Review: Extol

Extol
“Synergy”
(Century Media)

Prog-thrash rock with a math degree.  Shrieking in your ear knowing full well it can lean over to the left and croon something rather sweet in your girlfriend’s ear.  But mostly, it crawls on trick time changes and knock you off guard signatures.  Woven by some thick metallic rock/thrash that always has this eerie slowed down, counter time guitar or vocal line.  The Thought Industry influence shows on the intro to “Paradigms”, thrown aside by the sweet female voice that gets eaten by the Nuclear Assault voice.

At it’s most melodic, it’s swaying vocals over drums that that do a (rather weak) double bass (and I mean weak more on the production, not the actual execution).  Metal should have some crushing percussions and the mix on “Synergy” is often a bit dry and tinny.

At it’s most aggressive, it’s technically driven metal that fuses abrupt changes and speedy rhythm structures into something that always has a nod towards melody over mayhem. Norwegian metal that pushes the edges on structure and hits you often with melody when you least expect it.  Something for the progressive metal fan.  Who likes to impress chicks with his deep knowledge of Norwegian thrash metal.  Cause what chick isn’t impressed by that?  Oh yeah.