V: Halmstad (Niklas angående Niklas)

I don't really know where to start this review. It's probably impossible to say something that hasn't been said about this album before. Shining has released albums both before and after "Halmstad", but none of them truly resonate like this one does. I do also really like the seventh, eighth, and tenth ones, but "Halmstad" holds a special place. Why exactly? It's really hard to put in words, but since I just put it on and poured myself a glass of whiskey, I'll try my best to write some reasons for it.

Firstly, let's get something straight: this isn't really a black metal album. While it has its roots in the metal genre, they reach much deeper. The unmistakable influence of classic rock is evident right from the first track, with its beautiful and tasteful solos, thoughtful musical spacey passages in each track, and even a track with a breakdown featuring a cowbell. Its roots go right through metal, reach and spread in classic rock and then even give some tracks a unique swing feel - a characteristic more typical of jazz than metal. Musically, it's just a delight. Also the drumming stands out, not just for its impeccable and tasteful rhythms but for its intricate ghost notes and those subtle press rolls that only a few metal drummers can truly master.

And then, there's the atmosphere. The interplay of heavy and lighter segments creates a really powerful contrast. It offers moments to breathe, making the intense sequences even more striking. While not the heaviest in the traditional sense, the music's weight lies in its intent – which is pretty strong and spicy to say the least. Niklas's vocals are probably the main thing why. They convey more than just lyrics; they bring raw and honest emotion to the forefront. I never had any need to translate the lyrics because even without understanding any words, you feel the sentiment – it's genuine and deeply relatable. I am also in pain brother. Like, I believe him because it just sounds so relatable. Whatever he shouts, it sounds like total truth on this album. Interspersed samples further enhance this emotive journey, creating an environment that's somber but never corny or clichéd. The album's legendary artwork complements this mood perfectly. It encapsulates a spectrum of emotions, ones that I guess not just me but many others, often grapple with.

What makes "Halmstad" perpetually enchanting, even years after its release, is its timeless quality. It made some waves when it came out because it was pretty groundbreaking and fresh back in the day and still feels fresh now. The impeccable production, combined with masterful musicianship, perfectly conveys genuine emotion. Many label it as an exploration of "depression", but for me, that's not really it. Amidst the pure pervasive darkness, there's an undeniable undercurrent of hope and strength. In an ironic twist, where many find despair, I find and feel like this is all about empowerment and overcoming yourself. I might feel like I want to kill myself after fifteen minutes of pop radio, but I've been listening to "Halmstad" for over fifteen years now and after every listen I know that I'm not alone and I'll overcome anything.

That's really it I suppose. The only way to really go up is to hit the bottom. However once you're up too high it's very easy easy to burn your wings and fall back to the bottom again. This album jumps around and finds a perfect balance between musical ups and downs just like we strive to do in our lives. It shows that balance is possible and achieving it is beautiful. I hope I'll get there someday and I wish you all do too.

First, let's get it out of the way - this is in no way a depressive black metal album, in the accepted sense at least. Thematically, it absolutely deals with mental illness, depression and suicide, but the generally accepted tropes of DSBM are almost entirely absent. Listen to the entire roster of a label like War Against Yourself who specialise in DSBM releases and nobody on that label sounds even remotely like this. For a start the production is superb, not for these guys the shitty, treble-heavy, lo-fi approach. The sound clarity is great and has a solidity that enables the band to fully realise their vision without being handicapped by poor production values. Secondly, I'm not even sure if this can properly be referred to as a black metal album at all. For sure, it's roots are in black metal, but it has more in common with bands like Cult of Luna and Isis than Darkthrone and Immortal. There is hardly any focus on riffs and blastbeats, though both are present the emphasis lies elsewhere. Rather the band use the weapons of black metal to weave a tapestry of sound that is intended to evoke a specific emotion and atmosphere, which is pretty much the dictionary definition of post-metal.

The album commences with a weary-sounding intonation of the opening verse of the poem Antigonish, which begins "As I was going up the stair, I met a man who wasn't there", a poem I have always found unsettling and it is delivered in such a way that the listener can clearly tell the speaker has a particularly troubled mind and it is apparent from the outset that this is going to be no ordinary black metal album. For me, this is an album that can be experienced on two levels. Firstly, it is a fantastic example of progressive/post- black metal from a band who are at the top of their game both compositionally and technically and can certainly be enjoyed as such. On a second and more subtle level, it conveys a real sense of what it can be like to experience mental difficulties. This may only be apparent to those who are able to recognize the allusions due to personal experience, admittedly. The constant shifts in energies from violent and angry, to contemplative and inward-looking, to frenzied and unfocussed, to bewildered and desperate are more than mere movements in a song, but are representations of the state of mind of the album's protagonist and their inability to maintain an even temperament. Even the short piano piece, Åttiosextusenfyrahundra which is a working of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is more than it appears. You can faintly hear the protagonist trying to hum along to the tune, as if by so doing he can absorb some of the inate peacefulness that the melody represents into his own soul, something for which he yearns more than anything, yet is denied.

The lyrics are sung in the band's native Swedish and I haven't tried to translate them, yet somehow that seems irrelevant because the album's intent is communicated so well that literal meaning seems unnecessary. Kvarforth's vocals here have an unhinged quality, sounding a little bizarre at times, even to the point of parody. There are also a couple of distressed and distressing samples that belie the subtlety of the rest of the album and may put off some listeners. These, along with the ill-advised cover, feel a bit ham-fisted and unnecessary, but are truly the only gripes I have.

