The Blueprint Dives is the fourth studio release 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 metal

Christian metal

Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...

 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...

. Recorded at the end of 2004 at Top Room Studios and produced by Børge Finstad and Extol, Blueprint was released on February 21, 2005, on Century Media. On this album, Ole Børud and Christer Espevoll left Extol, and the band was joined by the members of the rock band Ganglión, Tor Magne S. Glidje and Ole Halvard Sveen.

The album has a very different style to their previous releases. Its genre is very difficult to categorize: some critics have described the sound as an amalgamation of Cult of Luna

Cult of Luna

Cult of Luna is a Swedish post-metal band from Umeå. They formed from the remnants of a Umeå hardcore punk band called Eclipse in 1998. They slowly garnered critical appreciation and underground popularity with early releases Cult of Luna and The Beyond ; however, it is 2004's Salvation that can...

, Muse

Muse (band)

Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...

 and Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...

. Others have found similarities with Tool

Tool (band)

Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...

 and Opeth

Opeth

Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years...

. Blueprint was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

, Spellemannprisen

Spellemannprisen

Spellemannprisen is an award presented to Norwegian musicians for their contributions.-Operation:The award was established on the initiative of International Federation of the Phonographic Industry , an organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide...

, and voted one of the Top 5 metal albums of the year by the readers of one of the largest newspapers in Norway, Dagbladet

Dagbladet

Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....

.

Following the release, the band toured with Mastodon

Mastodon (band)

Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...

, Opeth and God Forbid

God Forbid

God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in 1996 in East Brunswick, New Jersey.-Biography:Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God Forbid's first full album Reject the Sickness was released by 9 Volt Records in 1999...

. A critic from the magazine Drum! praised the drummer David Husvik as being on the same level of talent as Mike Portnoy

Mike Portnoy

Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...

 and Neil Peart

Neil Peart

Neil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...

. A music video was shot for the "Pearl" single and it was released on various video compilations. The video was directed by Øystein Moe and Alexander Somma of Helmet Productions at an abandoned factory, featuring modern zombie

Zombie

Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...

 imagery.

Track listing

• All songs written by Extol.

1. "Gloriana" - 3:26
2. "Soul Deprived" - 3:26
3. "In Reversal" - 5:37
4. "Pearl" - 2:55
5. "From the Everyday Mountain Top" - 3:46
6. "Another Adam's Escape" - 4:36
7. "The Things I Found" - 6:24
8. "Lost in Dismay" - 5:14
9. "Essence" - 3:43
10. "Void" - 5:38
11. "The Death Sedative" - 4:55
12. "Riding for a Fall[*]" - 3:46

Production

• Produced by 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...
  
   and Borge Finstad
• Engineered by Borge Finstad
• Mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen
  Tue Madsen
  Tue Madsen is a Danish music producer and sound engineer, who is well known in metal genre for his work with bands like The Haunted, Mnemic, Hatesphere, Ektomorf, Cataract, Exmortem, and Born from Pain. His first work as a producer was the album Embraced by the Absolute by Autumn Leaves in 1997...
  
  

Credits

• Peter Espevoll - vocals, acoustic guitar
• Tor Magne Glidje - guitar
• Ole Halvard Sveen - guitar
• John Robert Mjåland - bass guitar
• David Husvik - drums