Shining
Blackjazz

Black jazz from Norway. "Blackjazz" is the fifth album by the Norwegian band Shining (not to be confused with the Swedish band of the same name, those who play black metal and cut themselves at concerts - marònn what seriousness). No, these Shining are not serious at all. But a distinction should be made.

They are extremely serious in their technique, extremely serious in production (original and of the highest level: Sean Beavan is involved in this record, who has already worked behind the mixer with NIN and Slayer), and extremely serious in their intentions. Intentions that, however, could not be more ridiculous: they devour all the progressive, the neo-prog, the quasi-prog, the prog-whatever you want, unite it with sick jazz, jazzcore contortions, this jazzshit, and flavor it all with quite a bit of heaviness, being good Norwegians, and then bend it all into scenarios that we could define as the soundtrack of a high-definition sci-fi cyberpunk megasaga.

The intricacy and show-off of progressive finally bent to a total mockery. The only band they pay respect to are King Crimson, both in the harshness and darkness of the sound (too clean? Listen to those sizzling guitars! Solos? Not on this record) and with a devastating cover of "21st Century Schizoid Man", as banal and predictable as it may be, but never played so noisily, so dissonantly, so wickedly (in this regard, also remember the beautiful episode of the cover by Rorschach of the same piece) and so enjoyably.

The album is enjoyable in all its ups and downs (hooray! After months I've said it again!) and in the most rowdy moments (especially at the beginning) as in the more fake-epic-we-are-taking-ourselves-seriously ones (the long Exit Sun in the middle of the album). Then "Healter Skelter" and its massive grooves break everything down, and the album enters its most delirious phase and offers us moments that I would have liked to hear as the soundtrack of movies like "Starship Troopers," or a porn inspired by 1997: "Escape from New York" (perhaps titled: "1997: Figa da New York"©). And in closing, the King Crimson cover wipes everything definitively away.

Often misunderstood as show-offs and taken very seriously, I instead find Shining a gem, a small guide on how to mock oneself and have great fun while doing it, with an exceptional technical setup always at the service of creating absolutely mindfuck songs. To hell with Elio e le storie stese.