Despite what view you may hold about the the theme and meaning, however, you really should not dismiss the fact that this is a brilliant metal album, loaded with atmosphere and at times heavy as fuck, for example a couple of minutes into second track Längtar Bort Från Mitt Hjärta the gentle intro subsides and Shining decide to kick your ass, just to remind you that they can. The album also contains some of the best and most frenzied guitar solos I've ever heard on a black metal album. For me, this is one of the most meaningful metal albums I have ever come across and I have found it a most affecting listen, becoming an all-time favourite in the process.

"Halmstad" is an opus magnum of Shining. The band has introduced its own style on the album, although there is some eclectics. There were certain features of the new style on "The Eerie Cold", but it was entirely presented exactly on "Halmstad". The full title of the work is "V - Halmstad (Niklas angående Niklas)", where the additional part translates as "Niklas about Niklas", which suggests, that Kvarforth made a quite personal concept, tried to express his beliefs. Despite the fact of calling Shining depressive-suicidal black metal earlier, Kvarforth has once pointed out, that the concept of the band was much wider than simply suicidal. In its early days Shining was among the most crucial bands for depressive black metal. The first albums of the band played an important role in the popularization of the genre. They were majorly influenced by Bethlehem and Burzum. On "Halmstad" the music of Shining became much more progressive.

"Halmstad" is pretty far from the classical black metal. It's produced well. The melodies are often complex and polished. Structures of tracks are mostly linear. There are some tranquil acoustic parts and colorful guitar solos. Yes, the music is repetetive to some extent, but there's constant shifting from expression to apathy. The vocals are specific. Kvarforth elaborated this style on the previous album. His voice is powerful, it's a kind of hysterical roaring, other than traditional black metal screaming. The vocal performance of Kvarforth is impulsive and diverse, he alternates from desperation to melancholy. Some parts are sung clean. The atmosphere of "Halmstad" is dark, filled with negativity. Shining is in a one of its most oppressive outlooks here, not less convincing with this feature than on the early works.

The style of "Halmstad" would become trademark for Shining, but no future album of Shining will be the same dark and oppressive. Every composition of "Halmstad" is memorable. The songwriting is excellent. "Halmstad" can be compared with the works of other progressive extreme metal bands, like Enslaved or Opeth, but the style of Shining is more monotonous, while the atmosphere is way more depressive. The similarities can be found because all these bands were influenced by the classic progressive rock. It's possible to find a lot of different influences on "Halmstad", from the Swedish progressive rock in vein of Landberk to the popular alternative metal like Rammstein. Shining literally quotes "Der Meister" of Rammstein on its "Besvikelsens dystra monotoni". By the way, Shining would record covers on compositions of both Landberk and Rammstein in the future.

The album is flawless and holistic. Probably "Neka morgondagen" is the most interesting composition because of its sorrowful choruses. However, "Låt oss ta allt från varandra" has become some sort of a feature song. Anyway, there's no weak links on the album. On "Halmstad" the music of Shining was significantly influenced by the works, which have no relation to black metal. The band elaborated such eclectics, which hadn't been heard before. Shining's style became easily recognizable. "Halmstad" showed a vector for the further development for Shining itself and for many other bands. The album is unforgettable because of its specific style and convincingly represented concept.

That is the only word to describe Sweden's Shining. If you thought that black metal was evil enough with supporting satanic themes and burning churches, you clearly don't know what evil is unless you start listening to "Halmstad." Shining is one of the more notorious bands I've listened to and had set them aside just because of their motives being sinister. Their views have mainly been about advocating suicide and self-harm and encourages listeners and fans to kill themselves because of their music. This is not fantasy like what other black metal bands have been doing, these are real life issues. Talk about pure evil. The egos of which Shining (more particularly Niklas Kvarforth) supports are disturbing and twisted elements and was thought to be a gimmick throughout the band's career, but in truth that matured and came together with their opus "Halmstad." Shining is one of a kind for DSBM just because they live up to the views that they show in this album, but aside from that it's also a musically smart, unique, and convincing DSBM album.

The album cover for "Halmstad" gives you an extremely obvious idea of what you are truly in for when you're really going to pop that CD in that tray. This is an extremely unsettling cover and has phenomenal shock value, but more about disturbing value. Although reminiscent of Forgotten Tomb's "Songs to Leave" this album is far more disturbing and doesn't need blood to make it disturbing. It's all about the emotional traumatic images that makes an album cover disturbing not through the actions of what was overdone and already done. Shining succeeds with having a disturbing image for not just what is about to happen in this image, but with the contrast and tint shadows that make it more disturbing.

"Halmstad" is musically different and offers something new to DSBM. This album is adding more doom metal, and progressive metal elements that this album shows that they are one of a kind. It has little to no blast beats unlike most DSBM bands and has better production which makes it stand out even more. Shining's incorporation of doom metal adds extra melancholy. Some of the softer and slower parts in the album make for a satisfying and extremely depressing atmosphere. Shockingly enough it has acoustic guitars, pianos, string instruments that is taboo for black metal. However, these added instruments are mainly there for its lighter parts which helps make it depressing and leave the feeling of "kill yourself." Track five is mainly a piano part which is something I would expect from gothic metal, but this track to me represent the aftermath of suicide only to hear the last breath of the person heard on the track. The 5th track is actually an arrangement from Beethoven which gives this album bigger range in terms of musical diversity.

