Shining - One One One

For a land known mostly for the blackest of metal, this is some surprisingly different and interesting music.Every now and then you run across a band that's doing things just left of center without going so far off they end up on the precipice of individuality teetering over self-indulgence. The Norweigian musicians collectively known as Shining started in 1999 as an acoustic jazz quartet, slowly incorporating heavier elements into their sound, leaving us with their 6th (and heaviest) effort, One One One.

Interestingly, there's less of a jazz feel than an industrial metal vibe going on here, save for the occasional saxophone outburst from founder Jørgen Munkeby. Tracks like The One Inside and Off the Hook in particular remind me of 90s era Ministry or Rammstein with their screaming vocals and cyber-Wagnerian rhythms that sound like a factory building dancing, killer robots 24/7. The band has coined their own term for it: Blackjazz - which was the name of their previous album, and shows up on the track Blackjazz Rebels. I have to say, this is pretty good music despite the fact that I'm really not an industrial guy. Nice work, lads.

The Bottom Line: Fans of a less rockabilly Rob Zombie or a jazzier Nine Inch Nails of old will probably find a lot to like in this heavy, energetic album that's different enough to be interesting but genuine enough to not bore you after a couple of songs.

Tracks You Do Not Want On Your Hangover Soundtrack: The One Inside, Off the Hook and Paint The Sky Black

- Genghis was skeptical about that saxophone at first...