Review Summary: With his ninth entry into the ever-burgeoning world of depressive black metal, Kvarforth presents another consistent albeit predictable album for the cult fan-base to enjoy.
Anyone with so much as a passing interest in depressive black metal will know who and what the Swedish Shining is. More to the point, they'll probably know that Niklas Kvarforth is something of an isolated, complex individual-or at least, that's what one thinks when they listen to anything from Shining's fairly exploratory discography. 2015 sees the return of Kvarforth in the distorted shape and form of an album fittingly entitled
IX: Everyone, Everything, Everywhere Ends, which is probably Shining's most straightforward and honest approach to producing music yet. That album title itself is enough to determine whether or not the listener is going to enjoy the next forty minutes. Put it this way, it's certainly a more meaningful part of Shining's career than the lackluster covers album,
Lots of Girls Gonna Get Hurt, turned out to be.
Shining's ninth effort breaks absolutely no boundaries found deep within depressive black metal's recesses whatsoever, unless you count the unexpected banjo work in "Inga Broar Kvar Att Bränna" and Kvarforth's clean vocal work as a distraction from the traditions of the sub-genre. The forty minutes' worth of music found here is simply an exploration of Niklas Kvarforth's pessimistic take on various subjects, just as prominently as Shining's previous eight records did. Of course, the man himself has been known to delve into more complex musical territory in the past, and in this case,
IX... is even more straightforward to listen to. You simply never get confused by any of the six songs here, which are either focused solely on black metal or unsettling acoustic journeys into, well, darkness.
The opening number, "Den påtvingade tvåsamheten", almost sounds like it was recorded for a rock opera by the end, and merely sways towards the more uplifting side of Kvarforth's musicianship before crushing everything with those dark-tinged guitar chords. Whilst it's job is to more or less make an impressive statement on the listener's eardrums, it is done with more vigour and finesse with the other five songs. The more acoustic, tenser likes of "Framtidsutsikter" and "Inga Broar Kvar Att Bränna" are often complemented as opposed to outshone by the heavier, more explosive "Vilja & dröm". Indeed, this album as a whole is simply another example of how Kvarforth has matured slowly but surely into a songwriter. Sure, the songs on
IX... aren't all that impressive when you consider Shining's past works (few albums have since been able to surpass the quality on
V: Halmstad), but replacing that seemingly missed opportunity is a catchier, more memorable aspect of Shining's musical output. The way in which "Människotankens Vägglosa Rum" builds up is just as vital to the song's progress as its acoustic interludes, at times attempting to bring melody and melancholy to the masses through the medium of depressive black metal.
Niklas Kvarforth's vocal approach on
IX... is the most honest we've ever heard from him. From listening to the album, you can understand his level of frustration, menace and sorrow as the album progresses to its striking ending. Here, it's valuable to know that the harsh vocal style is just as meaningful and suitable as the cleaner range is. The way in which Kvarforth develops his versatile vocal style is what, alongside the instrumental performance, makes
IX... a consistent, fluent record. At times, as on "Framtidsutsikter", his raw clean vocal performance almost emulates a latter day Carl McCoy (Check the
Mourning Sun album for comparison purposes), but not because of the delivery so much as the emotive take on each lyric. Working closely with the lyrics, Kvarforth strongly develops his vocal abilities and links the right approach with the right song. Though at times the co-operation seems a little muddied-"Inga Broar Kvar Att Bränna" is the most obvious example-Kvarforth confidently develops his emotions through music just as easily as he did on Shining's debut record all those years ago. The harsher vocals are at their most fitting when the black metal side of the album is performed, but there are times where Kvarforth will change the direction and scream his guts out over melodic, acoustic touches, something which is carried off aplomb.
IX: Everyone, Everything, Everywhere Ends, even if it doesn't present anything new to the listener, is something of a striking return for Shining. Though the album itself will prove increasingly divisive amongst the ever-growing number of black metal fans, Shining's ninth album is further proof that Niklas Kvarforth is still with us, and more importantly, that he still knows how to write both a meaningful and catchy extreme metal tune without losing any of the musical or artistic integrity.
