V - HALMSTAD

Now, for those that don't know or understand black metal, basically it is a dark and almost ambient musical form which basically uses Satanitic, Occult and Mythological imagery in order to shock and portray emotion.

Now, Shining are very different from the norm.

Shining is the project created by Niklas Kvarforth, one incredibly messed up man, who takes his emotions to the extreme, e.g. cutting himself on stage (although this has been done before, e.g. Mayhem, Dir En Grey). Now for all the shock rock, this guy does make some incredibly amazing music. Mixing progressive music with black metal is very risky, but this basket case seems to do it flawless, making one amazing fusion.

This style is also very reminiscent to bands from the French Black Metal scene (if you haven't heard it, then caution, it is very dark and incredibly eerie). If you are interested check out Deathspell Omega & Blut Aus Nord, the 2 best. There are way more, but they're very obscure.

1. Ytterligare Ett Steg Närmare Total Jävla Utfrysning - The intro is very eerie. The start of te song really does suprise you. Amazing acoustic section. The painfull vocals really do create a morbid atmosphere. The bursts of energy convey alot of pain and sorrow. This song has an amazing 90's Darkthrone vibe to it.

2. Längtar Bort Från Mitt Hjärta - Amazing intro. A quite beautiful acoustic passage would usually seem out of place, but it works perfectly with the melancholic mood. Great anger in the vocals. Very atmospheric ending section with acoustic and a simple drum beat. Very Porcupine Tree.The audio samples add to the dreary tone.

3. Låt Oss Ta Allt Från Varandra - The intro is very Satyricon. The vocals again are great. The piano section is actually incredibly beautifull and the cello melody only adds to the beauty. The audio clips even though are very sad and quite disturbing work really well with the music. I love how the song changes when the vocals come in. The best song on the album. One amazing piece of music.

4. Besvikelsens Dystra Monotoni - The orchestral intro is quite trancy. The darkest song on the album. The flamenco like guitar playing is weird, but it does work. This is one of the most kick ass songs on the album, riff wise.

5. Åttiosextusenfyrahundra - The theme in this song is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (sorry, my classical music knowledge spurts out every now and then). Very dark and eerie but in a beautiful way. Great interlude.

6. Neka Morgondagen - What a mammoth of a song. Amazing vocals from Nik. Pretty cool guitar solo (Kirk Hammet should listen to this, to hear how a wah pedal is used). This song is more uplifting than the others, but still very eerie. Amazing acoustic solo. I love how the guitar production just surrounds you. Amazing ending.

CONCLUSION: One band that needs alot more attention. Incredibly unique and one mother of an album.

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