Extol are one of those melodic death/black/technical
metal bands that truly does manage to bridge the
distance 'tween mettle and prog and nowhere do they do it better than on Synergy, a groundbreaking,
soul-sweeping disc that stuns as often as it
surprises. It helps that the guitar duo of Christer
Espevoll and Ole Borud (who doubles on vocals at
times) have created an impenetrable wall of sound with
their axes, a thick, scillia-scorching sound that only
comes around once in a while. (Check out "Paradigms,"
"Grace For Succession" or "Nihilism 2002" for more on
this.) It helps that the band also have drummer David Husvik on their side, a powerhouse among powerhouses, Husvik deserves to become on of the "name" drummer within metal (you also have to see him--and the band itself--live to get the full impact). (Bassist Jon Robert Mjaland and vocalist/acoustic guitarist Peter Espevoll round out the band in a more-than-adequate fashion. What more do you need to know?)
Techheads, proggers and headbangers can unite on this
one: If you miss out on Synergy you're making a grave mistake. (Dig the cover art by Hugh Syme, too, eh?)
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