Though their genre is categorized as Extreme Folk by Metal Storm, I had this topic in the Melodic Metal forum on MSv2 so I put it here again. @Mods- If you feel it should be moved, please do.

Great band from Germany, they've released one album Turis Fratyr. It won best debut of 2005 in the Metal Storm awards. Let's hear some opinions....

i always thought bands like this should be in the extreme forum, but they have just always been in the melodic one
oh well

Equilibrium are one of my favorite folk metal bands, but then i dont have a massive folk collection
their album - 'Turis Fratyr' is fantastic though, i cannot wait to hear some more from them - it'll probably be a while though

Their lyrics are quite interesting. Besides they belong to the few bands which sing in German.

Turis Fratyr is an excellent album! I cant wait to hear more from Equilibrium. It definitely deserved the best debut award. Every song on the album is great.

Turis Fratyr is such a great debut from this Folk Metal band I think this band has alot of potential to be one of the bigger groups in this genre. It's definently one of the best albums I had heard in awhile. I can't wait to hear something new from this band because it should be good.

Good one.

You can look better folk band, but it is hard. If debut is so good just wait what bring in future.

Equilibrium owns, great songs, great melodies. I put them right up there with Ensiferum, in terms of liking the band.

It's a really great band, songs came to get me, they still do, I was really surprised that they were just beginning...

i saw them last week

but now i´m going to make you guys even more jealous...
before the concert i met the whole bands and got autographs from them, and had a nice chat with the guitarist, he told me about earthshaker where they had played before and we were making jokes about how bad the band playing before them was XD (they really were very bad)

after the concert i got a setlist and their drummer gave me a drumstick as birthday present

Written by Bas on 28.07.2006 at 21:57

i saw them last week

but now i´m going to make you guys even more jealous...
before the concert i met the whole bands and got autographs from them, and had a nice chat with the guitarist, he told me about earthshaker where they had played before and we were making jokes about how bad the band playing before them was XD (they really were very bad)

after the concert i got a setlist and their drummer gave me a drumstick as birthday present

Ah, that's nice! And, what was the name of the band that was playing before them?

some metalcore band called "Fear My Thoughts"

Written by Bas on 29.07.2006 at 10:46

some metalcore band called "Fear My Thoughts"

That's weird that they were invited to do the first part if they were bad... I mean, I listened to songs from that band when you wrote me the name... They don't seem to be so bad... Maybe they shouldn't have accepted to play in live...

I know this band and I never realy like them, I cn listen, but its not my type of music maybe because its not so realy agresive, but also lyrics, only think what I like in band are lyrics seems thay know deeper about Scadinvi

Great album this Turis Fratyr! Wingthors Hammers sounds great, like Der Sturm and the other songs! Just for a few days a listened to this album and... my first impressions are excellent. They sing in german and maybe for some people this is not an advantage, but still... good material

I'm quite undecided what to think of this band. I enjoyed them a lot when I got to know them, but by now I think that they are quite overrated. The main reason why they got so famous was because they managed to write catchy songs and pump quite some money into the production to make those songs sound great. Looking at the awesome lot of German pagan metal bands one cannot quite understand what makes Equilibrium so special - it definitely isn't their great songwriting. Granted, their stuff is catchy as hell, but so is the stuff of Thrudvangar or XIV Dark Centuries; their stuff does sound like it's been recorded in the garage compared to "Turis Fratyr" though. Equilibrium's live performances are boring and as they played at every goddamn festival in 2005/06 one grew tired pretty fast of them. But credit where credit is due: if it wasn't for Equilibrium the German pagan metal scene might not have had the boost it did get two years ago with Equi utilizing Viking metal festivals like Ragnarök and Ultima Ratio as platforms and attracting lots of people who weren't familiar with the rest of the scene to get to know many new bands that deserve equal or more attention. So Equilibrium were like an introduction band to Viking metal, and the German scene in particular, pretty much in the same manner as Sonata Arctica and Nightwish are primers to power metal for many people who aren't familiar with metal at all.