The samples heard in the album add to its disturbing music too with samples heard from the movie "Prozac Nation" with lines uttered by Christina Ricci. Even the first sample on the album sets the tone for the entire album, which is also good. It's guitars are still brutal, but also has some really cool moments like in track four of the album. The dynamics of the guitar also help with setting the tone for each individual Song on the album. It's either an explosion of angry inspired black metal, or a melancholic chorus/acoustic guitars to hit people to their most depressing downturn. Also, how about that moment midway tthrough track five where the drums and bass guitar go into it's most progressive in the album? I never thought I would get hyped up about progressive elements, but it was well structured with a lot of space. I also enjoyed the drums in the first track as well because of how progressively inspired they are. From front to back, "Halmstad" is one of the most musically unique albums in black metal, let alone DSBM.

For Niklas Kvarforth, he is also doing something unique compared to other DSBM bands. In "Halmstad" he's not doing the typical black metal shrieks, he's doing gritty, raspy grieving. These vocals are the epitome of sheer pain. I feel with other DSBM bands they try so hard to show pain by screaming/shrieking as hard as they can to show how much pain they are. Kvarforth's vocals is not only doing this unique kind of extreme vocals, he's muttering as well. I have to give him a lot of credit for sounding so incredibly disturbing because it's something that the vocals show more than just depression. His voice even cracks on purpose, to show the emotional pain that Niklas is in as if he is crying and showing angry pain. Kvarforth may advocate suicide, but he definitely shows it in his delivery with clearness, disturbing elements, and unique personality. This is still the same guy that started Shining at the age of 12.

The lyrics for "Halmstad" was pretty difficult to find for me. I am sure as hell that I can't read Swedish, so I ended up using translator to understand what each of the Songs lyrics mean. The lyrics were really good. While it doesn't contain obvious signs of self-harm and suicide, it does have good enough lyrics to hide behind the idea that this album really is about killing yourself. It's also talking about the dissatisfaction of human life, homicide, and above all depression. It touches a lot of sensitive topics that make the album extreme and disturbing and shows a lot of smartly written coherence and maturity.

I don't really support Shining and their twisted ideas of suicide and self-harm, but "Halmstad" stands as an achievement in DSBM for its unique musical direction and its authenticity of its themes. This album is a serious contender for one of the most disturbing/sinister albums I've ever listened to in my life. I personally enjoyed the album and loved its doom elements, but its main element of black metal is still great. This album is incredibly evil and succeeds with being disturbing and I do love music that is disturbing. I would say it's so disturbing it makes the rest of the DSBM bands sound like fringe bands. It's also one of those rare albums that are one of a kind in its own genre. Seriously, so far from digging into DSBM so far "Halmstad" has prog/doom elements with instruments you'd never thought you hear in black metal, and has melody in its sadder, slower parts with tight production. If I can consider Disembowelment as the most disturbing band in death metal, then Shining is the most disturbing band in black metal and "Halmstad" will most likely not be topped in terms of authenticity. Listen at your own risk.

Fucking kill yourself. That is the attitude that Shining conveys through their screwed up, depressing, horrifying music. This is a band that I got into when I first began listening to "depressive suicidal black metal". However, these guys are entirely something else. Sure, they contain elements of the black metal genre, but incorporate their own doses of doom metal and, at times, even progressive metal. This is not your standard DSBM album. When these guys started out, they adhered more to the traditional formula. While standard DSBM is still pleasing to me, these guys took it up a notch with their previous release "IV - The Eerie Cold" when they started experimenting a bit, combining their classic depressive sound with more complex song structures. This album, "V - Halmstad (Niklas angående Niklas)", was the result of this transition. Is it any good, though? In my opinion, absolutely. In fact, this is my favorite Shining album to date, with the aforementioned "IV - The Eerie Cold" at a close second.

The guitar work on this album is truly explosive. While before, we were used to hearing simple, repetitive chords played in a hypnotic fashion. Here, however, we have a much more complex and progressive take on guitar riffs. The solos on this album are absolutely amazing. Take the intro to "Längtar bort från mitt hjärta", which contains a mesmerizing mix of clean guitars and beautiful, melodic guitar solos. This almost sounds like something Metallica would have done on early albums such as "Ride the Lightning". Comparatively speaking, Metallica's "Fade to Black" matches the intro to this song in terms of structure, but still sounds completely different. The guitars are definitely the highlight here. "Låt oss ta allt fern varandra" has been my favorite song on this album for about five years, and this is mainly due to the proficiency and lucidity of the guitars. The riffs in this song range from groovy, to dark, to melancholic, to complex, to absolutely fucking hateful. The solo in this song is by far my favorite on the entire album and I could speak about it for hours on end. However, before that, there is this extremely depressing piano segment accompanied by a crying female who "hates herself". This really helps to add to the dreary atmosphere Shining is obviously trying to convey. And then, out of nowhere, the metal comes back and we get a groovy riff/drum patter accompanied by a cowbell, to be followed by that badass guitar solo I mentioned earlier. And how about that absolutely punishing, crushing riff from the introduction of "Besvikelsens daystar monotone", which is followed by a sweet guitar solo and a furious blast beat?! From this, skipping ahead to the fade-in black metal tremolo riff in the closing track "Neka morgondagen", this album is full of misery and enough depression to go around. Just don't overdo it, or you may have suicidal tendencies...hehe.

