Artist: Extol
Label: Century Media
Release Date: 8/12/03
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Title: Synergy Artist: Extol Label: Century Media Release Date: 8/12/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Go to Reader Reviews |
Abyss's Review:
Extol is another one of those experimental/progressive bands that blends hardcore and metal threads throughout their music. These bands, for me at least, are largely hit or miss. Many of them have a lot to offer, treading new ground and bringing the listener into different sonic worlds. But on the other hand, many of them are boring, centering far too much on odd textures and awkward bridges and ignoring any sense of listenability.
"To truly understand this disc you have to really invest a good deal of time into it, but this time the investment just doesn't pay off." So where do Extol fall in this spectrum? I'm not really sure. They are definitely not for everyone, but they do avoid being tedious. They have interesting structure and explore new ground without really doing anything overtly annoying. That being said, I don't really have any burning need to listen to them again. This is largely because while the songs are complex and well thought out, they aren't immediately distinguishable from each other. And while I do find myself appreciating each song more and more with each listen, I don't find myself liking them any more than when I first heard them. It hits me like a long and winding road that brings you back to where you started. To truly understand this disc you have to really invest a good deal of time into it, but this time the investment just doesn't pay off.
The lone standout track on this disc is "Aperture". This song stands out because it is totally acoustic and clean, without the slightest inkling of aggression, but that's not why I feel it stands out. I like it because it has a vulnerable and haunting melody that really strikes a chord, even though I often find myself annoyed with these types of tangents. The rest of the album incorporates harsh/clean vocals, many in a hardcore vein, and thrash riffing in between the experimental wanderings.
"Not a terrible album, but ultimately not satisfying." Fans of Ephel Duath will most likely dig this one, but personally I'd rather listen to bands like Mr. Bungle, Naked City, and A Life Once Lost to get my experimental fixes. Not a terrible album, but ultimately not satisfying. One word review: Interesting.
Death's Review:
"The musicianship is first-rate. These guys can play; aggressive, extreme metal with serious finesse, yet which never sounds like musical masturbation." To "extol" the virtues of Synergy:
- This album is "eclectic" and evidences "varying influences" in all the right ways. Often when you hear of a metal album being "difficult to classify" or taking on aspects of diverse sub-genres, it means that the band has gone mellow, jazzy, arty or whatever. Extol are diverse and eclectic yet are totally, completely and unrelentingly aggressive, and will tear your fucking head off right out of the box with track one and continue to do so throughout the album. Always a plus in my book.
- Extol are thrashy as hell, with sick, old-school styled riffs and fast, aggressive technicality; yet never for a moment do they sound like anything remotely "dated." Modern-sounding thrash/speed metal? You betcha.
- The production is clean, the sounds are bright and the recording is extremely "present." The album sounds fresh and alive and yet never sounds overproduced. Can a record sound raw and angry yet have a first-rate clean-sounding production? I think yes, because this album has nailed it.
- The musicianship is first-rate. These guys can play; aggressive, extreme metal with serious finesse, yet which never sounds like musical masturbation. Sometimes we're talking Destruction, sometimes Dillinger Escape Plan, sometimes God Forbid, sometimes Meshuggah, sometimes Sound of Perserverence era Death. Throw 'em all together, and you've got a clear example of a band that can actually play well but doesn't care whether you know it or not, which often is the perfect combination.
"We just need more focused songwriting, and less emphasis on the 'change directions every ten seconds to sound like a New Jersey metalcore band' type of thing." Now, the flip side:
In sum, that's four plus and two minus. Still, Extol ends up with a mere three skulls from me on this their virgin Metal Judgment analysis. There is no doubt that this is an excellent band with something original to offer as musicians and performers - displaying diversity and eclecticism in the context of an all-out pummeling assault. The fourth and fifth skulls are withheld, however, because they are too "all over the map" with the songwriting, and the screamed vocals grate on me after a while.
- Vocally, this is a good performance, with two distinct styles, hardcore screaming and a cleaner voice. While I actually like the clean voice, as a whole, the hardcore vocals are just too much. Too spastically screamed, too "metalcore" generic (considering the age of the band and their Norwegian roots, they probably come from a more blackened place - admittedly, this is my first exposure to Extol so I do not know the history - but in this context of these riffs they come across as hardcore-esque, at least to my ears, and I don't always like them). I admit that at times the thrashiness of the music allows me to evoke the feelings of old German thrash a la Destruction or Kreator, but too often they devolve into just another 21st Century hardcore/metalcore band, at least vocally, and this detracts from the overall product in my opinion.
- The songwriting needs to mature. Funny thing to say about a band that has been around for almost a decade. None of the songs really stick with you enough. There are some killer parts, some great aggressive feelings, some originality and some cool, thrashy riffs on display here. We just need more focused songwriting, and less emphasis on the "change directions every ten seconds to sound like a New Jersey metalcore band" type of thing. Funny thing to say about a band from Norway. What can I say though - I just call it like I hear it.
Hel's Review:
There was quite a build up surrounding this album - for some reason, everyone seemed to be talking about it - and I didn't really know what I was in for going into it, as I had previously never even heard of these Norwegians. Given the premise that I generally don't like anything even resembling hardcore, you can imagine my immediate disappointment at the hardcore-style delivery prevalent in the vocal lines, and the transient hardcore feel that intermittently pops up throughout this album.
"Given the premise that I generally don't like anything even resembling hardcore, you can imagine my immediate disappointment at the hardcore-style delivery prevalent in the vocal lines." It would certainly be a mistake to refer to Extol as a hardcore band, however, as the elements I have just describe encompass everything even remotely hardcore to be found on this record. For the most part, it would be impossible to call their music anything but "experimental," this being the favored term for just about anything that is fundamentally based around sliding time signatures and jolting passages which propel the listener from measure to measure. Skill with your instrument is mandatory when trying to make discordance sound deliberate, and Extol exhibits consummate mastery in this arena.
"It is necessary to stress that this is a rather minor flaw in an otherwise mind-boggling effort." So while I am fond of songs that erratically stop and start, and favor a multitude of time signatures within a single song, the vocal style was off putting for me. If not for this mild personal issue, I can imagine that I would have fully embraced Extol, and would be lauding it highly. I am, in fact, still lauding it highly, but I would caution listeners who share my anti-hardcore quirk to expect this twist, for if you know it's coming, it is easier to digest. It is necessary to stress that this is a rather minor flaw in an otherwise mind-boggling effort. Extol have produced a top-notch effort that is sure to entertain those with an adventurous taste in metal.
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