Since the days when Peter Espevoll began to grace our ears back in the early- to mid-nineties with his brother in the band Extol, the group found worldwide success at a time when the internet had only just begun and social media was merely in the idea stages. Black metal was rampant across extreme music circles as the next identity beside death and thrash metal.
It was also a time of progression and experimentation that led to artists and bands such as Dimmu Borgir, Burzum, Ulver, Opeth and Borknagar reaching the star statuses that they did. Faith-based groups also followed the trend with recognized bands such as Mordecai, Antestor, Admonish and Vardøger, that shared the progression made.
Fast forward to almost 30 years later (which is an actual mind-blow for me) – and Extol have now become a bit of a rarity these days after two lengthy hiatuses and their latest EP Labyrinth of Ill / Exigency in 2023. But Peter Espevoll has recently been involved in two projects: his band Hrada, which is more progressive indie rock, which spells different to many – and now his latest group, metal band InTheosis, with my fellow countryman, Australian producer Jon Reichardt, which was birthed at the beginning of 2024.
The dynamic duo have just announced the release of a debut single “Mysteria”, which is scheduled to drop on June 14th, 2024.