This album really doesn't have too much to offer in the drumming department, but Ludwig Witt's performance is above satisfactory, as well as extremely consistent. Black metal blast beats are actually very scarce here, aside from the few instances such as the aforementioned "Besvikelsens daystar monotone". And really, that's quite an interesting anomaly. Instead of focusing on speed and intensity as you might expect from an album like this, Witt focuses on groove and rhythm. This really does the album justice, as it seems rhythm and consistency is it's main selling point.

Judging by the album's title, I would assume it is about vocalist Niklas Kvarforth's internal struggles with his inner demons and suicidal thoughts. This is a man who has committed many suicidal acts on stage while performing live, such as cutting himself and slitting his throat open. He openly advocates suicide in his lyrics and, frankly, unlike other bands that do this, I believe he would actually kill himself. He is truly a fucked up individual, but he makes really good music. So, why not? Go ahead, Niklas. Kill your fucking self. Anyway, back to what I was saying. His vocals are absolutely tortured. He sounds like someone put him in a deep hole and he is screaming to get out, but, at the same time, he wants to stay in there and rot. Niklas is probably the sole reason Shining is such a controversial band. He is fucked up, and instead of being fucked up for the sole sake of attention, he is actually legitimately fucked up. In fact, I believe he is fucked up beyond repair. But this only enhances Shining's atmosphere and has been a staple to their sound ever since he joined Shining and helped release the album "Within Deep Dark Chambers" back in 2000.

Shining is truly a fucked up band. I can't name off the top of my head a band that is more screwed up mentally and emotionally. Even bands such as Xasthur, Leviathan, and Abyssic Hate don't come close to the emotional disconnect that is Shining, although those bands, in my opinion, sound a bit better. This is still an album I will hold onto for years and will always come back to for nostalgic reasons. Shining, thank you, and Niklas, thank you. Although you definitely need to visit a psyche ward.

My problem with a lot of depressive black metal is that it doesn't sound truly depressive to me. Within the typical approach to the genre, there are shrieking vocals, thick walls of distorted guitar noise, repetitive riffing, and mid-tempo drumming. However within those shrieking vocals, there seems to be a sense of emotional release for the means of achieving catharsis. Within those thick walls of guitar noise, there is a hidden beauty that becomes more evident with every song. The repetitive riffing and steady drumming offer no challenges to the listener, instead evoking a dreamy, meditative state that is ultimately quite relaxing, and even peaceful. I enjoy this approach at times, but the word 'depressive' seems misused. None of this is true of Halmstad. There is no catharsis, there is no hidden beauty, and there is no sense of peace anywhere to be found. This album is violent, it is angry, and it genuinely wants to make you feel terrible.

The riffing is aggressively negative at all times, often paced with the urgency of thrash metal. The atmosphere never once offers suggestions of meditation, rather it is miasmatic and constantly challenges the listener. Similarly, confrontational rhythms are provided by the drums and bass throughout. Yes, bass; a true rarity for depressive black metal, the bass is quite present in the mix, and it is as gritty and mean as everything else in this record. Even the well placed instrumental sections offer no beauty to cling to, instead evoking deep, disturbing feelings of desolation. I've never heard an acoustic guitar sound more foreboding than at the ninety second mark of Yttligare ett steg närmare total jävla utfrysning, and the acoustic intervals never improve in tone from there, echoing more and more bleakness as Halmstad continues. Moonlight Sonata, perhaps the most melancholic piece of classical music ever created, is sampled in Åttiosextusenfyrahundra, and it has never sounded more frighteningly distant.

The real standout is Kvarforth's vocals, which are completely unorthodox for this genre. Even for black metal in general, nobody else sounds quite like him. He does not shriek, he does not howl, he does not rasp; his vocals are technically clean, but there is a raw aggression to them that constantly suggests a sense of emotional turmoil. At times he roars with sheer indignation, at times he shouts with disoriented anger, and occasionally he has the resigned whisper of a man who is down and out. However, at all times he sounds as though he is struggling with his emotions, with humanity, and with the very nature of existence. Abrasive as they may be, his vocals are perfect for this genre.

There is one hint of emotional release nearing beauty, at the halfway point of "Neka morgondagen". For a brief moment, it sounds as though Kvarforth is nearing peace with himself; just before the song breaks down into a chaotic barrage of thundering drumming and raging guitars, capped off with Kvarforth's roars of anguish. And the album chooses precisely this note to end on; the listener is left feeling like catharsis was within reach, only for it to have been forcefully pried from their fingers, leaving behind a grave feeling of pure depression. For me, this album lives up to the depressive tagline better than most in the genre. A must.

This album is the production of Shining, which fancies itself as a DSBM act. There are very few similarities to the walls of noise and haunting ambiance bands like Xasthur produce; rather, Shining follows the trail blazed by other Swedish black metal acts, and its own contribution to the subgenre is excellent.

As you might guess from the title of this review, a few songs from this album reminded me of Rammstein (or at least, what I have heard of Rammstein). In particular, "Besvikelsens dystra monotoni" has a distinctly Rammstein like sound, although Kvaforth's strangled yells add a certain feel to it that no mainstream rock band can emulate. Powerful, aggressive guitar work and relatively clean production make each part of this song stand out, and the extended ballad-like midsection is of particular interest to me. It's chilling, and cold, and malicious, and mind-opening, and it takes me to a different place than black metal tends to.

