35-490: Extol is an extreme metal band from Bekkestua , Norway that was formed in 1993. The band is known for playing a variety of different styles of metal which include progressive metal , death metal , black metal and thrash metal . Over the course of their career, the band has released five studio albums and two EPs, beginning with their debut, Burial , in 1998. The band are noted for their precise, technical musicianship. The fourth album, The Blueprint Dives , received
70-607: A Spellemannsprisen nomination for Best Metal Album of 2005. Extol has toured the United States and Europe several times with such bands as Mastodon , God Forbid and Opeth . Collectively, Extol has sold over 500,000 albums worldwide. The last line-up before the hiatus included vocalist Peter Espevoll , guitarists Tor Magne Glidje and Ole Halvard Sveen, drummer David Husvik , and bass player John Robert Mjåland. Notable original guitarists were Ole Børud (of Schaliach fame) and Christer Espevoll , who contributed significantly to
105-510: A four-week tour with Swedish rock band Blindside in summer 1999. An EP, Mesmerized , was released in November. It featured three remixed tracks from Burial , which were reworked by Swedish industrial groups Raison d'être and Sanctum , and three other songs; a recently recorded one, an outtake, and a track from the Japanese release. The reception from fans was generally negative. Holm soon left
140-611: A given year, many artists that played at Cornerstone also played at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the Warped Tour . The final festival was held in 2012. Cornerstone Festival was a member of the Christian Festival Association . From 1984 to 1990, Cornerstone was held at the Lake County Fairgrounds near Grayslake, Illinois . In 1991, Cornerstone moved near
175-544: A live vocalist for touring the United States. Extol was formed in Bekkestua , Norway by cousins drummer David Husvik and guitarist Christer Espevoll , who were both 16 at the time. The two had jammed together since fall 1993 and wanted to start a band. Christer's brother Peter , 14 was recruited for vocal duties. Bassist Eystein Holm joined on 17 May 1994 as the band was rehearsing for a show that day. In an interview, Peter explained
210-492: A major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general. This early work by Venom, in combination with bands like Discharge , the Exploited and Amebix , as well as American hardcore punk, brought integral elements into the budding extreme metal landscape at the time. In 1983, Metallica would release their debut album Kill 'Em All , which fused elements of the new wave of British heavy metal with hardcore punk and
245-487: A majority of the songs on The Blueprint Dives had previously been written as Ganglion songs. On 9 August 2007 the band announced through their MySpace page that they were taking a hiatus. Glidje, Mjåland and Sveen went on to form Mantric , signed to Prosthetic Records . Husvik joined Dr. Midnight and the Mercy Cult , which includes members from Turbonegro , Apoptygma Berzerk and Satyricon . In 2012, Extol reformed as
280-564: A popular song among their fans. Børud then left the band, so Glidje switched over to guitar, and John Robert Mjåland joined as bassist. In 2001, another EP, Paralysis , was recorded; it was only released in Sweden. This EP featured a cover of "Shadow of Death" by the American thrash metal group Believer , whom the band considers to be a great influence. After Paralysis , Glidje left the band to focus on his other project, Ganglion, and Børud returned to
315-559: A position Emil Nikolaisen of the band Royal filled in 1995. The group soon garnered a reputation in the local scene. In January 1996, Extol made their first record appearance on a Norwegian metal compilation called Northern Lights . The album featured other local Christian artists Antestor , Schaliach , and Groms. Steve Rowe of Australian Christian metal band Mortification released the compilation on his record label, Rowe Productions . The band ventured to Stockholm , Sweden two months later for their first show outside their homeland. At
350-701: A reunion for Furnace Fest of 2023, hosted in Alabama, alongside additional reunited acts A Plea for Purging , Training for Utopia , Haste the Day and Becoming the Archetype . Unfortunately, citing visa issues, they were forced to withdraw less than a week before the event. Shortly after, it was announced Extol would also do a European reunion show for Brainstorm Festival on November 4, 2023, in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, alongside acts like Xandria, Serenity, Temperance and In Vain. With
385-628: A trio consisting of Peter Espevoll, Husvik, and Børud, and announced that a documentary about the band, titled Extol: of Light and Shade , was being produced. On 23 April 2013, Extol announced that their fifth album, Extol , was to be released in June. Upon this announcement, the single "Open the Gates" was released for streaming on YouTube. Indie Recordings released the album on 21 June in Norway, Germany, and Austria, and on 24 June worldwide. Facedown Records released
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#1732858748327420-506: Is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual transgression ". The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground , non-commercialized style associated with the speed metal , thrash metal , black metal , death metal , and doom metal genres. Hardcore punk has been considered an integral part of
