Extol

All I can say is how thankful I am that Extol is still with us! What an amazing comeback for a band that many had written off. Their 5th full length is an absolutely spectacular return to the greatness of their first two releases. And that is no small feat considering that Burial and Undeceived are two of the most important and innovative releases in the history of Christian metal. Snow falling outside seems the appropriate setting in which to review this seminal bands’ latest outpouring of progressive death/black metal. Listening to these songs for months now, I am still impressed by the complexity, the melody, the harshness, the brutal honesty … what more can metal demand than this kind of intense passion and commitment. While the band has been honed over time to the threesome of Peter Espevoll (vocals), Ole Borud (guitars, vox, bass) and David Husvik (drums), there is a maturity here that is hard to describe … and a chemistry that few bands share. The harsh vocals and melodic mix well on songs like “Open The Gates” and “Behold the Sun” yet there is never a doubt here as to the bands’ extreme nature. Everything here is first rate, and fans of extreme progressive metal will find no better band than Extol wherein to experience the power of the Spirit juxtaposed so perfectly with brilliant and aggressive metal outpourings.

Extol returns after many years of silence with an album that is universally acclaimed and beautifully written. It combines all the elements that have made Extol famous over the years. It is unapologetically progressive and impressively technical. It possesses a nordic heaviness that cannot be denied. It encapsulates the styles found on Extol's albums over the years and build on them with something quite new.There is no 'old, well established band' staleness here. No. The music is just as fresh and creative as if they started yesterday. They're passion for metal and songwriting excellence shine through this album. A worthy accomplishment.Recommended to anyone who likes good metal. Even if you shy away from death metal due to a deficiency of metal in your head, you should still love this album if you have any understanding of music.Highly recommended.Universally acclaimed by critics and fans alike.

Before just a casual Extol listener, the quality of their new self-titled really caught me off guard. From the ever-changing time signatures to the tight vocal harmonies, this album has become a favorite in my collection. That has a lot to do with the lyrical content; unabashedly inspired by biblical scripture, and yet it never comes off cheesy or forced. 'Betrayal' convicts me, 'Open the Gates' uplifts me, and I can't count how many times 'Faltering Moves', the masterpiece of this album, has had me in its grip with gut-wrenching guitars and expressive vocal delivery. The words in many of these have deeply affected me spiritually and I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to call this a worship album, albeit one that is farthest from the soulless Christian vanilla you usually hear on the radio.All the elements come together so well that it forced me to take notice of an unmistakably talented band I never gave much time to before. Complex and distinct, the musical compositions are fantastic ('A Gift Beyond Human Reach', 'Unveiling the Obscure'), and on my first few listens I had no idea where the song structures were taking me.Music industry mediocrity seems everywhere, and this is a much-needed antidote.

I think that only Living Sacrifice's "Reborn" comes close to being second place to this masterpiece. My favorites are "Open the Gates", "Behold the Sun", and "Wastelands". Ranking the songs on a scale from 1 to 10 - with 10 being the highest possible ranking:1. Betrayal (7)2. Open the Gates (8.5)--epic; inspiring3. Wastelands (8)--beautiful4. A Gift Beyond Human Reach (6.5)5. Faltering Moves (6)6. Behold the Sun (8.5)--superb heavy breakdown7. Dawn of Redemption (5)8. Ministers (6.5)9. Extol (7.5)--"I've found peaceYour Breath of Life strengthen my bonesIn my deepest desperation and fearYour presence within my heart." (I like that)10. Unveiling the Obscure (7.5)--epic ghostly breakdown

I've never heard something quite like Extol before. While admittedly, I don't dive into the realm of progressive metal much, I do enjoy other facets of the genre, and Extol manages to stand out as being a band that I haven't been a contemporary for.Extol's brand of metal revolves around a multi-faceted door - one moment they are chugging, vicious death metal and the next moment a swooning melody pours forth, oftentimes even in the same song. I hear traces of Devin Townsend in some of their songs, particularly on "Open the Gates." Moments of rhythmic brutality akin to Gojira also shine through, and on songs like "A Gift Beyond Human Reach" this blend with atmospheric beauty to create an amalgamation of pure metal.The drumming is tight and interesting. The vocals, between the rasps and crooning, are stand-outs, and the bass/guitars never fail. This is one of the finest metal albums I've purchased in a while.

this band is amazing. i LOVE this album. i have no choice but to study their older releases and get into them.i havent been this blown away by a band in a long time. so much time and effort and craft clearly goes into their music. outstanding. hard to believe i havent heard of them until only weeks ago. i almost feel bad for not hearing them until now. but no matter, ive found a new band to love, and LOVE them i certainly do. musicianship at its finest!

This is a very unique band who have continued to evolve and grow with each album. They remain a very brutal death/black metal styled band, but there are many influences and styles within the music on this album, like the previous even more evident. This album may not be as varied and ecclectic as the one before, but it is a very sharp, dense and heavy album which still finds them sounding only like themselves, with the mixed parts of black metal, death metal, progressive rock/metal, melodic parts and more. For fans of very heavy death/black/ prog metal, Messhugah, Enslaved, Slayer, Cradle, Dillinger, tech/djent metal and more.

Este CD era para regalar.Ha sido mi primer pedido y espero volver a pedir otros productos en el futuro

ノルウェーのプログレッシブ・デスメタルバンド、エクストルの2013年作1998年にデビューし、激しさと知的さを併せ持つ通好みのサウンドで人気を博すも、4作を残して沈黙。本作は8年ぶりとなる5作目で、一聴してモダンなヘヴィさが耳につくが、その独自のヘンタイサウンドは健在。変則リズムを取り入れたテクニカルな硬質感とともにスラッシーに疾走しながらも、唐突なまでのメロウなキャッチーさを覗かせるところなどは、いかにもこのバンドらしい。ヘヴィなリフとメロディックなフレーズを極端なまでに変化させるギターのセンスも抜群で、クールな切れ味とリズムの遊び、メロトロンまで使用したプログレ的なセンスが冴え渡る力作だ。

Extol sind beim ersten Hören nicht sehr eingängig, sie haben ihren eigenen Stil, wirklich gute Musiker, immer wieder entdecke ich Neues. Kein Mainstream, sondern Qualität, abwechslungsreich, ideenreich und in der Lage, meine Stimmung genau zu treffen. Bei Youtube kann man die ganze CD hören. Extol haben hier Neues abgeliefert, sind dabei unverkennbar Extol geblieben. Nichts für Leute, die auf Mainstream stehen oder Angst vor positiven, christlichen Texten haben.