CoC : Shining - IV: The Eerie Cold : Review

Shining - _IV: The Eerie Cold_
(Avantgarde Music, 2005)
by: Pedro Azevedo (6.5 out of 10)

Reportedly Shining's farewell album, _IV: The Eerie Cold_ may not actually be the last we shall hear from Kvarforth and whoever happens to join him, according to the latest rumours. In any case, this follow-up to the rather bleak piece of black metal entitled _III: Angst, Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie_ starts off in an entirely unexpected way: the first track arrives softly from some acoustic guitar and drums, and goes into a guitar solo -- and I don't mean a chaotic or very metal-sounding one. The song soon unveils a more polished production job, and the whole thing comes across as a relatively docile affair compared to most of what's found in the suicidal black metal subgenre these days. Furthermore, be warned that there are plenty of quirky sections and unexpected twists in the music in case you are looking for a downright sombre album. Most of the time the record sounds like it can't decide whether it wants to rock and sound progressive or fall into the depths of despair, and the end result ultimately falls down the gaping abyss that separates the two. Sound and musicianship are very good, some passages are great, but the album is often made up of a seemingly incoherent jumble of different parts -- the rather deplorable title track providing one of the most glaring examples. The annoyance factor of _IV: The Eerie Cold_ is therefore proportional to the musical quality it showcases at times, which is ultimately spoiled for the most part by the album's lack of focus - as much as it may be intentional.

Contact: http://www.avantgardemusic.com

(article published 7/4/2005)