455-508: Is also considered one of the first wave black metal albums that helped shape the genre. Their second album, The Laws of Scourge , was one of the first technical death metal records to be released. Genres influenced by extreme metal but usually not considered extreme themselves: Cornerstone Festival Cornerstone Festival was a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around July 4 near Bushnell, Illinois , drawing some 20,000 attendees each year. In
490-600: Is characterized by high levels of distortion (also in the vocals – growling, gargling or screaming), less focus on guitar solos and melody, emphasis on technical control, and fast tempos (at times, more than 200 beats per minute ). Its thematic transgression can be found in more overt and/or serious references to Satanism and the darker aspects of human existence that are considered out of bounds or distasteful, such as death, suicide and war. "Visual transgression [can include] ... medieval weaponry [and] bloody/horrific artwork." According to ethnographer Keith Kahn-Harris ,
525-520: The Swedish black metal band Marduk has commonly referenced the Nazi Panzer tanks, which can be seen in works such as Panzer Division Marduk (1999). The British band Venom are one of the first bands to venture into extreme metal territory, due to their ideological shift into themes of evil , the devil and hell . Their first two albums, Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982), were
560-478: The album on 25 June for North America. The album debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart. In July 2014, the band performed their first live concert since 2006. On 17 July, they introduced the names of the additional two touring members: Marcus Bertilsson ( Inevitable End , Miseration ) on guitar and Ole Vistnes ( Shining , Tristania , Fleshkiller ) on bass. The documentary
595-411: The announcements, they released the band's live lineup consisting of Husvik, Børud, Christer Espevoll, Tor Magne Glidje, and vocalist Elisha Mullins ( A Hill to Die Upon , War of Ages , Fleshkiller). The band expressed their want for Peter to return but that he had other commitments. They also teased new music with Peter on August 10. On September 6, 2024 Furnace Fest announced Extol would be playing at
630-513: The band and was replaced by Tor Magne Glidje , who played guitar in the Norwegian metal band Lengsel . Extol returned to the studio in December 1999 to record a follow-up album. In June 2000, their second studio album, Undeceived , was released. The release saw their music become "harder and darker" than their previous work, opting to move towards a death metal sound. The song "Ember" proved to be
665-448: The band cited influences from A-ha , Anathema , Believer, Nick Cave , The Crucified , The Cure , Cynic , Death, Faith No More , Kings X , Metallica , Joni Mitchell , Refused , Sixteen Horsepower , Tool , and Tourniquet, among others. After the reformation of the band in 2012, Børud stated in one interview that his influences range "from Death to Yes to Steely Dan to Jason Falkner and so forth." In another interview, he cited
700-491: The band were Tor Magne Glidje and Ole Halvard Sveen, both from Ganglion, which merged with Extol when four out of five band members ended up playing in both bands. In 2005, the band released what could be considered their most diverse album, The Blueprint Dives . A music video was shot for the song "Pearl". The album was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy, Spellemannprisen , for best Norwegian metal album in 2005. The album
735-547: The band's influences as "old stuff such as Rush, Genesis or Yes. But it could as easily be an old church hymn or a jazz tune from Chris Potter . Or it might even be just a mood from a certain day that will trigger a certain melody. As far as groove and beat goes we are all fans of the old school death metal approach such as old Death, Pestilence and all of those guys." Current members Former members Live musicians Timeline Studio albums EPs Compilations Videos Extreme metal Extreme metal
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#1732858748327770-498: The band's name: "Extol means to exalt, to lift up what you give glory to, and that's what's we're all about. We want to give God all the glory with our lives and with our music." Extol wanted to expand their musical style beyond regular heavy metal music —according to AllMusic writer Mike DaRonco, the band intended to show "more of a progressive side ; rather than a typical run of the mill group of burnouts who focused more on their image." The style change necessitated another guitarist,
805-458: The band's songwriting. After reforming in 2012, the band consisted of Peter Espevoll, Husvik, and Børud. The band released its fifth album, Extol , in 2013. The band was again on hiatus from 2017 until 2023. The band reformed again in 2023 with Peter and Christer Espevoll, David Husvik, and Ole Børud. In addition to touring live in 2023, with Elisha Mullins as a live vocalist, the band released two singles in 2024. In 2024, Bruce Fitzhugh served as
