Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
HM
Indie Vision Music
Jesus Freak Hideout
Metal.de	9/10
Metal Forces	9/10
Metal Storm	8/10
Metal Hammer	6/10
Metal Hammer Germany	6/7
Outburn	8/10
Powermetal.de	8.50/10

Extol is the fifth full-length studio album by the Norwegian Christian progressive death metal band Extol, released in 2013. It was described by music critics as a mixture of death and progressive metal, with some melodic elements. Reviews of the album were very positive, and the album managed to chart on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.

In 2007, Extol went on hiatus after releasing its 2005 fourth album, The Blueprint Dives, then reformed as a trio in 2012 and announced that it had begun work on a new studio album. Consisting of prior Extol members David Husvik, Peter Espevoll, and Ole Børud, the band released a teaser video for the album on May 29, 2013. On April 22, 2013, the band released a single, "Open the Gates", for streaming on YouTube, followed by a music video for "A Gift Beyond Human Reach" on June 12, 2013. According to Husvik, "Extol was the album that was planned all the way, but never materialized. Partly due to changes in the line up, but also because of the band’s urge to always reach for something new. The album is the recap of 20 years of Extol-history, both musically and lyrically."Indie Recordings released the album on June 21, 2013 in Norway, Germany, and Austria, then on June 24 worldwide, and Facedown Records released the album for North America on June 25, 2013. The album peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.

The basic style of the album was described by critics as a mixture death and progressive metal, with some melodic elements. Mark Fisher of Metal Forces wrote that "The first is that Extol have gone even further into the progressive aspect of their music than their last two albums did. The band full-on channel aspects of Rush, Yes and King's X without apology." Vocally, the band ranges from death growls to progressive, pop-style clean singing to black metal rasps and wails. Emma Johnston of Metal Hammer said that Extol takes a "distinctly kitchen-sink approach to their art, mashing together frontman Peter Espevoll's death-metal rasp with dreamy prog melodies and a relentless thrash march from the get-go." On the song "Ministers", Johnston states that Extol "turns Slayer inside out and uses their [Slayer's] riffs for their own pious means." Anthony Peronto of Christian Music Zine compared the clean vocals to Queen, and John Magelssen of Indie Vision Music specified that the singing on "Open the Gates" sounds like "Weird Al mixed with The Faceless' vocals." Magelssen described the technical style of the album as "intricate syncopated (off rhythm) beats and ever changing time signatures," and Timothy Estabrooks of Jesus Freak Hideout said that on Extol the "riffs are lightning fast and complex, the drumming is aggressive and constantly changing tempos and rhythms, and even the occasional breakdown is very well executed." In addition to the progressive death metal framework of the album, Extol works other genres into the album. Magelssen stated that the syncopated drumming on "Betrayal" leads into a thrash metal feel, and described "A Gift Beyond Human Reach" as incorporating industrial music into the intro, specifically through hammer-on-iron and similar sounds. "Faltering Moves" Magelssen characterized as a power ballad. Florian Schörg of Metal.de called the album's style as death and thrash mixed with progressive song structures and a modern djent sound. He noted that while he did find comparisons to Meshuggah and the djent music trend, Extol's varied influence keeps it from being forced into any drawers. Jakob Emhke of Powermetal.de described the song arrangements as reminiscent of Devin Townsend, but also noted similarities to Leprous, especially due to Extol's use of clean vocals. Mario of Metal 4 compared the band to Opeth, mentioning in particular the similarity between the song "Betrayal" and Opeth's album Blackwater Park.

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