God Forbid – “Equilibrium”

Although New Jersey’s God Forbid is considered one of the leaders of the New Wave of American Metal, their music has always possessed plenty of European flavor too, mostly noticeable in the melodic tendencies of their material. Their brand new album Equilibrium retains all the trademark elements of the band’s style (powerful heavy grooves, European-like catchy melodic riffing, etc.) and also showcases them trying to simplify, with apparent self-consciousness, their songwriting in order to create a near radio-friendly vibe around the new songs.

Although this favors some aspects of their music, it also limits others. For example, “Don’t Tell Me What to Dream” or the sublime and melodious instant hit “Scraping the Walls”, are perfect models for heavy songs with the exact infusion of commercial appeal without compromising integrity. On the other hand, cuts like “Pages” with its unexpected near-Black Metal opening, the darker-than-usual mid-session on “Where We Come From” or the rapid Neo-Thrash attack on “Few Good Men”, suggest brilliant but momentarily explorations of broader musical grounds that rapidly vanish within the maze of familiar interactive rhythmic sessions that dominate the album.

Although the band sounds potent and tight, veteran axeman Doc Coyle deserves a special mention for his vibrant solos and his support on the melodic vocals department, especially on “My Rebirth”, “Overcome” and “This is Who I Am”.

In conclusion , it’s almost impossible not to enjoy Equilibrium right from the very first listen. At the same time it’s equally impossible not to feel a sense of Deja-vu letting us know that most of this material has been done before, although not always with this level of finesse. This is a solid album by a band that by now, shouldn’t fear to venture into new unexplored territories. The world knows they have the chops to do that and much more.

Track Listing:

01. Don’t Tell Me What To Dream
02. My Rebirth
03. A Few Good Men
04. Scraping The Walls
05. Conquer
06. Equilibrium
07. Overcome
08. Cornered
09. This Is Who I Am
10. Move On
11. Pages
12. Awakening
13. Where We Come From

Run Time: 55:22
Release Date: March 27, 2012

Check out the song: “Where We Come From”