An aspect of this album that I really enjoyed was how varied the songs were. Each had its own sound, and this is despite a relatively small, stable lineup of musicians. The creativity of Shining is really displayed well here, and each song is a masterpiece in its own right. I'm not sure if the album as a whole has a message or even good organization, but each song is so superb that it can stand by itself.

There were a few very minor weaknesses, and one is that there are some times in the album when there's just not enough going on. A mournful guitar, occasional growls, repeated bass work, and percussion that's almost jazz-like in nature just isn't metal enough for me. While such passages can give the listener a chance to "breathe", there's just a hair too much at some points.

Overall, this is one of the best contributions to Swedish black metal I have heard recently. The creativity, variance in the songs, how well composed each song is, and the surprising usage of cellos and other instruments made this album really stick with me for a while. It's a must-listen for anyone who likes the darker side of metal.

With a man placing the barrel of his handgun into his own mouth, the cover art hints at the dark, musical voyage the listener is about to embark upon. Dealing with themes such as depression and suicide, Shining manage to perfectly embody the spiritual essence of depressive black metal and channel it into an emotionally charged album of ferocious black metal.

Depression and emotion is hard to channel through music, if you use too much of it you’ll be grouped in with a horde of melodramatic bedroom acts, if you don’t use enough then the vision of the music becomes lost. It’s really a feeling that needs to come from deep down within the musician, it needs to be earnest and heartfelt, and most importantly needs to be translated clearly to the listener. Shining is a band who knows how to do this right, with a strong sense of emotion and depression, a pitch black atmosphere of pure existential nihilism, V:Halmstad is a depraved and twisted journey into the minds of this band.

Shining are unique within the depressive world, choosing to eschew many of the genres primary stereotypes in favor of a more progressive, organic, and perhaps even darker sound. The use of progressive elements works remarkably well, the riffs are varied and interesting, never feeling out of place at all. Transitions between them are smooth and fluid, giving the album an organic and natural feel. The melodies themselves are suitably dark and provocative, striking the perfect balance between memorability and punishing levels of emotion. Oddly, they feel energetic and lively which is what one would not typically expect within this form of music. Besvikelsens dystra monotoni has an opening riff that is unusually bouncy and energetic; I find this aspect of the music to be a bit odd but wholly effective. I find the sudden outbursts of more up tempo sections actually work in favor with the music’s core ideology, it feels as though the musicians are trying their hardest to break out of their depression. This album dear reader is the sound of a tortured soul, and it’s utterly effective in its bleak and dismal approach.

Kvarforth’s vocals were hard for me to stomach at first, forgoing the use of a standard black metal approach and favoring a technique akin to anguished shouting. Whilst it was initially off putting, I began to love the ways those hopeless vocals sat in the mix. They’re suitably depressed and agonized, and I find the somewhat amateurish delivery of them to be highly effective in establishing a strong sense of atmosphere.

Atmospherically, V:Halmstad is nothing short of astounding. The bleak, almost dirge like instrumental front works in perfect harmony with the anguished vocals of Kvarforth to create a very dismal look at the modern world. Despairing at the entire concept of life, Shining manage to effectively channel this supreme negativity and nihilism within the album. Every nook, every cranny is filled to the brim with negativity. The production is absolutely flawless, every instrument, every note can be heard clearly. Guitars sit high in the mix creating a powerful soundscape of dismal depression, bass creates devastating undercurrents beneath the emotional guitars and Kvarforth vocals float sublimely over the devastating music creating the perfect equilibrium between each and every instrument. Unlike most depressive black metal, this album isn’t draped in an ear splitting layer of static, quite the opposite in fact, the production is some of the best I’ve heard in black metal. Now normally I’m opposed to the use of high production qualities in this particular field, but Shining don’t overuse it. It never feels synthetic and mechanical, guitars still have a good level of distortion to them, ambiance remains eerie and harrowing throughout. Poor production would have no doubt hindered the effectiveness of the overall quality of the music, V:Halmstad is an album that requires each and every aspect of the music to be heard in perfect clarity and it does an astounding job of it.

Whilst depressive black metal can be accused of stagnating, what with so many bands stealing ideas from one and another. Bands such as Shining show that the genre still has ideas left, ideas that are interesting at that. V:Halmstad is a unique opus, blending destructive doomy black metal with elements spanning progressive to gothic metal. All of this comes together to create one of the purest musical endeavors of our time.

If there were ever a black metal band that deserves more attention in not only the black metal circles it originates from, but every genre of music, it is Shining. Seamlessly blending brutality with some of the most beautifully composed, extremely emotional music that effortlessly conveys feelings of hopelessness and loss, Shining make extremely powerful music that is not for the faint hearted. Each of their albums is good enough in its own way, however, it is their fifth album, Halmstad, that stands out to me the most.

Opening up with a sample of a poem, this really does kick off with some power. The poem itself pretty much sums up the lyrical content of this album with its line "i wish i wasn't there today", before diving headlong into Shining's signature brand of black metal. However, on thing immediately becomes apparent for those uninitiated to the Shining discography, and that is how clean and soft the album is compared to many of Shining's black metal comrades. The infamous black metal production is not as evident on here as, say, a Mayhem album, and the blast beats are not there. Before long, this has gone into a clean guitar section, which is exceedingly soft, and contains some absolutely tortured vocals from Niklas. Seriously, this is the one black metal vocalist who truly deserves recognition. The amount of emotion he manages to pour into his vocals is absolutely breathtaking, despite the style of vocals he adopts for much of this release. He also shifts between a number of styles at times, which makes for one interesting listen.

