“Equilibrium Tool is the perfect proof that what makes music enduring is and has always been the passion, the creativity and the hard work the musicians pour into an endeavour they can feel proud about.”
As a big fan of symphonic metal in all of its branches, I’m appreciative of its massive popularity that hasn’t waned the tiniest bit for the last couple decades, and yet that also means the sub-genre can suffer from repetitiveness and trite formulas that aren’t much fun to listen to, as nicely as they may be showcased.
Symphonic bands in the 90s taught us that music can be elegant, beautiful and even epic without having to possess the cleanest or most professional recordings as long as the music can stand on its own merits. Egypt’s Odius seem to prove it again some decades later, and very successfully in my view.
Listening to Equilibrium Tool immediately conjured up Therion’s music right off the bat. This album draws strong influence from works such as Vovin, Deggial and Theli; additionally, it often reminds me of Lux Occulta’s My Guardian Anger, Dimmu Borgir (in the Death Cult Armageddon era) and Septicflesh.
Something I feel symphonic metal has lost in recent years (or decades) is that unorthodoxy, that eccentricity that is so timeless and so recognisable, full of oddities and curveballs designed to keep the listeners on edge, not allowing them to get comfortable before changing the pace or introducing crazy arrangements out of the blue while weaving this experience very cohesively and consistently for extended run times.
Specifically, this is an approach with Western and Middle Eastern orchestral approaches and operatic female vocals as well as Middle Eastern instrumentation blended with death and progressive metal. The progressive elements in question are freshly and cleverly showcased by constantly changing the tone, pace or tempo of the music and by allowing the orchestrations to be in the spotlight for extended periods of time before resuming playing death or folk metal again with the orchestra in the background.
The musicianship is practically unpredictable throughout the whole run of the album, and to me it even sounds avant-garde-ish for moments without compromising the enjoyment or memorability of each song.
Symphonic metal, and specifically Therion, has always had a healthy relationship with Middle Eastern folk, but that is cranked up a couple notches here, to the point they actually play many of the eastern instruments and making them shine sporadically here and there, creating a very dynamic and organic listen from front to back.
The main criticism, and just a nitpick on my part, is that the recording and mixture aren’t of the highest standards; the guitars and bass especially sound drowned by the rest of the instruments. However, the orchestrations, the drums and everything else are captured perfectly. Despite working with different musical genres and so many details at a time, they manage to keep it all together and synchronised to the point that everything feels neatly in the right place at the right time.
Symphonic metal has come a long way in the last decades and evolved to extents I never thought possible. Bands such as Epica, Fleshgod Apocalypse and Septicflesh have refined what the genre can be. Odious chose to go back to the roots, to a simpler more streamlined approach, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less impressive or sophisticated.
Equilibrium Tool is the perfect proof that what makes music enduring is and has always been the passion, the creativity and the hard work the musicians pour into an endeavour they can feel proud about. This album excels at eliciting utmost respect and admiration for music that sadly will remain unknown to many who would otherwise love it; hence, I recommend anyone reading this give it a shot and hopefully delight their ears with what I consider flawless music.
