Single Slam – Martyr by Equinox

Another Bloodstock Festival New Blood band that were mightily impressive were Liverpool based hard rockers, Equinox. Their most recent release came in January this year with the single Martyr.

We would love to review every single heavy metal release here at GBHBL but that isn’t possible and so inevitably some slip through the net. It is one of the reasons why we love Bloodstock and the New Blood stage so much. It is a chance for us to catch some music we may have missed. Equinox are one of those bands, much like Aonia, whose most recent single we have now reviewed here.

Back to Equinox though. We were lucky enough to catch the band for a few minutes for a chat at Bloodstock Festival. Watch that interview below –

Equinox are a five piece from Liverpool. They play a hard and heavy brand of rock music with elements of classic rock from the likes of Queen, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi and Van Halen. They take that classic sound and make it their own adding the intensity and power found in modern hard rock. The band are Daniel Moran on vocals with co founder Ian Wilson on guitars and backing vocals. Paddy Cummins is also on guitar and backing vocals while the bass is in the hands of Jay Bold. Last but not least, the drums are looked after by Jess Stanley. Jess also takes care of the artwork for the band.

The song Martyr is just over 4 and a half minutes long and really gives a good account of the band. As well as showcasing their obvious talents, their influences also really shine through. A drawn out guitar note and crash of the drums start the song off before a catchy guitar hook joins in. The intro guitar melody is to die for and you find yourself instantly reeled in as the drums start picking up the pace. The music switches to a quick, bass heavy chug as Daniel Moran’s recognisable vocals come in over the top. He raises and lowers his tone, and force, in line with the rumble of bass and drums as the verse moves into a really catchy end.

“With no one to blame, I was shot down in flames”. It is a great line and the way it is sung sticks firmly in your mind long after the track stops playing.

As the verse ends, the lead guitars come back in at full force playing another incredibly catchy line, a fast riff followed by an ending squeal backed by a chunky rhythm. The second verse carries the same infectious pattern as the first. As it ends a real foot tapping, fist pumping drum beat kicks in which forces your heads to bang along with it. A little stop start instrumentation then leads into a speedy, dirty sounding solo that ends with an extended squeal as the vocals join in for a last blast.

Martyr is a really great song. It is chock full of infectious beats and catchy rhythms with some really impressive guitar work. The vocals are also very strong, sounding a little like a slightly darker Brian Johnson at times. You do feel the classic inspirations coming through. For me, I also get a little of that dirty, Southern rock vibe as well. Very enjoyable and worth your time, Equinox are definitely a band to keep a close eye on. They are surely destined for great things.

Martyr is available on the usual streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. You can check out a stream of it on YouTube here too. You can also grab it, and more from the band, at their Bandcamp page here. Find out more about Equinox at their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Be sure to give them a like or follow while you are there.

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