Extol

Still my favorite extreme metal band of all time. Just enjoying an extol playlist right now. I love the new album!

One of the best metal tunes ever recorded!

One of the great ones.

Other than Crimson Moonlight and A Hill to Die Upon, Extol are a favorite of mine of this genre.

Extol are my favorite Christian metal band and one of my top 20 all time favorite bands.

Extol is still my favorite too! Such a good band.

Candlemass wrote:One of the best metal tunes ever recorded!

Liked it up until the clean vocals kicked in..I could not look pass those vocals kind of kill it.

Another amazing song from their debut album.

Throne of thorns wrote:

Candlemass wrote:One of the best metal tunes ever recorded!

Liked it up until the clean vocals kicked in..I could not look pass those vocals kind of kill it.

Nonsense!

Throne of thorns wrote:Liked it up until the clean vocals kicked in..I could not look pass those vocals kind of kill it.

Funny, I feel the opposite. I love what they do musically and the guitar work, but the growling vocals makes it almost un-listenable for me.

d@v!d wrote:

Throne of thorns wrote:Liked it up until the clean vocals kicked in..I could not look pass those vocals kind of kill it.

Funny, I feel the opposite. I love what they do musically and the guitar work, but the growling vocals makes it almost un-listenable for me.

Well ill be a pickle! I just find the clean vox to well normal for whats going on with the musical setting. and well I like clean vox but those ones hmmm.....reminds me of being in church and someone singing up the front.

Never got into the debut record and I listened to it a ton - the follow up is so much better.

it's good but yeah Undeceived is next level good

d@v!d wrote:

Throne of thorns wrote:Liked it up until the clean vocals kicked in..I could not look pass those vocals kind of kill it.

Funny, I feel the opposite. I love what they do musically and the guitar work, but the growling vocals makes it almost un-listenable for me.

Nonsense as well, it's all good, it's "The Mighty Extol!"

EVERYTHING Extol has done is great in its' own right.  I prefer the earlier death/black material they did, but it's all good.  The new album is excellent as well.  The only critique I have of the new album are the clean vocals.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind clean vocals if they are done right (and usually Extol does it right), but the cleans on the newest album are just TOO perfect, WAY over processed.  It's almost as if New Kids or Nsync do special backup vocals.  I think the newest album is great.  But the cleans don't do anything for me on the new one.  I have no problem with the cleans on previous albums though.  Overall, it's still the mighty Extol, and it's still as solid of an album as you can get!  \m/

I've always REALLY loved this song from Undeceived...

Paradigms will most likely always be Murdock's favorite song they ever did.

When it comes to Extol, their older albums are better in my opinion.  ...but in regards to them being a Christian band/influence, I lost a good chunk of respect regarding them because of this picture. (warning - obscene gesture)

Spoiler:

Don't get me wrong, I fall short and make mistakes as a human being...  but I don't make public offensive gestures in a picture AS a Christian band.  

For my own conviction, its easier to stomach them as a clean secular band than as a Christian metal example.

ThomasEversole wrote:When it comes to Extol, their older albums are better in my opinion.  ...but in regards to them being a Christian band/influence, I lost a good chunk of respect regarding them because of this picture. (warning - obscene gesture)

Spoiler:

Don't get me wrong, I fall short and make mistakes as a human being...  but I don't make public offensive gestures in a picture AS a Christian band.  

For my own conviction, its easier to stomach them as a clean secular band than as a Christian metal example.

I mean, while I also find that gesture obscene, it's kind of hard to deny that literally every song they sing is about Christ, the Spirit of God, or redemption

Oh please... not THIS discussion again....

Just enjoy the music!

thisundyingfire wrote:
I mean, while I also find that gesture obscene, it's kind of hard to deny that literally every song they sing is about Christ, the Spirit of God, or redemption

This is the first time I've seen this. Some may say this is no big deal, but I think it discredits the band in a way with their Christian testimony. If they name the name of Christ, I think that should take precedent over trying to appear " edgy " to non believers.