840-761: The defining characteristics of extreme metal can all be regarded as clearly transgressive : the "extreme" traits noted above are all intended to violate or transgress given cultural, artistic, social or aesthetic boundaries. Kahn-Harris states that extreme metal can be "close to being ... formless noise", at least to the uninitiated listener. He states that with extreme metal lyrics, they often "offer no possibility of hope or redemption" and lyrics often reference apocalyptic themes. Extreme metal lyrics often describe Christianity as weak or submissive, and many songs express misanthropic views such as "kill every thing". A small number of extreme metal bands and song lyrics take radical (left or right) political stances; for example,
875-499: The development of extreme metal in song structure and speed, apart from the case of doom metal. Extreme metal acts set themselves apart from traditional heavy metal acts, such as Iron Maiden , Judas Priest and Motörhead , by incorporating more abrasive musical characteristics such as higher tempos, increased aggression and a harsher extremity. In the majority of the world, extreme metal does not receive much radio-play or achieve high chart positions. Extreme metal's sonic excess
910-409: The end of 1996, Nikolaisen departed so he could devote more time to Royal, and was replaced by Ole Børud of Schaliach and Arnold B Family. In 1997, Extol released an independent three-song demo: Embraced . A studio album was recorded at the end of the year even though a record label had not signed them. Almost a year passed before Endtime Productions picked up the band. Their debut album, Burial ,
945-424: The fest in 2024 and visas had already been secured. During the early 2000s, the band cited influence from Believer , Death , Galactic Cowboys , Meshuggah , early Mortification , Rush , and early Tourniquet . Christer Espevoll stated in an interview that the primary influences for his guitar playing were bandmates Emil Nikolaisen and Ole Børud. In an interview after the release of 2005's The Blueprint Dives ,
980-399: The festival's main stage moved to the "Midway", which is about 0.7 miles northeast of its previous location in the "bowl". The 2011 festival featured a Jesus Rally showcasing many of the groundbreaking Jesus music artists including; Servant , Daniel Amos , Randy Stonehill , Barry McGuire , Resurrection Band , Phil Keaggy , and Classic Petra . On May 15, 2012 it was announced that
1015-528: The line-up. After Undeceived was released, Extol was no longer obligated to Endtime Productions, and they signed with Century Media in 2002. Their album, Synergy , released in 2003, showed an even greater appreciation of the band Believer and their style of thrash metal. Following the release, Extol toured Europe and US with the Swedish progressive death metal group Opeth . In June 2004, Børud and Christer Espevoll left Extol to "invest their time and energy elsewhere". Taking their place as permanent members in
1050-527: The members forming Celtic Frost in its place, which proved very influential on the progression of the genre. During this period, the line between extreme metal genres were blurred, as thrash metal bands such as Slayer, Sepultura , Sodom , Destruction and Kreator were integral to the first wave black metal scene. The front cover of the Sarcófago 's 1987 debut album, I.N.R.I. , was a major influence on black metal's corpse paint style make-up. That record
1085-408: The style of Motörhead , becoming the first thrash metal album, and would eventually be certified triple platinum. A few months later, Slayer would release their own thrash metal album Show No Mercy , influenced by the sounds of Venom, Judas Priest , Iron Maiden , and Mercyful Fate . When extreme metal band Hellhammer first began making music, it was generally panned by critics, leading to
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1120-517: The town of Bushnell (outside Macomb ) where the organizers of the festival purchased a large piece of land, which is now called "Cornerstone Farm". Tens of thousands of people attended Cornerstone Farm each year and saw over 300 bands play many styles of music, including rock , metal , punk , hardcore and pop music . In addition to the many musicians, Cornerstone Festival also presented guest speakers, and featured independent/foreign film screenings, writers' seminars, and art workshops. In 2010
1155-500: Was later released. The band made it onto a list of the top 20 best Norwegian progressive metal bands in 2017. The band went on hiatus until 2023. During the hiatus, Espevoll quit the band due to other commitments, leaving Husvik and Børud as sole members. Husvik went on to play in a project called Azusa with Christer Espevoll, one of the original members, while Børud went on to perform in Fleshkiller. On January 18, 2023, Extol announced
1190-529: Was released in December 1998. The album was licensed in the United States on Solid State Records , and in Japan on Avalon Records . Critical reception was very positive from Christian and secular publications. DaRonco commented that it was "a breath of fresh air among a genre that relies on satanic gimmicks." Shortly after, the band played their first shows in the US at Cornerstone Festival and Texas Rockfest. Extol conducted
1225-472: Was voted among the top five metal albums of the year by readers of Norway's largest newspaper, Dagbladet . Afterwards, Extol toured Europe with Mastodon , God Forbid , and Opeth, and the US with Winter Solstice, Becoming the Archetype , and The Showdown . The album received rave reviews: Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic gave the album 4.5/5 and writes that "to Extol's greatest credit, offhand comparisons to other bands are almost impossible!" According to Glidje,
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