Synergy is the third studio album by the Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 extreme metal

Extreme metal

Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...

 band Extol

Extol

Extol is a Christian progressive extreme metal band from Bekkestua, Norway, that was formed in 1993. In 2007, they announced they were splitting up to work on separate projects. The band is known for playing a variety of different styles of metal which include progressive death metal, melodic death...

. It was released in 2003 on Century Media, but was licensed to Solid State Records

Solid State Records

Solid State Records is a Christian record label, a division of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore and metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, they have signed several bands that don't label themselves as Christian,...

.

With this album, the band shifted more towards a technical deathrash sound. The Norwegian singer-songwriter Maria Solheim

Maria Solheim

Maria Solheim is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. She signed her first record deal with the label Kirkelig Kulturverksted in 1999 at the age of 17, and her first album was released two years later. She frequently tours Norway and Germany...

 performs guest vocals on "Paradigms". The session guitarist Tore Moren plays guitar solo on "Nihilism 2002" and the first solo on "Psychopath". Samuel Durling of the death industrial

Death industrial

Death industrial is an industrial sub-genre typified by a dense atmosphere, low-end drones and screamed or distorted vocals. It can be differentiated from power electronics by a slower, more atmospheric sound reminiscent of dark or ritual ambient, and a less abrasive sound...

 band Mental Destruction performs distorted vocals on "Emancipation".

The album was recorded at Top Room Studios. It was produced by Børge Finstad and was mixed at Fagerborg Studios and Top Room Studios. Morten Lund mastered the album at Masterhuset AS. The album cover was painted by Hugh Syme

Hugh Syme

Hugh Syme is a Canadian Juno Award-winning graphic artist who is best known for his artwork and cover concepts for rock and metal bands. He is also a musician and has appeared in some Rush songs as a keyboard player. Syme is notably responsible for all of Rush's album cover art since 1975's Caress...

, who has done work for such groups as Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

, Megadeth

Megadeth

Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...

, Rush

Rush (band)

Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...

 and Fates Warning

Fates Warning

Fates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut. Fates Warning has experienced numerous line-up changes...

. The band says that the cover picture "illustrates the synergy effect of elements working together (monk

Monk

A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...

 and Death

Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....

) and thus gaining strength beyond what the effect would be if all the elements would be working separately."

Stephanie Sollow of Progressive World gave the album a very positive review, writing: "Extol are very good at what they do, playing a very tight and intricately arranged form of progressive thrash metal, if you will. They transition easily between different meters, all while creating a heavy wall of sound though which a guitar lead or some dynamic cymbal work will poke through for its lead spot."

Track listing

1. "Grace for Succession" - 4:12
2. "Paradigms" - 3:40
3. "Psychopath" - 3:47
4. "Blood Red Cover" - 3:37
5. "26 Miles from Marathon" - 4:12
6. "Confession of Inadequacy" - 3:47
7. "Scrape the Surface" - 3:20
8. "Thrash Synergy" - 5:20
9. "Aperture" - 3:11
10. "Emancipation" - 3:20
11. "Nihilism 2002" - 4:09