EXTOL HAVE RE-ENTERED THE BUILDING, NEW ALBUM IN THE WORKS

Speculation ran rampant in early August that Extol might be planning a reunion when a trailer for a film about the band showed new studio footage of the members jamming, after which Facebook and Twitter accounts for the long-dormant Norwegians suddenly appeared. And wouldn’t you know it, the rampant speculators were right on the money: Extol are recording a new album after a five year break.

Here’s an official statement from the band via press release:

After the “The Blueprint Dives” in 2005 and the massive worldwide touring with bands such as Mastodon and Opeth, we dissapeared without any further explanation. Now, years later, we are back on track working on what is to be our fifth full-length. As expected from the musical legacy of Extol, no compromise is offered.

Mastermind OLE BØRUD has returned, and together with DAVID HUSVIK and PETER ESPEVOLL, the trio now constitute the line-up of EXTOL 2012.

Stay tuned for more information…

So that’s an interesting twist: this reunion consists of 3/5ths of the lineup that recorded 1999’s Burial, 2000’s Undeceived and 2003’s Synergy, but not 2005’s Blueprint, of which Børud was not a part. So this is a retro-reunion of sorts, the way Corrosion of Conformity’s current incarnation harks back to their earlier days. Not quite as severe, but Blueprint did mark quite a shift for the band and it’s not clear whether Børud would be comfortable performing those songs live.

Not familiar with Extol? Wanna jam your old favorites? Listen to Extol’s catalog on Spotify for free.

-VN