III - ANGST, SJÄLVDESTRUKTIVITETENS EMISSARIE

III - Angst, Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie is the third full-length studio album by experimental black metal act Shining. The band have gone from being a three- piece on the previous albums to being a four-piece on this album. The only remaining member from the last album II - Livets Ändhållplats (2001) is band founder and main composer Niklas Kvarforth ( Vocals, guitars). New members are Inisis on guitars, Phil A. Cirone on bass and keyboards and prolific Norwegian musician Hellhammer ( Jan Axel Blomberg) on drums. The latter turns out to be a real asset to the sound on the album. Jan Axel Blomberg is also known for his work with acts such as Mayhem, Winds, Age of Silence, Dimmu Borgir, Thorns, Ulver, Immortal, Fleurety, Emperor...etc. III - Angst, Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie was released on CD in October 2002 through Avantgarde Music. The album has also seen a LP release through Perverted Taste limited to 500 copies.

The music on the album is slow- to mid paced black metal with a few faster paced sections thrown in for variation. The music style on the album doesn´t differenciate itself much from the style on the previous two albums but there´s been a small development that means that III - Angst, Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie was by far the most accomplished album by Shining up until then. First of all the playing is much better than on the previous albums. Especially the addition of a skilled drummer like Hellhammer really gives the music a boost. Within the pretty strict boundaries of Shining´s style he is able to put in lots of variation which means that the music becomes more interesting and that it has a longevity that exceeds the longevity of the first two albums. The production is much better than on the previous albums too. Niklas Kvarforth is still the main composer and something that hasn´t changed much since the last albums is the overall musical style. You can still expect to hear some raw and intense black metal with a massive wall of distorted guitars, a heavy rythm section and Niklas Kvarforth´s raspy tortured vocals.

The music can seem a bit repetitive at times ( especially Svart Industriell Olycka ( Black Industrial Misery)) but there´s a majestic and epic element that lifts the music to a higher level and keeps the music interesting. There are not many experiments on the album and the progressive nature of later albums by Shining isn´t that obvious here. A song like Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie ( The Emissary of Self- Destruction) includes a depressive sounding acoustic middle section that points in a more progressive direction but that´s about it. The opening track Mörda Dig Själv...( Murder Yourself...) is a favorite but all songs are of high quality. Well...maybe except for Till Minne Av Daghen which is an eerie sounding hapsichord piece written and played by Phil A. Cirone. I find it a bit unnecessary if I have to be honest. But I guess it adds to the gloomy depressive atmosphere on the album. Talking about the atmosphere the lyrics are still depressive as hell and are delivered in the band´s native Swedish language. The only exception is the re-recording of Submit to Self- Destruction from the Submit to Self-Destruction (1998) EP which has english lyrics.

III - Angst, Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie is another great release in a row of good releases by Shining. It doesn´t quite reach the excellent mark for me personally but a 3.5 star rating is well deserved.