Shining is a bit of a tough nut to crack, so let's start with the basics. First off, it would be helpful to clarify that I'm talking about the Norwegian band called Shining, not the Swedish band called Shining. The Swedish Shining is a black metal band ostensibly concerned with making listeners as suicidal and likely to self-harm as possible. On the other hand, the Norwegian Shining (hereafter referred to as just Shining) is...well, for starters it's far more difficult to describe via pithy statements.
Shining is, for lack of a simpler term, an avant-garde metal band. Avant-garde, however, is itself a fairly empty description. It would be better to call Shining's music the ungodly fusion of industrial and progressive metal with free-form jazz and electronica. On Blackjazz, Shining have created something that you aren't likely to fully appreciate on your first listen. My first time through, I found Blackjazz to be more exhausting than exhilarating. Part of that is likely a result of the album's run-time falling just short of an hour. Add to that an incredibly dense sound, manic tone, lengthy songs (particularly on the album's back-end, where a nearly eleven-minute song is followed by two songs just shy of nine minutes each), and counter-intuitive design choices ("The Madness and the Damage Done" is track one; "The Madness and the Damage Done, part one" is track six) and you get an album that's potentially draining for the uninitiated listener. I assure you, however, that Blackjazz is worth the extra effort required in its appreciation.
Do you like your music progressive and full of surprises, yet with a strong sense of groove? Does the idea of music made by madmen, for madmen, appeal to you? Do you think Meshuggah would be a more interesting band if they hired a saxophonist? If you answered yes to any of those, then you (like me) might be the target audience for Blackjazz! The album is funky, brutal and strangely satisfying. It's filled with intricate compositions formed around the simplest groove riffs. Ultimately, though, it's nearly impossible for me to describe Blackjazz without resorting to hyperbole and metaphor. At times, it's the sound of the apocalypse (a trite metaphor, but a fitting one regardless). At times, it's the sound of a jazz orchestra and a metal band attempting to bludgeon each other with their instruments. Either way, it's great fun for those of us able to appreciate music of this level of insanity. Don't take it from me, though. This is one of those albums that, love it or hate it, you owe it to yourself to experience.