.....that picture really baffles me.

....maybe that gesture means something else in their culture ?

It basically means the same in every western culture, but it got totally overused by punk / rock posers.
Seeing that Extol picture and bearing in mind that Europeans are way more relaxed about cuss words and joking insults than US-Americans it's pretty clear that those guys' posing was just a silly joke. It was a PARODY. The band looks really stupid and it was MEANT that way.

Tobi Elektrik wrote: The band looks really stupid and it was MEANT that way.

They succeeded.

Tobi Elektrik wrote:It basically means the same in every western culture, but it got totally overused by punk / rock posers.
Seeing that Extol picture and bearing in mind that Europeans are way more relaxed about cuss words and joking insults than US-Americans it's pretty clear that those guys' posing was just a silly joke. It was a PARODY. The band looks really stupid and it was MEANT that way.

I started a thread on this very subject on the nordicfest.no/forum years ago.
While you're right, Europeans are more casual regarding what us in America consider profane...

Still, half the comments from Europeans on the that thread found that picture to be obscene, profane, in bad taste, and they were genuinely embarrassed by Extol's behavior.  You can't chalk it up to culture because even the people of the culture were offended.

Here's another picture from another band (Christian black metal) that I'd like to use as an example.  I copied the pic to my server because its only on his band's facebook page.  Warning, profanity.

Spoiler:

While the cultural difference / language barrier certainly does play a part, this is definitely not a joke.  
I'll tell you why this picture above does NOT offend me in the slightest, but the Extol one DOES.

See, with our friend here saying "eff off Lucifer" (Dan really is a solid faith driven guy) - he's essentially saying something that we as Christians more or less agree with.  Granted its a very abrasive way of saying it, (abrasive enough that I wouldn't dare include it in my Christian art) but we all want Satan to go away.  No one feels that profanity is directed toward them personally because someone tells Satan to get bent.  (though the profanity, in my opinion, is definitely in bad taste)

Extol flipping off the camera is just saying "eff off" TO the camera, essentially bleeding that insult (or if you want to stand by the parody of an insult) to everyone.  I know they didn't take that picture just to tick me off, but seeing that almost feels personal.  
They're not telling Satan or Evil to eff off.  They're telling ME to eff off.  ...but just kidding?

I don't know about you, but I don't do well with several guys standing in front of me, flipping me off regardless of context.  Its very disrespectful and I'd have to show restraint if that happened in person.  ...its even HARDER to accept when those dudes flipping me, you and everyone else off are that Christian band you listen to.

The guy telling Satan to eff off, I disapprove of the harsh wording, but agree with the overall theme.

See, profanity is a man made thing. Why is the "f" word bad but intercouse is not? Could have just as easily been the other way around. Same with any other. "poop", if someone would have said "thats just a dirty word" (no pun intended) and then society as a whole (sheep mentality?) just went along and said, yeah...thats a bad word, then we'd all be typing p*%p, and saying the other word that for whatever reason has deemed "profane." Words are simply words, the weight given to them is a manmade thing. Same with iconography (and gestures). I've been asking this question for a long time and not once has anyone ever given a logical answer as to WHY certain words/gestures are bad and others are not. Because society says so isn't satisfactory. You can bring in the argument that says well, it's whats in the heart...but there again you begin circular reasoning because you can say "profane" words with absent bad intentions or thoughts. One can also be profane, coarse, foolish and jesting without ever uttering a single "curse" word or flipping an "obscene" gesture. I highly doubt God is on his throne wagging his finger and shaking his head in disapproval every time a "dirty" word or gesture is uttered or made. I'm inclined to believe God has weightier matters at hand than to be concerned about such semantic nit picking. This is another way society gags at a knat and swallows a camel. Just take, for example the doctor that gasps if you say "f*&k" in the operating room while he's aborting a baby. Hyperbole alert, but still. Sorry for the rant, but I think Extols intentions have been obvious despite a picture and a gesture that is now years old. I don't think they should be judged for it.