"Shining" LP by Shining (SWE)

Comes on black double Vinyl in gatefold cover.

Swedish entity SHINING will release their self-titled 11th studio album on September 15, 2023. Formed in 1996, the band is considered one of the most controversial and musically brilliant bands in the black metal scene. On their eleventh work, they present themselves even darker and more brutal than ever before. According to their own statement, Shining will be 'a downward journey in stereo, painting the world in a hypnotizing, inescapable darkness'.

Although their musical influences mainly lie in black metal, the band led by mastermind Niklas Kvarforth cannot be confined to a single genre. SHINING uniquely combines influences from different styles such as classical, jazz, and progressive rock to portray a dark mood, painful wounds, and deep emptiness sonically. Themes such as self-destruction, suicide, and violence play an important role in the band's music. Throughout ten studio albums, including masterpieces like the legendary V. Halmstad and Redefining Darkness, SHINING has garnered a large fan base that has been captivated by the musical genius and eccentricity of Niklas Kvarforth.

With the dark album opener 'Avsändare Okänd,' SHINING presents one of the band's most brutal songs in history. 'Snart Är Dem Alla Borta' starts with a haunting, gentle intro before the unrestrained aggression breaks through on this track as well. The first single and homage to death, 'Allt För Döden,' is a compelling nightmare from Shining's pitch-black terror, unleashing the band's characteristic sound that has been perfected over the past three decades and has become their trademark. The fourth track, 'Fidelis Ad Mortem,' shows influences of progressive rock, while the instrumental piano piece 'Åttahundratjugo' creates a calming atmosphere before the closing track, 'Den Permanenta Sömnen Kallar,' shakes listeners to their core with raw black metal.

Shining is a compelling and captivating album that once again showcases Kvarforth's musical prowess and offers the typical, unique SHINING sound that creatively combines black metal with other influences. A relentless masterpiece that will exceed all expectations!