2023-11-09 15:01:10
Shining
(Black Metal)
Label: Napalm Records
Format: (LP)
Release: 15.09.2023
It may be that Niklas Kvaforth polarizes the black metal scene both as a person and musically, but his genius is undisputed, because no two albums are the same SHINING and since saying goodbye to the traditional genre work with “V: Halmstadt”, he and his troupe have been delivering masterpiece after masterpiece. The simply titled “Shining,” which appears five years after “X: Utan Varg Flok,” is no exception.
Anyone who knows SHINING’s recent work knows that you don’t need to expect a constant BM blast storm here, but in addition to raw energy and aggression, there are also many other emotions and calm contrasts. Niklas immediately challenges his fans with the long track “Avesändare Okänd”. Crunchy vocals, almost doomy but still black riffs roll out of the speakers before clean guitars create an eerie atmosphere. The song builds up an incredible arc of tension and, after spoken, haunting vocals, eventually explodes into intense attacks.
And so the first statement is made and the direction of travel is also set. The album is filled with emotions like anger, hate and depression, but also some hope and the love for music is also noticeable. “Snart Ör Dom Alla Borta” then creeps out of the system darkly. Niklas speaks to us with audible suffering before wobbling guitar sounds increase the tension again and are later replaced by tortured shouts and staccato beats and driving riffs create the atmosphere.
SHINING delivers fewer songs here than they create soundscapes to immerse oneself in and tell stories. However, you have to run these through the translator first, as Niklas performs all the vocals in Swedish. And with “Allt För Döden” at the latest, I am sure that Kvaforth is acting more than ever as a songwriter instead of a classic metal musician. Here, too, the song builds up slowly, takes all kinds of twists and turns and is incredibly captivating for twelve minutes. But actually you shouldn’t go into too much detail about the individual tracks, because “Shining” is an incredibly powerful and absorbing work that should be consumed in its entirety.
Another masterpiece from Niklas Kvarforth and his colleagues from Sweden, which shows that black metal can also be multidimensional and, despite many quiet moments, extremely brutal, even if the brutality of this album is conveyed more through a certain atmosphere, lyrics and Nikla’s haunting vocals, and not primarily from sawing riffs and blasts that usually define the level of heaviness in the genre.
Tracklist „X – Wolf Without Pack“:
1. Sender Unknown
2. Soon They Are All Gone
3. All For Death
4. Faithful to Death
5. Åttahundratjugo (ERIK SATIE Cover)
6. The Permanent Sleep Calls
Total playing time: 50:05
Band-Links:
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