Shining – V: Halmstad
Osmose Productions – OPCD187 – April 16, 2007
By Jason Jordan
In a subgenre with more than its fair share of copycats, it’s rare to find a band that actually innovates on a consistent basis.
Shining are a band whose brand of depressive, suicidal black metal is inventive
and potent. And as the Roman numeral denotes,
V: Halmstad is indeed the fifth serving they’ve cooked up, which, like
Shining’s older efforts, leaves one hungry for more even though it clocks in at a respectable 43 minutes.
Kvarforth (vocals, keyboards) returns in true disturbing fashion, rivaling fellow black metallers Attila Csihar (
Mayhem), Varg Vikernes (
Burzum), and those who attempt to replicate them. While the multifarious vocals aren’t all that different from what we’ve heard from Kvarforth before, this record differs from
IV: The Eerie Cold insofar as this one is noticeably more centered on guitar. Interestingly, however, classical guitar is also liberally scattered among the six tracks, and adds more panache to their already diverse sound. Opener
‘Yttligare Ett Steg Narmare Total Javla Utfrysning’ utilizes clean leads and classicial guitar, and
‘ Langtar Bort Fran Mitt Hjartautilizes’ uses clean leads and acoustic guitar to reach its end.
Halmstad features plenty of razor-y distortion, though, which is as edgy and biting as ever, and viciousness does indeed manifest itself at the beginning of
‘Lat Oss Ta Allt Fran Varandra’ and closer
‘Neka Morgondagen.’ Shining seem most forceful and driven when all instruments unite to produce the aural equivalent to a battering ram. Main digressions from orthodox BM include the strings, classical guitar parts, and jazzy bass lines in the 10-minute
‘Besvikelsens Dystra Monotoni,’ while the piano-led
‘Attiosextusenfyrahundra’ deviates from the norm by incorporating a portion of Beethoven’s “‘Moonlight’ Sonata” – a truly somber string of notes. Inane soundclips still pop up intermittently, unfortunately, and detract from the overall worth of the songs in which they appear.
Having previously carved a niche for themselves,
V: Halmstad continues the legacy gracefully. While it could use some fine-tuning here and there – cut the soundclips, guys – it’s a great black metal album from Swedes who have yet to disappoint.
Official Shining Website
Official Osmose Productions Website
