"Some shine and some don't"

For those who have ever wondered what it would be like to venture into the mind of a schizophrenic on LSD while spontaneously combusting, have I got an album for you; Shining's "Blackjazz". Shining is a band hailing from Norway and have a sound comparible to Nine Inch Nails, Buckethead, Ministry, John Coltrane and more importantly Mike Patton's Mr. Bungle and Fantomas. It is very hard to actually categorize this type of music, this album in particular, as it is jazzy, loud, chaotic, dark and suprisingly extremely catchy. Shining's frontman, Jorgen Munkeby, used to front the progressive jazz outfit Jaga Jazzist, but broke away, obviously because he wanted a band that turned things up to 13 (that's right folks, this one goes to 13!) "Blackjazz" is a perfect title for this album as Shining has created their own genre by that name. The album kicks off with "The Madness and the Damage Done" which may scare most people away with it's 'cookie monster' growls, however it's unrelenting assault on your inner ear makes it impossible to take off the headphones as they quickly melt to your face. The next track, "Fisheye", probably has the most 'pop' feel to it as it could fit on any NIN or Filter album. You will be singing along with the chorus "1, 3, 7, 5... 1, 3, 4, 9" by the end of the song. I have NO idea what those numbers mean, nor do I think Shining do. "Exit Sun" follows in a similar vein as it pummels it's listener into wanting more. The songs builds on a quick guitar track with bombastic drums that leads to the sound of a mob chanting. The song then segways into a brutal 1 minute drum and synth instrumental closer. The next track, "HEALTER SKELTER", is a personal favorite. Instead of lyrics, Mr. Munkeby plays his barisax much like Steve Vai plays his guitar; technical and shredding. Shining have turned jazz into something a metalhead would be proud of. This album is so much more than a musical masterpiece it is the mother of all auditory mind trips. I guarantee you have never heard anything like this before. This album will most definitely be polarizing; either you love it or you misunderstand it. For those who get it, you're welcome... but thank Shining.



"Some shine and some don't" - Dick Hallorann

Rating 13