The album's crowning achievement is the true feeling of being without hope at all. The lyrics convey feelings of suicide, and Niklas vocals and the soft to heavy dynamics with the beautiful and yet haunting melodies found throughout ensure that even without the poorly translated versions of the lyrics, one can truly feel the exact pain the songs outline. The music on display here is one of the tightest, most powerful performances I have ever seen, being absolutely brutal whilst rarely conforming with the norm of black metal of using blast beats and tremolo picking throughout songs. These elements are in play here frequently, but not to the same degree as many of the bands out there. Shining truly are unique in the way they play their music, making the darkest most morbid adventure a listener will ever embark on.

However, this album is not without faults. The bass work on here is the most lackluster, lazy performance I have heard on a black metal album to date. The frantic bass work found on many black metal albums is still present here, but never aspiring to do anything other than mindlessly follow the guitar lines throughout the songs, never really adding anything to the album, instead taking away from it. This is truly a disappointment to hear, as this is the single most powerful album a listener is likely to hear for a long time, with its unrivaled feel to it. However, this is a reason to excuse the weakness in the bass department, as the rest of the instruments are as tight as could be asked. It just gets a little depressing in itself to think that the bass work could have been so much better than what is found on here, and yet somehow the other instruments miraculously enable the listener to completely overlook this fact, such is a testament to the talent of the band.

This is one of the most blood curdling, heart breaking tales ever told, with every riff, each drum beat and every last agonizing scream conveying absolute self hate, making this a flat out classics. The acoustic sections on Neka Morgondagen do not feel out of place, nor do the groovy riffs that open it up, making this album an entity on its own, where any style of music can be seamlessly integrated and yet still feel utterly brutal and have a tint of mourning to it. The guitar solos are both vicious and, yet again, emotional, and the sudden tempo changes are perfectly written. This is black metals finest hour, in my opinion, even toppling the greats such as Immortals better efforts and Burzums finest.

Like Bethlehem and Silencer, Shining has never been a listener-friendly outfit to whom you would listen to casually just to have something to listen to. Instead they are a highly intensive band with a dark message drenched in blood. They are not there to entertain – they are there to make you feel uneasy and question everything up to the point where a total state of nihilism rips your soul apart.

In my opinion “Halmstad” is Shining’s greatest masterpiece. All their albums have something unique, but this one is certainly a legendary fortress in the history of black metal music. A rich variety of phantasmagorical elements are implemented with this album. The first track starts off with some words from one of the poems written by W.H. Mearns. The words of this poem already create a very uneasy and uncanny atmosphere which is very nicely complemented by the music. The music is mysterious – slow guitar picking, melancholic vocals and beautiful guitar solos. And this is the irony – although they are very challenging to listen to, Shining still has a brilliant way to create analogies between the rawest, deepest darkness and the beautiful tears rolling down the cheeks of a lonely wanderer in the mist. Within the ugly side of darkness they dig out the beautiful melancholic side and that is what makes this band unique.

The music alternates from slow guitar solos and low, slow guitar riffs to much faster solos and riffs. The drums complement these sounds in such a way that every beat and blast sounds like the first and final shot that send a suicide victim to his or her grave. The psychological aspect throughout every song is immense and unforgiving. The vocals never get boring – instead, every line that is screamed feels like a needle in the heart. What makes this album even more unique is the fact that Shining is addressing the social issue of suicide on a very deep level by even inserting extracts from the movie “Prozac Nation”. Between the slow melancholic music of the second track you can hear an extract where Christina Ricci talks about the tragic aspects of suicide. The way in which the slower pieces of music are followed up by much faster pieces are very exciting. In the faster pieces the band implements a traditional black metal approach mixed with some death metal elements. There is also another extract from “Prozac Nation” where suicidal cries of help can be heard. The band once again contributes a very intense atmosphere to this extract with slow military-pace kind of drumming along with unnerving distorted guitar riffs which suddenly switches over to a complex guitar solo that alternates between slow and fast.

Don’t expect a full driven black metal album, because Shining even pays tribute to the masters of classical music with the fifth track which is the “Moonlight Sonata” by Ludwig von Beethoven played on the piano. Between the beautiful piano-playing you can sometimes hear the vocalist humming the tunes in the background – this contributes to the dark atmosphere, because it is clear that this piece of Beethoven is not just another piece that he is playing. Instead, the music devours the musician and also the listener. Although the whole album can be seen as a constant climax it ends on the ultimate black metal kind of climax as the final track kicks in. It is a typical black metal piece of music with unnerving vocals, heavy distorted guitars and drumming that sometimes sounds like gunfire.

This album is definitely a must-have for all fans of black metal. It is totally unique and with this album Shining proved that they are a band who can create anything out of nothing.

As one might first derive from the not-so-subtly disturbing album cover, Shining is not a band for the cheery-eyed. Given the label of 'suicidal black metal', the band's nihilistic and misanthropic subject matter is enough to turn off many listeners, without even getting into the music itself. But while Shining's fifth record 'Halmstad' may be anything but a feelgood record, Shining makes a unique and powerful observation on black metal with this one.

