Controversial Swedish metal band SHINING have announced a rare North American festival appearance at Montreal’s Messe Des Morts Festival, issues Season Of Mist. The festival runs from April 2-4 sees the band playing alongside other underground stalwarts SAMAEL, CULT OF FIRE, and MITOCHONDRION. More information about Messe Des Morts is available here.
As we reported earlier, SHINING (Niklas Kvarforth – Vocals, Concept, Guitars, Rainer Tuomikanto – Drums, Christian Larsson – Bass, Euge Valovirta – Guitar, Peter Huss – Guitar) have also released photos taken during the recent video shoot for a track from the band’s upcoming new record which is set to be released by Season of Mist in the spring. The photos, by Assi Viljanen, can be seen at SHINING’s official Facebook page.
Founded in 1996, SHINING has since earned notoriety within the black metal underground as a result of the band’s innovative and ever-evolving sound, in addition to main-man Niklas Kvarforth’s frightening and abrasive stage persona. Characterized by Kvarforth’s philosophy on suicide, SHINING was originally conceived as a “suicidal black metal” band, inciting violence within their rabid fan-base through the band’s provocative lyrics and self-destructive imagery. Refusing to be bound by the confines of the genre, SHINING later expanded their unique approach to songwriting and themes, incorporating melodic death metal passages and dynamic vocals ranges. These new influences developed SHINING into new breed of extreme music players, whose musical prowess continues to tread new ground.
“If ever a death metal album could be beautiful, this is it; Shining (the Swedish version) are a far cry from melodeath or so-called melodoom, but they’ve found a way to make blackened death metal that’s haunting, sad, melancholy and woefully aching yet somehow still absolutely gorgeous. Shining are a perfect example of a fantastic European band that should be receiving all kinds of acclaim in the states” – Metalsucks“No longer content with narrowisms of the genre they helped popularize, Kvarforth and his instrumentally adept backing band unfold song after song of beautifully despondent surprises. They draw from a diverse set of influences, and never do shining show hey;re out of their depth in plucking nuances from black metal, progressive rock and chart-topping Scandi-rpck, and making it unmistakably their own” – Decibel Magazine, “The top 100 Black Metal Albums of All Time”
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 