We talked with Equilibrium about their new album Equinox — how it was made, what inspired it, and what comes next for the band. [Photo Credit: Daniel McCook]
Hi there! Equinox opens with this sweeping, almost cinematic energy, but there’s a raw edge underneath. Was there a moment – a riff, a lyric, a feeling – that became the anchor for the album?
Equinox contains songs that we actually began writing several years ago, already during the pandemic. What I clearly remember is that we wanted to move our sound in a more organic, earthy direction while still keeping the modern influences that shaped our past albums.
You’ve talked about reconnecting with your own art. Did that mean rediscovering instincts from past records, or did the process take you somewhere completely new?
Basically both! I rarely listen to our released albums, but from time to time I do, partly out of nostalgia, partly to draw inspiration from our earlier work. For Equinox, we wanted to become aware of our core essence again. What are the main ingredients of Equilibrium? Over the years we’ve experimented a lot, because I believe there are no rules in art except the ones you create for yourself. But when something becomes everything, it can also become nothing, haha. So we intentionally chose elements from our past and combined them with new ones that fit our vision for Equinox.
The album drifts between light and dark in ways that feel very intentional. When listening back, did you notice those contrasts shaping the story of the record?
Equilibrium has always balanced light and dark, ever since our first demo. It’s not something we do intentionally, it just happens naturally when you try to channel all your emotions into music. At least that’s how it works for me.
The performance video is entirely handmade – every costume, prop, and set piece. That attention to detail is striking. What made it so important to keep it fully analog?
You’re right. Jessy’s contribution to this album was immense. She not only helped me with the music and wrote two songs and some lyrics, but she also created all the costumes, props, and set design for the “I’ll Be Thunder” video. She has worked behind the scenes with the band for many years, but this time it was on another level. I’m usually very picky when it comes to letting people touch the creative aspects of Equilibrium, but here it felt completely natural. Personally, I love this analog approach because in a time where AI is so present, everything risks becoming generated, meaningless, and soulless. I’m not against AI, I use it myself as a helpful tool. But for me there is no point in having AI create something entirely and then calling it art. The process of creating is important for the artist. Taking that away makes no sense, unless your only goal is to make money.
After nearly 25 years, what part of the early Equilibrium energy still fuels the band today?
The inner drive to explore the process of creating music is still the same. Every new song is a journey. And building worlds that others can enter and enjoy is incredibly fulfilling. I’ve often been told that Equilibrium’s music feels uplifting and empowering, and that alone fuels us. Also, I draw a lot of motivation from being able to tour the world. I’ve been to places I probably would never have seen without the band, and I’m very grateful for that.
You handled production yourselves but collaborated with Danny McCook on mixing. How did his perspective affect the way the songs came together?
Danny is very experienced with rich, layered, and complex music that focuses on real instruments and organic sound. I thought it would be interesting to give someone like that control of the mixing. Combining our usual mixing techniques with his fresh approach resulted in an organic and warm, yet still impactful and aggressive sound, which I really like. It’s not always easy to find the right people to collaborate with, but when you do, and when you trust them, beautiful things can happen.
Folk-metal has splintered into so many directions over the years. Do you feel like Equilibrium still fits that label, or has it outgrown the term entirely?
Folk metal has so many variations today that it could use even more sub-labels. Folk and ethnic influences are still a big part of our music, probably much more than on “Renegades”. So yes, the label still fits to a degree. But it doesn’t really describe our cinematic influences or our metal foundations, haha.
Nature appears throughout Equinox, from lyrics to instrumentation. Were you drawing from specific landscapes, or more symbolic ideas of wilderness and freedom?
When writing, I often have landscapes or visual scenes in my mind. Sometimes I search for pictures or paintings and look at them while composing. These worlds are later filled with personal experiences in the lyrics, which are inspired by mythology and primal emotions, combined with contemporary thoughts about the world, the universe, and ourselves. It’s important for us to combine ancient and modern elements, in the music, the lyrics, and the visuals.
Many tracks have a cinematic, almost story-like quality. Do those images come first when writing, or do they emerge after the music is already in motion?
It’s a back-and-forth process. Sometimes an image or feeling comes first. For example, with “Nexus” I originally had the image of people running through nature. That was all. Over time, this image developed, and you’ll soon see the result in the music video.
Guest musicians from Eluveitie and Heidevolk appear on several tracks. How did their contributions alter the mood or energy of the songs?
Working with them was a wonderful experience. We gave them the freedom to interpret the songs in their own way. Their contributions added emotional depth and made the songs more exciting to listen to. I definitely want to explore more collaborations in the future.
The world has felt heavier over the past few years – socially, politically, globally. Did that tension seep into the songs, or were you trying to escape it entirely?
It’s difficult not to be influenced by the world around you — unless you follow a very strict concept. Equilibrium does have some guiding principles, but there is still plenty of room for outside influences. And I think you can hear that in some songs.
The band took a long hiatus before this record. Looking back, how did stepping away influence the way you collaborate and write music today?
For me, it didn’t really feel like a break. Equilibrium was always a major part of my life. A lot simply happened behind the scenes. The biggest step was changing our vocalist/frontman. I thought the process would go faster, but we didn’t want to rush anything. We took our time to find the right person and to explore our music together with him. You can hear parts of this journey in the singles we released along the way. Now we’re here with a full new album, and our workflow feels great. We definitely won’t wait that long for the next one.
You craft visual art and set design by hand. What does that creative space give you that writing music doesn’t?
When I started Equilibrium, visuals weren’t that important, there wasn’t much social media, just the music, the album cover, and maybe one video. The focus was purely on the music. The impulse to also care about visuals came from Jessy, and I’m grateful for that. I couldn’t imagine releasing music now without the visual world around it. The visuals give the art more context, depth, and emotional resonance. They make the Equilibrium universe more layered and immersive and it’s beautiful to explore that and share it with others.
After so many years in metal, what still surprises or inspires you outside of music – a walk, a conversation, a fleeting moment?
As you already mentioned, it can come from anywhere! Sometimes a melody enters my head while taking a shower, sometimes it can be a feeling that you experienced. And still, for me it is an for sure will also be, the beauty and magic of nature.
Touring, recording, writing – it can be exhausting. How do you stay grounded and maintain your personal equilibrium in everyday life?
I think no matter what you do, it can be difficult to maintain balance. Especially today, when everything moves so quickly. I’m glad I experienced the ’90s, it showed me that life doesn’t have to be this fast. It’s important to take time for yourself. Disconnect from the online chaos and reconnect with nature. That, along with exercise and good nutrition, helps me stay centered. But to be honest, I easily get out of this balance again, haha.
Equinox feels like a rebirth for the band. Where do you see the next chapter heading – sonically, in performance, or in the way you approach the band?
Equinox really does feel like a rebirth, though one with a very long pregnancy, haha. This album gives us a strong foundation to explore new worlds again. But we will always keep the metal, the epicness, and the folk elements.
If this album is about balance, what does the next chapter call for – more fire, more calm, or a mixture of both? Thank you for your time!
I think that all of our albums always have been very balanced sonically and lyrically. Which is interesting, because at the beginning the band name “Equilibrium” was chosen very spontaneously. But over the years it became more and more meaning about what we are doing. So I wouldn’t be surprised if also the next chapter will contain that balance. Thank you!
https://equilibrium.bfan.link/equinox
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