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Norway's Extol got together in early 1994 playing a progressive and technical style of death metal that incorporates elements of classic metal and black metal as well. They recorded three songs for the Rowe Productions compilation "Northern Lights" and a year later recorded their "Embraced" demo tape. Soon after, Ole Borud from Schaliach (also featured on "Northern Lights"), joined the band and the Extol lineup was complete: Peter Espevoll (vocals), Christer Espevoll (guitars), Eystein Holm (bass), David Husvik (drums) and Ole Borud (guitars/vocals). I have seen Extol several times over the years and they are as good live as they are in the studio.
Northern Lights-Norwegian Metal Compilation (Rowe) 1996
10. "Vicious Intent"
(5:05)
11. "Misunderstood" (5:06)
12. "Seek the Rights" (5:38)
Humble beginnings for Extol. The Northern Lights compilation also includes songs by death metal band GROMS, black metallers Antestor, and melodic death metal band Schaliach. Schaliach is a project by Ole Borud, who would soon go on to join Extol as well. The three Extol tracks are raw, but heavy, brutal and melodic. They are also a tad less technical than the material they would soon be recording. For more details on the Northern Lights CD, check out the compilation section.
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1. "Into Another
Dimension" [instrumental] (1:28)
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 Ole Børud, 1999 in Albuquerque, NM photo by Scott Waters |
This is a masterpiece! Extol are masters of their craft, mixing elements of death metal, black metal and progressive metal yet somehow retaining a sense of melody and harmony. The vocals are mostly of the modern black metal nature (ie. cookie monster on steroids) but occasionally Ole' adds some clean vocals to make things interesting. Extol are one of the best bands to come out of the death metal scene in my opinion. A fan of any style of metal should be able to appreciate the musicianship and quality of "Burial." This album has also been released in the U.S. on Tooth & Nail, with slightly altered cover art.
The Japanese version of "Burial" has a bonus track ("Prodigal Son") which soon will be released on:
Extol - Mesmerized (Solid State) 1999
1. "Enthralled"
(3:58)
2. "Prodigal Son" (6:05)
3. "Storms of Disillusion" (5:11)
4. "Burial" (Sanctum Remix) (8:30)
5. "Renhetens Elv" (Sanctum Remix) (4:24)
6. "Work of Art" (Raison D'Etre Remix) (6:30)
Extol follow up their debut album Burial with the six-song digi-pack EP "Mesmerized" The first three songs are classic Extol material, some of it being re-recorded version of songs from their first demo. "Prodigal Son" is the bonus track off the Japanese version of "Burial" thereby negating my need to get that expensive import. The last three songs are annoying industrial remixes of songs from "Burial." Don't even think I have ever listened to all three all the way through yet. Probably never will.
Extol - Undeceived (Solid State) 2000
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1. "Inferno"
(5:15) |
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All I have to say is, Extol Rules! I didn't think they would be able to match their masterpiece "Burial" but they did, and exceeded it.
Extol also have three songs ("Viscous Intent," "Misunderstood," and "Seek the Righteous") on Northern Lights-Norwegian Metal Compilation (Rowe) Also "Celestial Completion" is on "This is Solid State Vol One".
Extol - Paralysis (Endtime) 2001
1. "Paralysis"
[Intro] (1:53)
2. "Your Beauty Divine" (5:05)
3. "Shadow of Death" (3:39)
4. "Human Frailties Grave" (4:31)
The only Extol CD to not be picked up and released by Tooth & Nail, although I believe all four tracks have recently been added onto the Century Media re-release of "Undeceived" as bonus tracks. Another stellar release from a band that cannot be pigeonholed into one particular style. Of course the vocals still fall squarely into the death metal style, but with the mix of all the clean vocals and the incredible melodies, I would not label Extol as death metal. This EP is essential for the cover of Believer's "Shadow of Death".
