Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
The Dutch prog rock band Equisa was formed in 2011 and released their debut EP “Straight Lines” the following year. They have since followed that up with their debut full-length “Strange Release”, which actually came out in 2013. Even though a lot of time has elapsed since this album has been release, it only recently came to my attention and it is well worth the time to delve into.
After receiving the physical copy of the “Strange Release” CD in the mail (imagine that) I gave it a few spins and was very impressed by what I heard. I would describe Equisa as a cross between Autumn and “Mandylion” era The Gathering – two other great Dutch bands. The 11-song, 51-minute disc kicks-off with the bombastic rumbling of “Faces”. The band has a great feel for melody and the song features a killer memorable chorus. “Loop” begins with a brief acoustic intro before segueing into a heavy, straight-forward riff. “Headrush” speeds up the tempo with a classic metal style riff and soaring vocals from Petra Honing. There is so much diversity on “Strange Release” that it is able to hold the listeners interest from the very beginning. “Strange Release” is next and is sort of a melancholic ballad. Other highlights include: “Goodbye”, “Capital” and “For All the Others”.
It’s too bad that it took so long for me to review “Strange Release” but in the end, Equisa are a band that is well worth checking out particularly if you are a fan of bands like The Gathering and Autumn.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Faces
- Loop
- Headrush
- Strange Release
- Goodbye
- Panic
- Capital
- Air
- Summers
- For All The Others
- Superman
Line Up
- Petra Honing – Vocals
- Sebas Honing – Guitars, Keyboards, programming, vocals
- Joost Maglev – Bass, keyboards, vocals
- Raymond Otterspeer – Drums