Equinox – Return to Mystery [Re-Release]

Thinking about some of the great Death Metal albums that don’t get as much recognition as they deserve, there are a few names that always come to mind for me. ‘Bloodchilling Tales’, ‘Ressurection Absurd’ or even ‘Procession to the Infraworld’. In 2024 we got re-releases for albums I hadn’t thought about in years and belong on that list. One of them being Equinox’s debut full-length ‘Return to Mystery’. If you’re the type to read an underground fanzine, you’ve most likely heard of Equinox. But just in case you aren’t familiar, Equinox was one of the many Death Metal bands from Florida that emerged towards the tail end of the golden age and consists of members from Acheron and Incubus. While they weren’t the most prolific, the material they did release is some damn good stuff.

Equinox had managed to keep themselves a bit different from the standard Death Metal sound by adding a good serving of Black Metal to their writing. The track ‘Until the Dawn’s Mist’ is one of my favorite examples of how these guys blend the two genres. Staying a bit heavier on the Death Metal side but includes that savage Black Metal speed and even a section of grand church organs. But just before you think “this is some great Symphonic Black Metal”, the tempo changes once again back into slow, dense Death Metal. Then, just after ‘Until the Dawn’s Mist’ ends, the next track is ‘Freezing Moon’… no wait, its actually ‘The Mourning River’. This track is basically if Obituary wrote ‘Freezing Moon’. While this is a good track, I gotta admit it’s kind of jarring when it comes on. I can’t say it enough, the song writing on this album is very dynamic and extremely well thought out/executed.

Also included in this re-release is the bands demo ‘Anthem to the Moon’, an EP and a recording from a 1993 live show. As good as ‘Return to Mystery’ is, these additions are some real highlights. The ‘Anthem to the Moon’ demo (the last three songs on the re-release) is great. There is a very heavy Celtic Frost feeling influence on these tracks with some great thrashy riffs and very similar guitar crunch but once again paired with the hefty dirge of classic Death Metal. Now I will say that with all remasters and re-releases, there is a level of character that can feel a bit lost compared to the originals. Personally, the new cover art doesn’t fit quite like the original when it comes to showing a glimpse of what the album contains.

Equinox is a band that has fallen into obscurity, so it is great to see these re-releases, especially the demos and EP. If you want something a bit different but still adhering to the pillars of old-school Death Metal, you really gotta dig into some Equinox.