Destined to be one of the best albums of 2013, Shining’s One One One picks up where Blackjazz left off — as a refinement of the band’s frenzied, progressive, jazz-infused avant-metal.
Shining: One One One (Prosthetic / Universal Norway, 5/28/13)
There are covers, and then there are covers. Shining’s version of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” is the latter, a roiling, screaming beast of wails, beats, and static.
Norway’s Shining, which gave a name to its genre with 2010 album Blackjazz, has a new record coming out May 28 on Prosthetic. Entitled One One One, the album includes the recently unveiled riff-rocker “I Won’t Forget” (see the sci-fi music video here).
Now the band has made stems available for download and is holding a remix competition of the single. The three best versions, picked by front-man Jørgen Munkeby, will be posted on the band’s social-media sites, and each winner will receive a Shining button-up, the “Blackjazz Rebel,” pictured below. So download that application, send it back to the band, and get to cutting.
Ihsahn: Eremita (Candlelight, 6/19/12)
“The Paranoid”
Though the hazy noise of 1992’s Wrath of the Tyrant may seem a far cry from the sleekly produced Eremita, the songwriting of former Emperor guitarist and vocalist Ihsahn always has been based upon a very specific melodic voice. There is a clear thread from the tremolo-picked intro to “I Am the Black Wizards” (from 1993’s Emperor) to the arpeggiated “Introspection” (from Eremita), even if one composition tends much more towards Celtic Frost and the other much more towards Gentle Giant. Eremita, or “The Hermit,” is Ihsahn’s fourth solo album, and it continues a hybrid of progressive rock and black metal that was heard on Emperor’s later albums such as IX Equilibrium and Prometheus.
Among the thousands of under-appreciated or under-publicized albums that were released in 2010, hundreds became our favorites and were presented in ALARM and on AlarmPress.com. Of those, we pared down to 100 outstanding releases, leaving no genre unexplored in our list of this year’s overlooked gems.
Transitioning from jazz to a more eclectic style incorporating bop, funk, and metal, Norwegian post-prog group Shining showcases unconventional instruments such as the EWI, wooden church organs, and toy pianos. The fun doesn’t stop there — even their song titles are riddled with secret codes and references.