guitars the song soars above the rest of the album and is the one track that seamlessly blends all of the pieces together. I could listen to this song all day! The victorious sound of ‘The Unknown Episode’ is another of Erdentempel’s best moments. It’s bright and powerful and the dual lead guitars that drive the end of the song is a wonderful moment. ‘Apokalypse’ is heavier overall than most of the album, but it too boasts that victorious sound, albeit in a more decidedly Gothenburg way.

Musically, Erdentempel has all the makings of a dam breaker, but the vocals keep it closely tied to the extreme metal genre, which will be good or bad depending on what you are looking for. There are a few songs that really transcend here, but for the most part this album sounds disjointed, with the non-extreme parts excelling far beyond their counterparts.

Overall, I just can’t get completely on board with this album. I absolutely love parts of it and other parts I’m left wondering why they would leave the song sounding that confused. If you like Equilibrium’s other albums then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one as well, but if you are new to the band I would start at the beginning because this one is fairly awkward.

Mark Fisher

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