Although Shining is typically considered to be a 'black metal' act- and not without reason- one of the things that most attracts me to them is that they do not adhere to most of the conventions of the genre. Most noticeably are the vocals of frontman Kvarforth, who sidesteps the raspy snarls typical of black metal in exchange for a more aggressive growl. The riffs here on 'Halmstad' are also significantly heavier than what alot of conventional black metal. Shining is not without a sense of beauty however, as is best represented in their mellow moments. Much like Swedish metal titans Opeth, Shining is a band that juxtaposes heavy metal sections with acoustics, and the mellow parts on 'Halmstad' make the album possibly the band's best. The riffs and raging howls of Kvarforth build the listener up to a peak of anger, only to resolve with a beautiful piano interlude, a classically-styled acoustic guitar segment, or even a dark jazzy section complete with fretless bass.

'Längtar Bort Från Mitt Hjärta' and 'Låt Oss Ta Allt Från Varandra' are the two tracks that contrast these two aspects of Shining the best. These titles translate into fairly morose Swedish phrases, and the most active emotions in the sound of 'Halmstad' are anger and despair. One thing that may have been done better for the album would be to capture the beautiful melancholy of their mellow sections in the heaviness; while the riffs here do often get a feeling across, some added melodies would have helped the aggressive moments to really come alive. The production and execution of this album is very good, although the vocals of Kvarforth do seem to be overdone at times. It is clear he is influenced by the fellow Swede Nattramn from the band Silencer. His howls are filled with anguish, but it can sometimes feel like if Kvarforth had toned down his performance a little, there would have been more room for feeling to get across over time, and sometimes the vocals even feel unnecessary to begin with. This is best demonstrated with 'Åttiosextusenfyrahundra', a rendition of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata where he quietly hums overtop. While I suppose it gives Shining something of a creative license over what would otherwise just be a cut and paste of another composer's work into their own, it doesn't seem to compliment the music. Luckily, the instrumentation here is more than strong enough to deal with the few issues that pop up in the vocal department here.

Shining's 'Halmstad' was once an album I considered a masterpiece, but upon revisiting it, I did find that some of the weaker elements of the album do stand out to me more. All the same, 'Halmstad' is an excellent piece of extreme metal, and devastating in the way it is able to wreak feelings of despair over the listener. Dark, creepy, and haunting stuff.

V - Halmstad supplements Shining's maturity into an entity mixing complexity of the soul with a rock edge and black metal at the core. The rich production helps amplify the tone with warm, heavy textures and riffs. These riffs are laced with power and rimmed with fat, much like the bass guitar's punchy dominance. The group not only had a budget to work with, but they chose the right studio once again and churned out an album that sounds thicker and superb on all levels. Everything is heavy, rocking, clear, and loud enough for nothing to be held back.

Shining’s main focus is on rhythms and tempos, since those are the indicators of changes in each song’s journey. The opener’s cryptic sampling leads off the shroud of distortion that follows, clueing in the listener on the main sound. It’s a sound that lingers with an atmosphere of hopelessness, but also solace in solidarity. There’s never a moment where enjoyment lapses, except during moments like “Låt Oss Ta Allt Från Varandra”. In that song, the kick of a catchy driving riff charges in front of the pounding rhythm. That’s the signature of the song, but it becomes bogged down during the break in the middle when the band decided to insert a movie sample – things get super lame and dramatic at this point before the song finds its way back. Still, it doesn't help that this particular sample just makes the listening experience uncomfortable while the caving atmosphere did far more to amplify the mood. Moving passed that, a little piano track softens the serious attitude away from the fast races and doomier grooves taking place on the rest of the tracks.

Now the only parts of this album that truly took me by surprise (as this was my intro to Shining) were the vocals. Black metal fans are used to the screaming and growling, but the Kvarforth here doesn’t cater to any coherent approach. He’ll scream, gasp, choke, cough, yell, growl, croak, groan, and so forth, never giving up to one method long enough to call it consistent (though scream / growl / yells are the main style). It’s an assortment of styles that listeners will get over and appreciate, not for Kvarforth’s attention-seeking, but for the insanity it lends to the precise, melancholic compositions. At first it can annoying and may turn some people off, but giving the vocals time to settle in will pay off big time in the end as it adds to the chaos in what is a very orderly album.

Every song here will test the esteem of listeners while contributing music those listeners will test themselves. The condescending climaxes of “Ytterligare Ett Steg…”, the exploding build-ups of “Besvikelsens Dystra Monotoni”, and the ominous fray between war-like drumming and dense bass support everywhere seems immense. It’s Shining being Shining, but going a step further with it. V – Halmstad really achieves what it wanted to become and, as such, has solidified its place in the community. Just more proof of competence enclosed under Kvarforth’s do-rag.

When people usually think of the whole “depressive” labeled bands of the black metal genre, they may be led to think, either these bands make some sincerely tortured music which is very appealing to them (that being the listeners), or they may think it's just another band's attempt at being cold, dark, and agonized, which has failed almost completely. Obviously people have entirely different thoughts and views on the subject matter, and is up to them to decide what they label it as. Well, at least here, Shining can be labeled as one of those band’s playing this form of black metal that shouldn’t really be criticized negatively for their attempts at bringing forth sounds of suicidal despair, and fifth album “V - Halmstad” is all that is needed to prove this.