I'm not sure whether their upcoming album will live up to the expectations, but having Nuclear Blast in the back I don't think they'll have any problems with selling enough regardless of quality. Turisas have surprised me by topping their already great debut, maybe Equilibrium will manage the same. I guess we'll see early enough.

very good music, i rather enjoy them

I really enjoy their music, there's not even one song that I don't like. Brilliant.

can someone recommend me a good album??, i have turis fratyr

Written by Fuath on 02.11.2007 at 23:49

can someone recommend me a good album??, i have turis fratyr

Equilibrium has just one album (Turis Fratyr)...

Written by Unconsecrated on 02.11.2007 at 23:53

Written by Fuath on 02.11.2007 at 23:49

can someone recommend me a good album??, i have turis fratyr

Equilibrium has just one album (Turis Fratyr)...

that would explain alot
thanks anyways!!

wow - this thread died. hahaha
well I have "Sagas" from the label and wow!! this sounds like a great great album!! you REALLY have something to look forward to here!!!

Written by Baz Anderson on 24.04.2008 at 13:35

wow - this thread died. hahaha
well I have "Sagas" from the label and wow!! this sounds like a great great album!! you REALLY have something to look forward to here!!!

Torment me more Baz? Hahaha

Judging from the medley on Myspace I have no doubts about it. I'm just afraid it will be too similar to their first album. Helge's (the vocalist) occasionally cocky and boorish attitude doesn't really reflect that well on the rest of the band, but I'm glad that still René is the mainman and songwriter of the band.

I have listened to "Sagas" a lot of times now and let me just tell you that this is going to be one of the best albums of the year - no doubt about it. it is just utterly AMAZING

don't worry about it being too similar to the first album, this one is much much more mature..

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I can't say too much else there will be no point in me writing the review - but this album is seriously some of the best folk metal I have heard

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.04.2008 at 23:50

I have listened to "Sagas" a lot of times now and let me just tell you that this is going to be one of the best albums of the year - no doubt about it. it is just utterly AMAZING

don't worry about it being too similar to the first album, this one is much much more mature..

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I can't say too much else there will be no point in me writing the review - but this album is seriously some of the best folk metal I have heard

How did you get your hands on "Sagas"? Has it leaked? I really like the samples and it sounds as you say amazing indeed!!

Written by FeskarN on 28.04.2008 at 21:57

How did you get your hands on "Sagas"? Has it leaked? I really like the samples and it sounds as you say amazing indeed!!

just read up in the thread.. I already said I have it from the label - Nucelar Blast.
it is my job to review it.. so keep looking out for the review mid-June!

I find them quite overated to be honest, the German Viking/Folk metal scene has more to offer.
I also find the vocals pretty meh at times, overall there debut is pretty good but there is better German Viking/Folk metal.

Written by VPeter on 01.05.2008 at 18:40

I find them quite overated to be honest, the German Viking/Folk metal scene has more to offer.
I also find the vocals pretty meh at times, overall there debut is pretty good but there is better German Viking/Folk metal.

I definatly dont find them overrated, the album is brilliant. However, i do agree to some extent the vocalist is not perfect. He lacks variation, and therefore can get boring in that department. The album is still awesome though, i cant wait to hear the new one.

Written by Dark Cornatus on 02.05.2008 at 04:00

Written by VPeter on 01.05.2008 at 18:40

I find them quite overated to be honest, the German Viking/Folk metal scene has more to offer.
I also find the vocals pretty meh at times, overall there debut is pretty good but there is better German Viking/Folk metal.

I definatly dont find them overrated, the album is brilliant. However, i do agree to some extent the vocalist is not perfect. He lacks variation, and therefore can get boring in that department. The album is still awesome though, i cant wait to hear the new one.

Of course you don't find them overrated. Unlike Tir na nog you probably don't know how many other great bands the German scene has to offer. That's not much of a problem, I didn't know it either until two years ago when I went to Ragnarök Festival mainly for Equilibrium and got to experience the whole awesomeness below the surface, i.e. bands like Menhir, Riger, Black Messiah, XIV Dark Centuries, Fjoergyn, Thrudvangar, Wolfchant, Odroerir, Finsterforst, Minas Morgul, Gernotshagen, Hel, Kromlek, just to name a few bands that are ought to deserve just as much attention as Equilibrium do. Sure, Equilibrium's material is awesome, but considering the rest of the scene they are definitely praised out of proportion. Initially they were described as the new Menhir - by now close to none of their fans have ever heard of Equi's role models who originated the German pagan metal scene.