Listen to it more than once. - This is a tricky CD to review. Of all Extol s CDs, this one is the strangest one-- and arguably their most creative. Let me put it this way-- Extol will most likely be forever remembered for Undeceived-- s titanic, technical-death metal release, worthy to be purchased by anyone who likes hard music. Part of the reason for that was the guitar work was so techincal-- fast, heavy, intiricate and, creative. Well, Blueprint Dives is in many ways the sequel to Undeceived, but on a higher, conceptual level. While the guitar work is no longer a poster-child for speedy, tricky licks, and indeed is more stripped down, the music itself is still every bit as creative and edgy. Most every song switches tempos and the riffs are always chaning, few songs use standard song structuring with intro versse chorus, solo at the end, wash and repeat. Not here. The song-writing blue-print metaphorically takes a dive. While Extol isn t playing sludge metal and has no metal-core/hardcore elements, it is very similar to Mastodon in the sense that you will always be off base if you re expecting them to just go back to the chorus. And that is the album s selling point and its struggling point. Because the music is constantly changing, each song takes a little before you re able to get a feel for it. A few songs are catchy right off the bat-- Gloriana and Pearl-- most you will need to listen to once or twice before you see the beauty of their vision. But trust me, the ablum is really quite creative and beautiful and has some of Extol s best song-- Another Adam s Escape, From the Everyday Mountain Top, and The Death Sedative. After giving the album a listen or two, I found that it was quite extreme, but on the compositional level. If you just listen for a good guitar riff or just want some fast drumming, then you are missing what Extol is doing with the whole composition of the song. Please get this CD and give it a few listens, it s quite good, very extreme (just not in a technical guitar sense) and in many ways genre expanding. There really aren t many CDs like this.
Great christian cd - This cd is awesome. I love extol because of their great lyrics and music. I listen to them everyday and I m still not bored with this cd. Buy this cd if you like metal/rock music.
Great album with real variety and creativity. - Preconceptions can be a nasty thing to overcome. That s one of the problems I face when I review albums. Since I m listen to albums after I read a lot reviews on them, I generally know how the rest of the public feels towards a particular album before I review it. If an album is being raved about and I think its terrible, calling it terrible and rating it accordingly can feel a little traitorous. And reviewing an album like Blueprint which has received a critical flogging can be difficult too as its easy just to write it off without really giving it a proper listen. Well, I m trying really hard to be honest about how I feel about albums, so here goes nothing.Extol s latest album is excellent! It just takes a while to get under your skin and you need to accept that this is not the same Extol as on previous releases. They ve truly thrown a curveball here and have turned into an original and far more interesting entity. Take the wacky unconventional creativity and occasional tenderness of Maudlin of the Well, mix in the hardcore edge and mild jazziness of modern Ephel Duath, and tighten it all up somewhat, you ll end up with something resembling this 11 track inspired album. There are extreme variations in mood, vocals and style. There is some impressive musicianship on display, but never approaching the egotistical wankery of progressive metal. It s a much more subtle comfortable approach that relies more on song writing than displays of technical brilliance. It s certainly not an easy listen, but I find it to be a very satisfying one. Tracks like The Things I Found and The Death Sedative take on an almost epic doom atmosphere and mellow tracks such as Pearl and Lost in Dismay work beautifully to break things up. Then there s the ripping metal of tracks Soul Deprived and From the Everyday Mountain Top that kick your [...]. As you can see, this album has some serious variety, but it always sounds like the same band and the same album for that matter.I must admit, I ve never particularly enjoyed the raspy hardcore style of singing so prevalent in modern metal including bands like Dillinger Escape Plan and Ephel Duath, but the vocalist here does an awesome job, particularly when contrasting to his perfectly acceptable melodic clean vocals. There are many chorus sections that stay in my head for hours and make me want to listen to the album again.The Blueprint Dives has been a huge surprise for me. One that, like Bethlehem s Mein Weg album, will both gain a new audience through its daring creativity, and divide their former fan base by those who are willing to take the ride and those that are not. Personally, I m disappointed this hasn t done better critically as it s a damn good listen.
Extol - The Blueprint Dives - Scandinavian bands always seem to be putting themselves on the map for heavy metal. Norway s Extol have been around for nearly a decade and their music keeps evolving from one great genre to the next. Extol are probably best known for their melodic death metal sounds from the albums Burial, and Undeceived, which is considered by many to be their best release. The Blueprint Dives is their second release on Century Media Records, the first being Synergy. Longtime Extol vocalist Peter Espevoll once again leads a great performance with vocals. He encorporates a lot of clean vocals, along with other band members. After the recording of Synergy, Extol saw members Ole Borud (guitars, clean vocals) and Peter s brother, Christer, depart for personal reasons. In came guitarists Tor Guilje and Ole Halvard Sveen from Christian black metal act, Lengsel. The album s first single, Gloriana takes listeners back to an older Extol, but then the clean vocals come in and switch things around. Track 3, In Reversal is a fast-paced song that has a catchy ending. Pearl is the softest song on here and shows a mellow side to Extol, with Peter showcasing his melodic singing talent. The track, From The Everyday Mountan Top, is one of my favorite songs on here. Screams and clean singing complement each other very nicely.This was one of my most anticipated releases in 2005, partially because I found out about Extol when they released Undeceived. I enjoyed Synergy, but the change in style was a little too fast. Since I knew that Extol were bringing in the former guitarists of Lengsel, I thought that they would go back to the death/black metal style of their first two albums. They didn t, but I really do like the new style in which Extol are moving. Their music is still heavy and Peter is not softening up on the band s Christian message displayed in the lyrics. This is very uplifting. Keep up the good work, Extol! It was amazing seeing them live in May of 2005 on their tour supporting this album!
Yes, its different, BUT................ - Like another person on here said, if youre expecting a really heavy album then you will be dissapointed. But i found that the more i listened to the album the more i loved it! If your a straight death metal fan and do not have the patience for a more articulate sound with less screaming and double bass drumming (which i loved about these guys), then dont bother with this one. But if you dig different kinds of music with alot of creativity placed into them with a hard rock flare then you will like this. (not that metal isnt technical and creative, cause i play it). Some of the good tracks include Gloriana which has the best chorus in the whole album, another adams escape, From an everyday mountain top, and the things i found. Pick this one up. Its good to hear if your a metal fan feeling a little laid back one day!