Veteran New Jersey metalcore/thrash band God Forbid has been one of the most consistent bands in the game when it comes to quality of their music and retaining members. Shortly after the release of their last record Earthsblood, they had their first member change in their almost 15 years as a band when rhythm guitarist/clean vocalist Dallas Coyle left the band. God Forbid has regrouped and picked up Matt Wicklund to handle the rhythm guitar duties and they just released Equilibrium, which might be their finest work to date.
Equilibrium picks up right where Earthsblood left off. The album continues the melodic sound established on Earthsblood and expands upon it even further. The melodic sound really works for God Forbid. The best moments of this record is when Doc Coyle and Matt Wicklund are trading off melodic riffs and solos. God Forbid was always more of a band based around speed (which is still very much present), but when they slow things down it's something special. One of the biggest concerns about this album from a lot of fans were how the clean vocals would be on this record. Let me just say that Doc Coyle does a great job. He completely holds his own replacing Dallas and I actually think he does a better job overall. The hooks on this album (especially on the title track and “This Is Who I Am”) are catchy as hell and just flat-out great. These new found fantastic hooks provides a key new element to their sound that make this album that much more enjoyable to listen to.
It's not all about melody with Equilibrium though. God Forbid can still play fast with the best of them and they often do on this record. Byron Davis is screaming his ass off as usual and Coyle is laying some very impressive solos (“Move On” is in contention for best solo on any God Forbid song). Album opener “Don't Tell What To Dream” combines speed with almost djent type sound that makes for a really unexpected and cool opener. The more traditional thrash elements come out later on the record. “Conquer”, “Pages”, and “Where We Come From” are really fast and aggressive even for God Forbid. It was nice to see God Forbid mix things up even more than usual. The mix of slower, melodic songs and fast, pissed-off ragers shows off their continued growth in the songwriting department.
Equilibrium is another excellent release from God Forbid. Their first member change in the history didn't seem to effect them in the least bit. There is more of a overall melodic and varied sound throughout the record. The more diverse songwriting works almost to perfection for them and some their immense maturity as a band. Doc Coyle does a great job taking over clean vocal duties and providing some outstanding melodic riffs. God Forbid has flown under the radar for way too long and hopefully Equilibrium will give them their long-deserved time in the spotlight.
4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Equilibrium
2.Move On
3.This Is Who I Am
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