Reviews list for Extol - Burial (1998)

I'm not gonna lie, Extol is very much the true definition of Norwegian of black-ish progressive death metal. The more deathly metalheads can get their tech-death from bands like Suffocation and Nile, but I can get it from progressive masterpieces like Extol's debut Burial. One of the greatest albums of extreme technicality!

When it comes to progressive/technical death metal, extreme hyperspeed is often the key. Just as long as it remains progressive and not heading into too much of the brutal side. This album has all of that in savage fury. The heavy brutality also comes in contact with some melody and experimentation. Everything is blended together as it should be, and nothing is out of order.

"Into Another Dimension" is the intro that takes you through just that in a brief minute and a half, the way Into Eternity would but more extreme. It segues to the diverse blackened "Celestial Completion" that I enjoy. The insane title track follows through. "Renhetens Elv" (The River of Purity) is another blackened track with more folk.

The lyrics of God are more prominent in "Superior". Then "Reflections of a Broken Soul" continues the amazingness with more cleans and lyrics of depression. "Justified" takes on the Devil. "Embraced" shines with more heaviness and lyrics of depression.

"Innbydelse" (Invitation) starts off in the first minute sounding somewhere between doomy and almost a slam deathcore breakdown, and then launches into more of the black-ish tech-death. Sadness and sorrow covers "Tears of Bitterness" while maintaining the speed. "Work of Art" is exactly that! And a crushing one too. "Jesus Kom Til Jorden For Å Dø" (Jesus Came to World to Die) is a clean doomy hymn originally written by session keyboardist Arnold Børud, father of guitarist/clean vocalist Ole Børud.

All the extreme technicality you can find is in Extol's 1998 debut. It is one of my favorite albums of progressive/technical death metal, and it's just the start of the band's incredible discography. Extol can really show that extreme progressive greatness exists!

Favorites: "Celestial Completion", "Renhetens Elv", "Reflections of a Broken Soul", "Embraced", "Innbydelse", "Work of Art"