Extol
Bekkestua, Norway12 reviews across 4 releases
Extol is a Christian extreme-metal band from Bekkestua, Norway, formed in 1993 by guitarist Christer Espevoll and drummer David Husvik. Its early music joined technical death metal to black-metal harshness, rapid drumming and melodic guitar writing, with faith-based lyrics and occasional Norwegian-language songs. The 1998 debut Burial established that combination while making room for a flute passage and clean singing from guitarist Ole Børud. Mesmerized followed in 1999 as an uneven but revealing EP: its new material pushed the band toward faster black metal, while three industrial remixes reduced earlier songs to noise and electronic effects. On Undeceived in 2000, the black-metal element receded as violins and instrumentals broke up the technical death-metal attack, while the riffing became more accessible. By The Blueprint Dives in 2005, Extol had slowed down, added more clean vocals and pursued a darker, more melodic heavy-metal sound.
In 2004, Ole Børud and Christer Espevoll left Extol, and the group continued with a changed lineup before entering a hiatus in 2007. Peter Espevoll, Husvik and Børud re-formed the band in 2012, releasing the self-titled Extol in 2013 and returning to the stage the following year. Another hiatus followed. Extol resumed activity in 2023, bringing Christer Espevoll back and issuing the Labyrinth of Ill / Exigency EP; the reunited musicians also began appearing live again. In August 2026, the band announced Aura of Decay, its first full-length since 2013, for release on November 6 through Solid State Records.
4 releases reviewed
Undeceived
The Blueprint Dives