History Extol

1 history

1.1 1993–1999: formation , burial
1.2 2000–2003: undeceived , synergy
1.3 2004–2005: blueprint dives
1.4 2012–present: documentary, extol , hiatus

history
1993–1999: formation , burial

extol formed in bekkestua, norway cousins drummer david husvik , guitarist christer espevoll, both 16 @ time. 2 had jammed since fall 1993 , wanted start band. christer s brother peter, 14 recruited vocal duties. bassist eystein holm joined on 17 may 1994 band rehearsing show day. in interview, peter explained band s name: extol means exalt, lift give glory to, , s s re about. want give god glory our lives , our music. extol wanted expand musical style beyond regular heavy metal music—according allmusic writer mike daronco, band intended show more of progressive side; rather typical run of mill group of burnouts focused more on image. style change necessitated guitarist, position emil nikolaisen of band royal filled in 1995.

the group garnered reputation in local scene. in january 1996, extol made first record appearance on norwegian metal compilation called northern lights. album featured other local christian artists antestor, schaliach, , groms. steve rowe of australian christian metal band mortification released compilation on record label, rowe productions. band ventured stockholm, sweden 2 months later first show outside homeland. @ end of 1996, nikolaisen departed devote more time royal, , replaced ole børud of schaliach , arnold b family.

in 1997, extol released independent 3 song demo entitled embraced. studio album recorded @ end of year though record label had not signed them. year passed before endtime productions picked band. debut album, entitled burial, released in december 1998. album licensed in united states on solid state records, , in japan on avalon records. critical reception positive christian , secular publications. daronco commented breath of fresh air among genre relies on satanic gimmicks.

shortly after, band played first shows in @ cornerstone festival , texas rockfest. extol conducted four-week tour swedish rock band blindside in summer 1999. ep released in november entitled mesmerized. featured 3 remixed tracks burial, reworked swedish industrial groups raison d être , sanctum, , 3 other songs; recorded one, outtake, , track japanese release. reception fans negative. holm left band , replaced tor magne glidje, played guitar in norwegian metal band lengsel.

2000–2003: undeceived , synergy

extol returned studio in december 1999 record follow album. in june 2000, second studio album, entitled undeceived, released. release saw music become harder , darker previous work, opting move towards death metal sound. song ember proved popular song among fans. børud left band, glidje switched on guitar, , john robert mjåland joined bassist.

in 2001, ep, paralysis, recorded; released in sweden. ep featured cover of shadow of death american thrash metal group believer, whom band considers great influence. after paralysis, glidje left band focus on other project, ganglion, , börud returned line-up. after undeceived released, extol no longer obligated endtime, , signed century media in 2002. album, synergy, released in 2003, showed greater appreciation of band believer. music on album similar believer s style of thrash metal. following release, extol toured europe , swedish progressive death metal group opeth.

2004–2005: blueprint dives

in june 2004, børud , christer espevoll left extol invest time , energy elsewhere . taking place permanent members in band return of tor magne glidje , ole halvard sveen, both ganglion, merged extol when 4 out of 5 band members ended playing in both bands.

in 2005, band released considered diverse album; blueprint dives, or blueprint short. music video shot song pearl . album nominated norwegian grammy, spellemannprisen, best norwegian metal album in 2005. also, blueprint voted top 5 metal albums of year list readers of biggest newspaper in norway, dagbladet. afterwards, extol toured europe mastodon, god forbid, , opeth, , winter solstice, becoming archetype, , showdown. album received rave reviews: example, eduardo rivadavia of allmusic gave album 4.5/5 , writes extol s greatest credit, offhand comparisons other bands impossible! on 9 august 2007 band announced through myspace page taking hiatus. glidje, mjåland , sveen went on form mantric, signed prosthetic records. husvik joined dr. midnight , mercy cult, includes members turbonegro, apoptygma berzerk , satyricon.

2012–present: documentary, extol , hiatus

in 2012, extol reformed trio consisting of peter espevoll, husvik, , börud, , announced documentary band, titled extol: of light , shade, being produced. on 23 april 2013, extol announced fifth album, extol, released in june. upon announcement, single open gates released streaming on youtube. indie recordings released album on 21 june in norway, germany, , austria, , on 24 june worldwide. facedown records released album on 25 june north america. album debuted @ no. 23 on billboard top christian albums chart. in july 2014, band performed first live concert since 2006. on 17 july, introduced names of additional 2 touring members: marcus bertilsson (inevitable end, miseration) on guitar , ole vistnes (shining, trastania, fleshkiller) on bass. documentary later released. band made onto list of top 20 best norwegian progressive metal bands in 2017. band on hiatus , børud working on project known fleshkiller. during hiatus, espevoll quit band due other commitments, leaving husvik , borud sole members. husvik went play in project christer espevoll, 1 of original members, while borud went on perform in fleshkiller.