Shining – One One One album review.
Review by David Jones
Shining are a Norwegian Jazz-metal band who started life as an acoustic jazz act before growing some hefty balls and running with them. I, for one, am grateful they did because this genre defining group is owning it.
This is the band’s seventh studio album or third in their line of ‘Jazz Metal’ releases and it is one epic genre they’re creating, they have elements of metal, jazz, prog-rock, thrash, metalcore, rock and they are creating a perfect concoction of diabolical genius, literally everything you could ask for in an album.
The album One One One has been produced by Sean Beavan, who has worked most notably with Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. Sean Beavan’s heavy influence on this album can be heard as soon as you listen to the second track ‘The One Inside’ with it’s heavy ‘popping’ guitar and harsh vocals you will immediately understand why this band deserves the praise they are receiving. My favourite track from this album is ‘How your story ends’ which starts off with a solid saxophone intro before shooting into a ball-busting guitar riff, its a prime example of why anything goes in the world of music and why new bands should not be afraid of exploring uncharted territory.
This album has a different sound to their previous album, Black Jazz, choosing to focus more on solid and ‘fun’ sounding licks and riffs played on various instruments which are then each sculpted into a jazz-metal masterpiece. Whilst Black Jazz was definitely the album that made Jazz-metal into what it is today, One One One is pushing this genre to the next level and is confirmation that this band was never just a ‘one-off’.
This album is brilliantly written, played, mixed and produced. Every song is always packed to the brim with mulitple instruments adding different elements and styles but it is all combined so elegantly. You should buy this album if you want to see how well a saxophone can truly complement metal.
At 37 minutes and 9 tracks this isn’t the longest album in the world but it is available on Spotify and a few tracks are on the band’s website www.shining.no. It is definitely worth checking out.
You can pick it up in the UK through their facebook page here.
9/10
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