Customer Reviews

Synergy

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wasn't sure about the new sound of Synergy when I first bought the album shortly after it came out, but now I love it! I was used to the black metal brutality of Undeceived and Burial. It took me a few times to get used to the new sound of Extol. Well, these metal masters from Norway have successfully changed their style a little bit and they have amazed their fans with a brilliant album. I was really glad that Ole decided to return to the band for the recording of Synergy. His background vocals on Undeceived were breathtaking and he continues to give us all chills down our spine here on Synergy. Fans of old Extol beware; their new sound is different, and I am focusing mostly on the vocals of Peter Espevoll. Give it a chance. This album is phenomenal. Fans new to Extol please check into this band. Not only are they talented musicians, but all of them are outspoken Christians and they are not ones to cover up their faith in Jesus Christ!

I am not shocked by the great change of style/sound of extol with this album, probably due to the fact that I got ahold of the Paralysis ep(swedish only release...find a good import store like blastbeats). It showed a huge shift of direction, and Synergy is mostly a continuation of it. Everybody else who has reviewed this cd has already said it: the cd is entirely different than what you are used to. Burial was some of the best harmonic death metal ever. Undeceived was just a brutal death metal kick in the face with tons of beautiful, complex melodic strings/vocals underlying it. This time around, Extol was listening to the long extinct and out of print band Believer in order to do an accurate cover for the Paralysis ep. It seems that they realized what a great band they had found and decided to incorporate the Believer thrash sound into their own chaotic mix of melodic death/hardcore. This album is a nonstop technical metal masterpiece. Imagine the insane leads that Rocky Gray pulls off on Living Sacrifice cds being done the entire time the whole cd. The rhythm guitar is more insane than most lead parts, so just imagine the complexity of the leads! This cd is quite possibly some of the most technical, brutal, intense music I have ever heard. Evolution of the fittest usually favors bands who need to grow in their style. Extol could've easily become one of the greatest death metal bands of all time, with sufficient promotion, using their Undeceived sound. However, the sign of a truly great band is the ability to change and evolve in their careers into a bigger, better sound. Extol proves their greatness with Synergy. My only complaint with this album is that total play time comes in much shorter than any of their previous full lengths. But due to the style shift, this is understandable. If you like metal at all, or just appreciate a great show of talent, then buy this cd.

Musically, this is the tightest Extol has ever been... The record goes for a thrash sound which is fine with the exception of the vocals... The singer goes for more of a weak shout than an all out growl as in Undecieved. This distressed me greatly at first but after a few listens you get used to it. Not as good as Undecieved but still a great album.

The boys from Extol have clearly shown in the past that they are more than capable of playing any style of metal they wish. And their latest release, 'Synergy', is another fine example of their expertise in that area.
This time around Extol has taken a more "thrashy" approach to their songwriting. While being a very "up-beat" album, this album also returns to their more melodic style of writing; a la their first release "Burial".
Extol have always been technical in their song writing, but 'Synergy' far surpasses their previous releases in that aspect. The songs, structurely, are very well crafted and do not get "chopped up and muddy" with too much going on at the same time, as is the case with most other metal releases out there. Everything here is crisp and clear. Each instrument plays a unique part in 'Synergy', and never does one serve as just to be background "filler".
With the shift in the music's direction, Peter Espevoll(lead vocalist) has also changed, to an extent, his vocal style to compliment the new sound. With a more agressive and raw flavor in his screams, he also add's in some "clean" singing along with guitarist/clean vocalist Ole Borud. Add in the intelligent, skillful drumming of David Husvik, the shredding guitar work of Christer Espevoll, and the thick, masterful bass lines of John Robert Mjaland, and you have 'Synergy'.
The result: Magnificent!

I'm not really going to say much about this cd. If you liked Undeceived or Burial and you that this album will continue in the same vain and will not listen to it unless it is death metal or black metal, than this cd is not for you. Instead, this is what you would call technical thrash, and from what I have heard from others it sounds like somewhat like the old band Beleiver. So if you like technical metal of any kind or just open minded about what kind of music you listen to, than try this out. You might just like it.I did.

Extol's Synergy is a strong offering from this Swedish band. I have only heard one other song by this band, so I can't really comment on any changes they may have made. What I can say is that this is some of the most technical sounding music I have ever heard. Every song contains incredibly tight playing; the guitars and drums almost sound like one machine-like instrument, a trait shared by such bands as Meshuggah and Ephel Duath. Unlike those bands, however, Extol makes more use of solos, and many are especially striking. These are interweaved into the song, much like Opeth's. Also, like Opeth, they switch between harsh and melodic vocals, achieving a similar feel to their music. But unlike these bands, Extol's Synergy is extremely accessible. Grace for Succession actually could be a radio hit if it ever aired.

This CD is by far one of the most amazing I've ever heard. The guitarwork is amazing, and the rhythms are insane. A lot of the music is really hard to follow because of the weird rhythms, but in my opinion thats a good thing. It makes the music a lot more interesting. I pick up on something new every time I listen to this CD, and synergy is one of the most original CD's I have heard in a long time. The only thing that I don't absolutely love about synergy is the vocals. They take some getting used to, but overall the screams are pretty cool, and their are several different kinds of screams on this CD. The melodic vocals are pretty descent also, but overall the music stands out the most to me on synergy. I would recommend this CD to anyone whos into metal, death metal, black metal, and/or hardcore.

Why go thrash? This guy can't sing thrash! They sound more like Ganglion and that's how they should've released it as. The guy didn't use vocal distortions in the good old deathmetal days to make his voice sound deeper, he actually can sing like that. His vocals this time however seem, well boring. I want my old Extol back. Not that I don't like change, but instead if getting better, they got worse. Oh well Ole's singing makes up for it I guess.

I'm really pleased that Century Media saw fit to pick these guys up, and add yet another great band to their roster. There has been no doubt from the beginning (the release of "Burial") that Extol is a standout band who have great creativity and songwriting skill as well as amazing technical prowess. This album (along with the "Paralysis" EP - Swedish import only) marks a bit of a stylistic shift for the band, leaving behind some of the blackened brutality of the first two full-lengths and replacing it with a tech-thrash meets prog-metal style.
Some diehard fans of the earlier material may be a bit let down by the loss of the black/death sound, but I find that I like it for a number of reasons. The biggest reason that I like it is that it has made Extol a truly unpredictable, exciting band. At this point, one can't be certain what their next release will sound like. This shift has given them room to create and experiment, and musicians of this creative caliber need that.
By the way, the fact that it's not black or death metal does NOT mean that it isn't heavy... There's plenty of speed, intensity, and heaviness here, and it's played with amazing technical precision. If you liked the previous releases mainly for the brutality, you may want to give this album a careful listen before making the purchase; but if you enjoyed them just as much for their adventurous creativity and musical ability, you won't be let down by "Synergy."

What caught me off guard about this album is not the huge change in style; that I knew was coming. What startled me was how GOOD it turned out to be! I bought it expecting a mediocre-to-good record, nothing amazing, but it wasn't too expensive and I like Extol's older work so I picked it up, and was promptly blown away. This is a metalheads, and especially musician's, playground. All the technical goodies are still here: sudden time changes, riffs using odd rhythmic structure and harmonies, tightly planned out screaming. It's just all in a thrash setting rather than a black/death setting. Don't be worried by the picture of them looking like a bunch of indie rockers on the back: this is HEAVY. Every song has sections that made me sit up and say "wow," particularly in the guitar work. If you like metal at all, get this! It's different from Undeceived and turned out to be a startlingly original piece of work, especially for a Norwegian band.