Hey there tech-death fiends! It's that time again for my favorite thing all week, bringing you some cool new jams in each edition of Tech-Death Tuesday. Today's target are Equipoise, an interesting new tech-death super-group of sorts who have a lot going for them. Before we delve into what their release has to offer, here's the usual reminder that if you're looking for more cool new music all prior editions of this series can be perused here.
While Equipoise initially started out as the solo brainchild of Pennsylvania based guitarist Nick Padovani and his guitarist friend Zach Hohn in 2015, the band has grown to encompass several talented additional members to their ranks. They did so by presenting the material they'd been composing to two seasoned tech-death veterans, former Vale Of Pnath (currently in Tethys/ Dissonance In Design) vocalist Stevie Boiser and current Beyond Creation fretless bassist Hugo Karout (also in Brought By Pain/Conflux Collective) both of whom ended up joining the project. After nearing the completion of the recording phase for Birthing Homunculi, the band found another new member in renowned keyboardist Jimmy Pitts (Pitts Minneman Project/guest on Spastic Ink and Hannes Grossman- The Radial Covenant) who adds an epic dimension to the music with his fantastic keyboards and synth additions over top the already killer songs. For now, the band utilized programmed drums in order to get this out there, but a real drummer is planned for their upcoming full-length from what I'm told.
As far as the kind of tech-death Equipoise deal in, it tends to jump around and span a range of styles comparable to many of the tech-death scenes best bands from Obscura to Gorod to Vale of Pnath to Necrophagist and plenty more. With the fantastic keyboard and synth layers Jimmy added into the music, Birthing Homunculi seems to have found a starting point for where the band can take things next time through furthering incorporating him into the compositions. While also helping lend a individual identity to the music at the same time.
To put it succinctly, every members performance here is damn impressive, and the phenomenal additional guest performances sprinkled throughout only make it that much better. The likes of which includes appearances by Gorod vocalist Julien "Nutz" Deyres, two guitar solos from Christian Muenzer on "Birthing Homunculi Part II: Sigil Insidious", a guitar solo by fellow tech-death guitarist Sanjay Kumar from Perihelion, and rounded out by some fantastic piano playing by Vanesa Jalife on the albums experimental closing instrumental cut. If you like what you hear, Birthing Homunculi comes out this Friday through Bandcamp. Pre-orders are not in the works 0therwise I'd link you all to them like I normally do. Be sure to follow the band over at their Equipoise Facebook page if you dig the music!
