Halmstad - Shining

"Yesterday upon the stair
I saw a man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
Oh how I wish he'd go away."

So begins Swedish depressive black metal band Shining's fifth full length, 'Halmstad', a complex beast which successfully merges prog rock, black metal and classical influences. The album deals with mental illness, the cover depicting a gaunt looking man holding a pistol in his mouth, whilst ...
...Whilst vestiges of the icy, grinding, minimalist black metal of old Shining remain, these are accentuated by spanish guitars and gloomy sprawling riffs reminiscent of Opeth alongside warm, bluesy Pink-Floyd-esque flourishes. These lighter elements are contrasted by sections of frantic blastbeats, heavy, up-tempo doom riffs, and even an industrial backbone on track 4 that would not sound out of place on a Rammstein album. The album is largely structured ... more

"Yesterday upon the stair
I saw a man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
Oh how I wish he'd go away."

So begins Swedish depressive black metal band Shining's fifth full length, 'Halmstad', a complex beast which successfully merges prog rock, black metal and classical influences. The album deals with mental illness, the cover depicting a gaunt looking man holding a pistol in his mouth, whilst the inner sleeve contains further images of self-mutilation and suicide. Whilst vestiges of the icy, grinding, minimalist black metal of old Shining remain, these are accentuated by spanish guitars and gloomy sprawling riffs reminiscent of Opeth alongside warm, bluesy Pink-Floyd-esque flourishes. These lighter elements are contrasted by sections of frantic blastbeats, heavy, up-tempo doom riffs, and even an industrial backbone on track 4 that would not sound out of place on a Rammstein album. The album is largely structured around the 'black and roll' style of catchy yet depressive riffs (track 3 in particular is incredibly addictive), yet keeps shifting shape and introducing new musical elements throughout its duration.

Singer Kvarforth adds to the proceedings with a mixture of whispers, growls, manic screams and howls that bring to mind the schizophrenic outbursts of the singer from German peers Bethlehem. His deranged style complements the atmosphere nicely, although as with Bethlehem the self-consciously unhinged nature of his performance may put off those not accustomed to the style. Furthermore the lyrics are all in Swedish, as are the song titles, and whilst I applaud this it does make the album a little harder to fully understand and appreciate, although despite the language barrier the vocals remain highly effective in conveying a sense of instability and despair. Cellos and violins also add to the atmosphere, and sombre piano sections are prominent throughout. The rendition of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata midway through the album is particularly moving, complementing the album structure well, and reflecting well upon the nature of manic depression , sitting as it does alongside sections of alternately chugging and frenzied riffs. The album is well structured, with enough black metal to keep old fans happy whilst also introducing a myriad of new elements that will help endear it towards prog, doom, folk and blues fans amongst others. Damn good.

Summary: An excellent mix of depressive black metal and prog rock psychedelia.

 

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