An unsuccessful attempt at black metal
What do you make of a band whose official website url puts “angst” after the band’s name? One thing that might be infered is that Shining is not a normal metal band, which is true for better or for worse. In fact, much of V – Halmstad leaves one wondering what exactly Shining were trying to accomplish. Terms such as “suicidal black metal” or “depressive black metal” have been used to describe the Swedish act, but these labels don’t necessarily sound like one would expect. The typical black metal vocal style, tremolo picked guitar riffs, and use of blastbeats are all absent, and much of the music doesn’t sound dark at all. Instead, abundant acoustic interludes, strange vocals, and a more approachable sound than most traditional black metal make Shining sound less like a band dubbed “depressive black metal” and more like “black metal pop.”
Perhaps the most interesting part of the release is the vocal style, which isn’t very heavy at all when compared to most other death or black metal acts. The vocals are not unlike a deeper version of Alexi Laihao from Children of Bodom. Overall the vocal style seems more annoying than anything else; at points it seems like it is trying to sound horrible on purpose, especially compared with the few well-done bouts of clean singing that inhabit the far corners of the album.
The guitar riffing has little in common with black metal, or indeed with most extreme metal at all, and the solos sound like they were taken straight out of classic rock. The drumming lacks the use of blastbeats and double-bass common to extreme metal, and even manages to incorporate a cowbell into part of a song. It seems like Shining intended a dark atmosphere, but the album never really achieves this. The closest they come are in a few depressing voiceovers, but it’s hard to take them seriously when combined with everything else in the album.
All in all, I don’t know what to make of this release. The closest analogy is perhaps a gothic metal band impersonating a black metal band and taking itself too seriously, complete with a healthy bit of real self-mutilation (which is apparently part of their live show). No matter how hard it tries, V – Halmstad fails to convey any sense of a dark atmosphere; some would even say that it sounds like a parody of itself. While there are definitely some good moments here, most of the time Shining's sound seems contrary to the image they put out. Chances are this release will have a specific appeal to a small group of people, and everyone else will be left scratching their heads in confusion at what exactly Shining are trying to achieve.
| Reviewer: Josh Coppola Added: September 25th 2007 |
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