The band was formed by drummer David Husvik and guitarist Christer Espevoll, who had been playing together and wanted to start a band. Peter Espevoll became their vocalist. In 1994, bassist Eystein Holm joined the band just before their first gig. Emil Nikolaisen joined as a second guitarist in 1995.
In 1996, they recorded for Norwegian metal compilation, "Northern Lights". Later that year they recorded "Embraced", a short demo. Ole Børud, formerly known for his death/doom project Schaliach, soon replaced Nikolaisen, who wanted to give more attention to his other projects. Extol's debut album, "Burial", was released in 1997 on Endtime Productions and showcased a death metal sound. It was licenced to the US through Solid State Records and to Japan through Avalon Records. The next year, they released the EP, "Mesmerized", which featured three industrial remixes of songs from "Burial" by the bands Raison d'être and Sanctum. Eystein was replaced by Tor Magne Glidje on bass. "Undeceived" was released two years after "Burial", and featured a heavier and darker sound. Then Ole left the band, so Tor Glidje switched over to guitar, and John Robert Mjåland joined as bassist.
In 2001, another EP, "Paralysis", was recorded; to be released in Sweden only. This EP featured a cover of "Shadow of Death" by the reputed American avant-garde/thrash metal band Believer, whom the band considers to be a great influence. After "Paralysis", Tor Magne left the band to focus on his other project, Ganglion, and Ole returned to the line-up. After "Undeceived" was released, Extol was no longer obligated to Endtime, and they signed with Century Media in 2002.
"Synergy", released in 2003, saw the band evolve into a technical thrash unit. Lead singer Peter Espevoll has said that it was largely a tribute to the band Believer. The music on the album is very similar to Believer's style of thrash metal. Following the release, Extol toured Europe and US with the Swedish progressive death metal group Opeth.
In June 2004, Ole Børud and Christer Espevoll left Extol to "invest their time and energy elsewhere". Taking their place as permanent members in the band are the return of Tor Magne Glidje and Ole Halvard Sveen, both from Ganglion, that 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. Also, "Blueprint" was voted for the Top 5 metal albums of the year list by the readers of one the biggest newspapers in Norway, Dagbladet. The album received rave reviews: For example, Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic gave the album 4.5/5 and wrote:
"To Extol's greatest credit, offhand comparisons to other bands are almost impossible!"
Afterward, Extol toured Europe with Mastodon, God Forbid, Opeth, and the US with Haste the Day, Becoming the Archetype, and The Showdown.
On August 9, 2007 the band announced through their MySpace page that they were currently on a hiatus.
In 2012, the production of the crowd funded film 'Extol - The Documentary' marked the return of the band. On a facebook post, the remaining members, Peter Espevoll and David Husvik, along with former member Ole Børud, announced that the band was back and that they were in the process of reccording the fifth album of the band.
Discography:
Studio albums:
* 1998: Burial (Endtime Productions)
* 2000: Undeceived (Endtime Productions, re-issued by Century Media in 2003)
* 2003: Synergy (Century Media)
* 2005: The Blueprint Dives (Century Media)
Miscellanious:
* 1997: Embraced (demo)
* 1999: Mesmerized (EP, Endtime Productions)
* 2001: Paralysis (EP, Endtime Productions)
Sideprojects:
The band members have all, at different times, had different projects. The current members of the band at various times were all members of post-thrash/rock group Ganglión. Ole Sveen, John Mjåland, and Tor Glidje comprise the avant-garde black-metal band Lengsel. David Husvik has played for The Crest and technical thrash group Absurd, and collaborated with former Spiral Architect members for Twisted Into Form.
Former member Ole Børud was a solo artist, Christer Espevoll has joined post-hardcore/metalcore band Benea Reach (former Selfmindead members); he also played on Absurd². Former guitarist Emil Nikolaisen currently plays guitar and lead vocals for indie rock band Serena Maneesh and was previously with Scandinavian indie band Royal.
Shelter
Extol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not the picture of You I see
The impressions, the sight, the thoughts
Are stuck into my mind
My vision is blurred
I can't see clearly
I can't hear Your voice
Something inside tearing me apart
Trusting myself to find the way out
Leading me just deeper into
A well of confusion and mourning
There is nothing else for me to do
But to put my hope and trust in You
I know You will lead me through
When my eyes are focused on You
Let me dwell in Your shelter
Let me live in Your shadow
Free me from these destroying plagues
Your faithfulness is my shield and protection
The lyrics of Extol's song "Shelter" begin with the singer closing their eyes, but instead of a comforting image of God, they see troubling thoughts and impressions stuck in their mind. The singer's vision is impaired, and they can't hear God's voice, all of which is affecting their peace of mind. Something inside the singer is tearing them apart, leading them deeper into a well of confusion and mourning. However, the singer acknowledges that they have no choice but to put their hope and trust in God, recognizing that God will lead them through when their focus is on Him.
The second half of the song refocuses on God as the singer pleads with Him to allow them to dwell in His shelter and live in His shadow. The singer recognizes that God is their shield and protection and asks for Him to free them from their destroying plagues.
Overall, the lyrics of "Shelter" demonstrate the singer's struggle to find peace and focus amidst the chaos and confusion in their mind. Despite this, the singer ultimately turns to God for guidance and protection, recognizing His faithfulness as their shield.
Line by Line Meaning
I close my eyes
I choose to ignore the images that surround me and focus on something else
It's not the picture of You I see
When I close my eyes, I don't see a physical representation of You
The impressions, the sight, the thoughts
The memories, interpretations, and ideas about You
Are stuck into my mind
Are deeply ingrained and difficult to change
My vision is blurred
I can't see things clearly
I can't hear Your voice
I can't perceive Your guidance
It's all disturbing my peace of mind
These obstacles are making me feel unsettled and uneasy
Something inside tearing me apart
I feel conflicted and unsure of how to proceed
Trusting myself to find the way out
I used to rely on myself to solve problems and make decisions
Leading me just deeper into
But that only made things worse
A well of confusion and mourning
I fell into a state of confusion and sadness
There is nothing else for me to do
I can't solve this on my own
But to put my hope and trust in You
The only way out is to rely on You
I know You will lead me through
I have faith that You will show me the way
When my eyes are focused on You
When I keep my attention on You
Let me dwell in Your shelter
Provide me with a place of safety and comfort
Let me live in Your shadow
Allow me to be close to You and protected by You
Free me from these destroying plagues
Protect me from the harmful things around me
Your faithfulness is my shield and protection
I trust that You will always be there for me and keep me safe
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: XAVIER RUDD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jesus Saves - Christian Music Channel
Shelter lyrics:
I close my eyes
It's not the picture of You I see
The impressions, the sight, the thoughts
Are stuck into my mind
My vision is blurred
I can't see clearly
I can't hear Your voice
It's all disturbing my peace of mind
Something inside tearing me apart
Trusting myself to find the way out
Leading me just deeper into
A well of confusion and mourning
There is nothing else for me to do
But to put my hope and trust in You
I know You will lead me through
When my eyes are focused on You
Let me dwell in Your shelter
Let me live in Your shadow
Free me from these destroying plagues
Your faithfulness is my shield and protection
Mark Garvin
Honestly, this has been my favorite song since it was released. I'm 35 now and cannot get enough. Amazing album.
Alexander lumberjack
Its so evil and awesome, im 32 and still love extol