Shining Sweden

"Self-hate, self-mutilation, self-destruction, suicide, alcoholism, self-pity and all those things that are part of The Shining's lyrital universe and their overall image do not, I must say, really appeal to me. So that's one aspect of The Shining's work that has yet to sit well with me.

That being said,I think that the music - at least on this release - is not bad at all. The core genre is black metal - or, I guess, depressive black metal - and there certainly are archetypical black metal elements aplenty to be heard on this album, but The Shining are so much more than that musically. There is a lot of melody and a lot of groove to this album as well as some things that sound more rock-derived. I do not think that The Shining capture a depressive and melancholic atmosphere as such on this album and I don't know if that is what they were aiming for anyway.

I guess this could be one of those entry point releases for those who are interested in black metal, but do not feel ready for the really filthy and chaotic stuff.

(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"