Even though possessing a very nice and clean production, this album still manages to sound very ugly in its own way. Still remaining true to their black metal nature, Shining show their influences from other genres of music and mold them into something which can best be described as a refreshing new formula of depressive sound, the sound that only a handful of band’s are capable of pulling off. One of the most noticeable aspects of this release is Kvarforth’s vocals, which most listeners will find are very convincing, that being they sound exactly like someone would sound with an extremely tormented existence. The sounds of someone who may only have a few minutes or even hours before they decide it’s time to exterminate their presence… permanently. Kvarforth brings not only the tortured shrieks of despair, but he also sounds very angry at times, like he’s about to rip someone’s head off.


The overall emotions felt with “V - Halmstad” are the emotions one would most likely show or fill when having a loaded gun forcefully shoved into your mouth. Kind of like the album artwork Shining used for this release (which is just so fitting). With its shifting moods of loneliness and complete anguish, “V - Halmstad” is a very different approach to the “depressive” black metal genre. With musicianship that creates a disgusted and somewhat chilling atmosphere, Shining’s fifth offering is definitely a standout from the rest of the cut wrist groups. All in all there are very few drawbacks to this release, and has some potential to change the minds of those who see all depressive labeled black metal bands the same.

Sweden's Shining have evolved into a wonderful creation over the years. The improvement has come in all areas and its fantastic to witness. Kvarforth was merely a teenager when Shining released their EP 'Submit To Self-destruction', back in 1998. So, what's changed over the past decade? Well, a lot. Shining, as aforementioned, have evolved. Most importantly, each and every musician has grown. Good musicianship is key to success and over the years Shining have acquired that. Another vast improvement for me is the production. It wasn't necessarily bad when the first full-length was issued to the adoring public, but it wasn't that great either. It was dark and ... Well, just different. I've thoroughly enjoyed every single Shining album, so it wasn't that much of a problem. It was just a tad amateurish and scratchy, though that may have been due to a lack of funding? I don't know. However, this time around Shining have put all problems to bed. Atmospherically, Shining seem to have mellowed out the music. Its often quite soft, as opposed to how it used be. As I get older i tend to find that this is more appealing.


Shining's fifth full-length album, 'Halmstad' is a modern day classic. It has received a somewhat mixed reaction, but I believe given time this will adapt. As far as improvements go, well, I am thoroughly enjoying the addition of the classy and catchy leads. Despite the bands tag of 'depressive' black metal, in part, Halmstad has the ability to uplift my mood. Another positive about this particular release is its undoubted ability to be able to shift moods with tremendous acoustic sections and throaty vocals which are screamed out over the microphone with passion and emotion. The ability to make great music comes in the ability to be able to make that music powerful. This is done by stirring emotion, and being able to change that emotion into whatever you want it to be. Shining are beautiful one moment with sweeping melodies and affective whispers and then the next they're melancholic with crushing acoustics and wailing vocals which depict pain and anguish. Emotion is how you connect to your target audience and Halmstad provides a load of that. Raw emotion and natural progression. There is also a welcomed addition of both piano and cello sections, adding to the feeling of withering beauty the music conveys. Monologue sections depict this idea well and go hand in hand with Kvarforth's venomous tortured screams. Both holding connotations of various forms of pain and mental torment. However, in terms of the audience, the vocals may be seen as problematic. Kvarforth's unique style of screams may take some time to adjust to.


The only negative I can pluck out of this masterpiece is merely the fiasco that ensued before the full-length was released, and by that I mean the faked suicide by Kvarforth. I'm not sure what that was meant to achieve in terms of boosting this albums appeal. Shining should stick to letting the music talk for them instead. Notable highlights include; Yttligare Ett Steg Närmare Total Jävla Utfrysning, Besvikelsens Dystra Monotoni and Neka Morgondagen. Shining are back, and with a new lease of life. Such energy and creative flair is hard to dismiss and even harder to hold down.

Metal bands which get better with each successive release have always been rare. Often a band will shoot its entire creative wad on the debut and expend the remainder on the followup , then struggle to surpass the freshness and energy of that initial release. Shining, to the contrary, just keeps getting better. While the early material was fairly straightforward Burzum-ish atmospheric "suicide" black metal, the last 3 albums have all taken crab-like sidesteps into a far more inspired "black death rock" approach. Halmstad is simply an amazing continuation of this pattern.

While the basic sound remains rooted in the Swedish black metal sound, there's also a liberal amount of extremely emotive lead guitar work (something often very lacking in this style), with various dalliances into classical music (hell, "Åttiosextusenfyrahundra" is simply a ripoff of "Moonlight Sonata" with a different title), and plenty of contemplative acoustic moments. Over all this, the increasingly deranged Niklas Kvarforth spews all sorts of angst and hatred, wallowing in abject misery as a visceral means of self-expression. The music retains a complexity and scope more in line with 70's prog-rock than the majority of black metal, branching out in all sorts of odd directions while always remainingly firmly anchored in the atmosphere of life-hatred and selfdestruction that this band has always made their own.

Shining will always be a controversial band, mostly because they refuse to adhere to a strict "Black" formula, and aren't content to wallow in the sub-underground recording albums which sound like articulated radio static. Anyone who enjoyed the last two albums would do very well to pick this one up too. Bonus points for the artwork too, which is easily the most viscerally graphic interpretation of the band's concept to date. An essential purchase.