Extol - Synergy (Century Media) 2003
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"Grace for Succession" (4:12) 2. "Paradigms" (3:40) 3. "Psychopath" (3:47) 4. "Blood Red Cover" (3:37) 5. "26 Miles from Marathon" (4:12) 6. "Confession of Inadequacy" (3:47) 7. "Scrape the Surface" (3:20) 8. "Thrash Synergy" (5:20) 9. "Aperture" (3:11) 10. "Emancipation" (3:20) 11. "Nihilism 2002" (4:09) |
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Extol continue to amaze me. Instead of writing Undeceived Part II, Extol take a turn to a more thrash metal direction. Now that Extol are a part of Century Media, I suppose the budget was a tad larger, because the production is stepped up quite a bit. However, clean production is not something I ever concerned myself with when it came to Extol. Rather it was the bizarre and technical riffs, the stellar musicianship and the odd time signatures they came up with, as well as their sheer aggression. There is plenty of that on this disc. As a matter of fact, I might be so bold to say that this is their most technical album yet. Peter Espevoll's vocals are more varied on this disc, ranging from the death growls and black metal howls of past discs, to a thrash vocal that is not unlike Believer's Kurt Bachman. I also really enjoyed the addition of even more clean vocals by Ole Borud this time around. Many people seem to have noticed the similarity of this album to that of Extol's cover of "Shadow of Death". I think Believer's sound is, and always has been a big inspiration to the band. My only real complaint about this disc is it's lack of memorability. "Synergy" is a technically superb album, on which each note has been carefully and painstakingly put into its proper place. However it seems to me that Extol are a bit too technical most of the time, sacrificing any sort of memorable chorus or hook for technical skill. Even though that sounds like a real downfall, the songwriting still has an attraction that kept me coming back listen after listen. Part of the attraction may also be in the diversity they display. On track two ("Paradigms") for example, lead vocalist Peter Espevoll has a melodic duet with a Norwegian pop singer, Maria Solheim. While it may sound strange to have a pop singer on a thrash record, it works quite well. Also amidst all the brutality, the band played an acoustic track called "Aperture". Throughout the album, there is a mixture of thrash metal, melodic interludes, and melancholy acoustic sets. So, if you are looking for straight death metal or black metal, Extol is not the band for you. However, if you are searching for an album that is filled with stellar musicianship, odd time signatures, brutal riffs and some of the tightest thrash to be unleashed in a long time, then search out "Synergy". It will most definitely be on of my favorite discs for 2003.
Extol - The Blueprint Dives (Century Media) 2005
1. "Gloriana" (3:25)
2. "Soul Deprived" (3:26)
3. "In Reversa" (05:37)
4. "Pearl" (2:56)
5. "From The Everyday Mountain Top" (3:47)
6. "Another Adam's Escape" (4:37)
7. "The Things I Found" (6:24)
8. "Lost In Dismay" (5:15)
9. "Essence" (3:43)
10. "Void" (5:39)
11. "The Death Sedative" (4:55)
BONUS TRACKS
12. "Riding For A Fall" (3:42)
13. "Pearl" [video]
Extol have never been content to sit back on their laurels, instead choosing to move forward with each new CD and try something new. On top of that, Extol has been a revolving door of musicians with drummer David Husvik and vocalist Peter Espevoll being the band's mainstays. With new members coming and going and the band's experimentation, one would only expect their sound to change over time and that is certainly the case with "The Blueprint Drives". While the bands first two albums were a mixture of melodic death metal and some black metal influences and "Synergy" was of a progressive thrash metal nature, "The Blueprint Drives" moves into more melodic, atmospheric and somewhat uncharted territory. I've heard complaints from fans about the more melodic, less brutal nature of this new release and have even heard comparisons to some mainstream artists. Frankly I just don't hear the comparisons at all. What I hear is something completely new, fresh and certainly more song oriented. While it could be said that with past albums the band had something to prove technically, with "The Blueprint Drives" Extol has moved beyond trying to outplay every other band on the planet and has focused on writing songs. I can't ever recall using the term "catchy" when describing an Extol song, but with songs like "Gloriana" and "Pearl" this certainly can be said. Actually I might even describe "Gloriana" as a beautiful song. The use of more clean vocals is a welcome addition, although I must confess that I don't think the clean vocals here are anywhere near as good as in the past when Ole Børud was sharing vocal duties. OK, so am I saying that this is Extol's finest hour? Absolutely not! I mean this is not the same Extol that gave us masterworks like "Burial" and "Undeceived ". However, I also don't think it's as bad as some fans are saying. Actually, it might have been all those bad comments that left my expectations low so that when I did get to finally hear this CD, it was much better than I expected. I must confess, "Blueprint" is a grower. I didn't immediately like this CD, and in fact didn't like it at all on the first listen. The more I listened, the more I began to appreciate it. The thing is, had this not been an Extol release, I am not sure I would have even given it the multiple spins required for it to grow on me. Thankfully I ignored the hype and found an album that is very enjoyable.
The limited edition CD comes in a blue jewelcase and includes the bonus track "Riding For A Fall" as well as the enhanced video for "Pearl".
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Extol - Burial (Endtime Prod.) 1998