Generally, shunting together genres known for their confrontational and exclusionary force is a dangerous move but, over the years, Shining (Nor) leader/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jørgen Munkeby and his ensemble have done so with enough intelligence and flair that it has paid off in style. As one of progressive metal’s audacious enigmas, Shining (Nor) have made their name by fearlessly blitzing convention. Spanning the dark divide between the explosiveness of jazz, prog-rock’s intricacies and extreme metal’s severity, the band's fifth studio release, ‘Blackjazz’, provided the breakout, as Shining (Nor) caught the wider attention of music fans that merit such gallantry. The evolution from an acoustic jazz quartet to the band flaunting extensive talents on ‘Live Blackjazz’—released in 2011—is sizeable, and with their latest offering, ‘One One One’, the evolution continues; albeit with fewer tangential leaps. The temptation to descend into blackened-jazz alienation à la ‘Blackjazz Deathtrance’ has been suppressed on ‘One One One’. Instead Shining (Nor) have filled the furnace with as many memorable vocal refrains as possible to work strictly within the confines of verse/chorus structures. In essence, the band has written 9 extreme pop songs shellacked by juddering industrial and progressive metal, resulting in an exciting, immediate and highly addictive listen. “Pop” is used in the loosest sense of the word, of course. You will not find saccharine choruses or moments that would be palatable to anyone unfamiliar with the intensity steaming off caustic vocals and pulverising metallic blasts. Munkeby’s vocals—part slithery lothario, part mantra-bearer—are pushed to the forefront and the bass-heavy riffs and unstable rhythms split and collide like The Dillinger Escape Plan remixed by Trent Reznor or Aphex Twin. All this comes at the expense of free-form jaunts, and the caterwauls of Munkeby's saxophone are limited to a few choice wig-outs ('How Your Story Ends', 'The Hurting Game'); much like his sparse interjections on Ihsahn’s ‘Eremita’ from last year. This may dishearten those looking to Shining (Nor) for jazz-in-extremis, but by cutting each song right to the bone and hanging not an ounce of fat on each arrangement, the band have allowed us to see straight through to what actually exists at the core of Shining (Nor): A swarming mass of enviable musicality and rampant hooks. Don't get too comfortable, however. This may only be a momentary experiment. One that Shining (Nor) have conducted to see how the rats react to stimulus shot straight to the synapses.

Dean Brown

Band info: www.shining.no
Label info: www.indierecordings.no | www.prostheticrecords.com

Dean Brown is a metal scribe based in Ireland. He is currently a contributing editor to the North American cultural magazine Popmatters and he regularly throws words for a number of other reputable loud noise publications such as About.com/heavy metal, Soundshock.com, MetalIreland.com, MoltenMagazine.com, amongst others. He has a strong affinity for music that shakes souls and leaves debilitating tinnitus in its wake and such obsession has left him financially and medically crippled, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Follow Dean on twitter @reus85

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While searching for some background info on Man the Machetes, I noticed they often get compared to Kvelertak, which is a bit unavoidable considering both bands have some things in common. They’re both from Norway, sing in their mother tongue, are signed to Indie Recordings and most importantly, both acts churn out an explosive blend of metal-influenced hardcore fury with a punk ‘n’ roll snot. But while their compatriots Kvelertak merge some black metal bitterness into their sound, Man the Machetes are more hardcore driven, and they don’t show any hesitations in incorporating some pop melodies into the music when they deem it necessary (“Neo-Cowboy" is good example). Plus, they’ve both the musical ability and the distinct attitude to escape the accusations of plagiarism.
To try to pick a track that stands out is kind of silly, as all ten songs on the album have that similar vibe and sound that will make you want to start a brawl at some cheap bar. It’s almost impossible to remain indifferent to the killer guitar riffs and infectious melodies that abound here.
While Man the Machetes do show some similarities with Kvelertak, it would be a shame to overlook them as mere clones for "Idiokrati" is an exciting debut record that burns with youthful energy and bad temper. 

Band info: www.manthemachetes.com 
Label info: www.indierecordings.no

 
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Five years after their last outing, Sweden’s Cult of Luna return this year with their most ambitious and cohesive record yet. Long time fans of the band never had much to complain about, they’re simply incapable of making a bad record, but what is truly amazing is that they continue to top themselves with each new release. “Vertikal” like most of their past efforts is a challenging and heavily-layered album that demands time and attention, it may not be as immediately invigorating as “Eternal Kingdom” or “Somewhere Along the Highway”, but further listens reveal a truly fascinating record that sees the Swedes at the peak of their powers.
Influenced by Fritz Lang's 1927 movie, Metropolis, this new record shows a greater emphasis on electronic and repetitive sounds, creating a colder, darker and more urban atmosphere that superbly reflects the dystopian narrative of the movie it draws inspiration from. Songs like “Synchronicity”, “Mute Departure” and “Vicarious Redemption” along with some Kraftwrek-driven instrumentals truly impart the sense of despondency that is associated with Lang’s futuristic vision of the world.
It might have taken a while to complete, but “Vertikal” is definitely worth the wait, it’s challenging and intriguing and ultimately an amazing album. 

Band info: www.cultofluna.com
Label info: www.indierecordings.net

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Surprisingly, one of the most ferocious and hard-hitting releases coming from Norway this year wasn’t created by a band covered with paint, dripping with blood or praising the name of Satan. Please meet Purified In Blood, a group of friends with a shared love of metal’s aggression, punk hardcore attitude and a concern for environmental issues.

Guitarist Sander Sagblad Loe and vocalist Hallgeir S. Enoksen talk about metal, veganism and global freedom.

 

Flight of the Dying Sun, the third album from Norway's Purified in Blood, is one of the most potent and surprising records of the year. Filled with bone-crushing riffs, thunderous rhythms and some blistering solos, this new effort touches a wide variety of styles with astounding results. 

In the press sheet, vocalist Hallgeir S. Enoksen defines the new effort as “… the missing link between «Reaper of Souls» and «Under Black Skies»”, adding that “Flight of the Dying Sun” fuses the rawness and intensity of the first record with the more organic and varied sound of the second album. I take it this was conscious decision of the band, to encompass all the traits of your past efforts into this new work right? 

Sander: No, that was never the idea and I would not put to much weight on what Hallgeir said in the press sheet. We always try to look ahead and try to come up with new stuff that we have never done before. So if anything we try to avoid doing what we have done in the past. I am easily bored and I think it is important to always come up with new and exciting stuff to keep myself interested. We will always keep it hard, aggressive and heavy, but still add new dimensions and flavours to keep pushing the boundaries of what you can and can’t do in metal. The idea is to never stagnate. Development and evolution is key. 

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Two years on from their much lauded second album “Under Black Skies”, Norwegians Purified In Blood are back with a new effort and minus a lead singer following the departure of one of their two vocalists, Mr. Glenn Reaper. Not that this change affects or hinders the impact of their hardcore-fuelled death metal attack as the band sounds fiercer and angrier than ever on “Flight Of A Dying Sun”, plus sole vocalist Hallgeir pulls out an incredibly monstrous performance.

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