Shining is back on track.
Founded in 1996 in Sweden by Niklas Kvarforth (vocals, Høstsol, ex-Bethlehem), the band’s line-up has changed relatively frequently over the years.
In 2023, accompanied by Peter Emanuel Huss (guitar, Shadowquest), Alexander « Impaler » Friberg (bass, Mefisto, ex-Firespawn, ex-Necrophobic), Nicholas Barker (drums, Twilight of the Gods, ex-Brujeria, ex-Cradle of Filth, ex-Dimmu Borgir, ex-Lock Up… ), Charles Edward Hedger (guitar, Mayhem, ex-Cradle of Filth) and Tuomas Tahvanainen (keyboards), he announces the release of Shining, his twelfth album, on Napalm Records.
With Avsändare okänd, the first of six tracks, the band slowly shrouds us in disquieting darkness populated by terrifying screams that gradually lead us into a haunting instrumental where we meet the vocalist’s raw howls. The soothing break keeps a heavy atmosphere partly fueled by clean vocals, but saturation quickly returns to weigh down and darken the horizon, leaving guitars to offer bewitching leads, contrasting with the more visceral elements before Snart Är Dom Alla Borta takes over, once again letting quietness accompany us towards the murky waves. The sound remains splitted between gentleness and oppressive violence, allowing a variety of influences to blend into the slow march, which flares up with the return of the vociferations, but it’s with the gentle piano that the sound fades out to make way for Allt För Döden and its more aggressive approach. The quieter parts remain imbued with darkness, and fury is never far away to explode the rhythmic under a devastating blast and inhuman screams. The mysterious final lets the keyboardist add soaring mystical touches to contrast with the dissonance, then Fidelis Ad Mortem sinks us back into that dark worrying quietness before the rhythm gradually takes over again, accompanied by soaring choirs in the background. Lead guitar takes us on a heady flight before returning to the ghostly choir, before Åttahundratjugo takes over with relatively melancholic and almost joyful keyboards, compared to the previous tracks. The interlude is short-lived, leaving Den Permanenta Sömnen Kallar to hypnotize us with its opening riffs, which are joined by solid drums and then some unleashed screams before we are once again won over by appeasement, then by a new wave of rage and an incredibly calm final.
Every Shining album has its very own identity and influences, making listening a true experience with its part of the unexpected. Shining is no exception, blending quietness, rage, melancholy, fury and darkness in a stream of oppression.
85/100