| Blackjazz | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 January 2010 | |||
| Genre | Avant-garde metal, extreme metal, alternative metal, industrial metal, progressive metal, experimental rock | |||
| Length | 57:15 | |||
| Label | Indie Recordings | |||
| Producer | Jørgen Munkeby | |||
| Shining chronology | ||||
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Blackjazz is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian band Shining, released through Indie Recordings on 18 January 2010. It marks a shift into the avant-garde metal genre, with extreme metal, industrial and progressive influences.
As on Shining's two previous albums, the music draws elements from many different genres. The album's title, Blackjazz, is meant to describe the band's sound. [1]
The instrumentation is far simpler than on the two previous albums, with Jørgen Munkeby focusing on guitars and saxophone. This has made the album's sound closer to how they sound live, as songs from previous albums needed to be simplified for live performances. [2]
According to Munkeby, a big inspiration in the development of the Blackjazz genre, was his work with In Lingua Mortua in 2006/2007. To quote Munkeby: "Lars' refreshing blend of an impressive intellectual display and direct raw power has been a big inspiration for me. Lars is a true pioneer. He was the first person to invite me to play sax in a black metal setting, and in so doing, contributed strongly to SHINING's later development of the Blackjazz genre." [3]
Another big influence on Blackjazz is Shining's collaboration with Enslaved, [4] with whom they composed and performed a 90-minute ″Armageddon Concerto″, Nine Nights in Nothingness – Glimpses of Downfall, at Moldejazz 2008. In fact, the concerto's second movement is an early version of Blackjazz Deathtrance, the seventh movement is an early version of the song "Fisheye", and a studio version of the first movement, "RMGDN", is a bonus track on the vinyl edition of Blackjazz. The concerto was commissioned by Moldejazz after the programme committee saw a video of the two bands performing a cover of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man" on their 2007 tour. [5] A new version of the same song forms the final track on Blackjazz, featuring guest vocals by Enslaved's Grutle Kjellson.
Shining performed the world premiere of the song "Fisheye" live on Store Studio, a culture talk show on NRK, 10 October 2009. Their performance was later released on YouTube, and as a free mp3 download from NRK. [6]
An extended version of "Fisheye" and the single "The Madness and the Damage Done" were released on iTunes prior to Blackjazz release. The Singles were well-received, with "Fisheye" named Best song of 2009 by a critic in NRK's Lydverket, [7] and giving Shining a place on Time Out New York's list the Stars of 2010. [8]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (83/100) [9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [10] |
| PopMatters | (8/10) [11] |
| The New York Times | (favorable) [12] |
| Rock Sound | (7/10) [13] |
| The A.V. Club | (favorable) [14] |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.7/10) [15] |
The album was well received by critics. Notably, it was one of the few new releases ever to get a perfect five-star rating in its initial review by Allmusic, although its rating was later downgraded to four and a half stars.[ citation needed ]
All tracks written by Jørgen Munkeby except "21st Century Schizoid Man" written by Greg Lake, Ian McDonald, Michael Giles, Peter Sinfield and Robert Fripp.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Madness and the Damage Done" | 5:20 |
| 2. | "Fisheye" | 5:07 |
| 3. | "Exit Sun" | 8:35 |
| 4. | "Exit Sun" | 0:57 |
| 5. | "Healter Skelter" | 5:34 |
| 6. | "The Madness and the Damage Done" | 3:23 |
| 7. | "Blackjazz Deathtrance" | 10:50 |
| 8. | "Omen" | 8:45 |
| 9. | "21st Century Schizoid Man" (King Crimson cover) | 8:40 |
| Total length: | 57:15 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Fisheye" (Extended Version) | 6:59 |
| 11. | "RMGDN" | 12:37 |
| Total length: | 01:16:51 | |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norwegian Albums Chart [16] | 9 |
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 18 January 2010 | Indie Recordings | CD | INDIE 045 CD |
| double LP | INDIE 045 LP | |||
| Europe | 25 January 2010 | Indie Recordings | CD | |
| United States | 2 February 2010 | The End Records | CD |
Enslaved is a Norwegian extreme metal band formed by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson in Haugesund in 1991. They are currently based in Bergen. The band's lineup has changed many times over the years, and Bjørnson and Kjellson have been the sole constant members. The current lineup also includes lead guitarist Arve Isdal, keyboardist/singer Håkon Vinje, and drummer Iver Sandøy.
Frost is the second studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Enslaved. It was released in 1994, through Osmose Productions.
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Monumension is the sixth studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Enslaved. It was released on 27 November 2001, through Osmose Productions. It is Enslaved's first album to feature lyrics sung entirely in English, although some versions of the album include the Old Norse track "Sigmundskvadet" as a bonus.
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Shining (stylized as SHINING) is a Norwegian band from Oslo. Thirteen musicians have been a part of the band's lineup in its history, with singer, guitarist, saxophonist, and songwriter Jørgen Munkeby as its leading force and only constant member. The band is also called SHINING (NOR) to avoid confusion with the Swedish black metal band of the same name.
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Kjetil Tvedte Grutle, better known as Grutle Kjellson, is the bassist and vocalist of the Norwegian progressive black metal band Enslaved. Together with Ivar Bjørnson, they are the founding and the only constant members, as well as the main songwriters of the band.
Ivar Skontorp Peersen, best known by his stage name Ivar Bjørnson, is a Norwegian composer/guitarist for the progressive black/viking metal band Enslaved.
Apollyon is a black metal/thrash metal multi-instrumentalist, formerly associated with Dødheimsgard and Cadaver, now playing in Aura Noir and also Immortal after its reforming in 2006. He has done guest vocals on the Darkthrone albums Plaguewielder and Sardonic Wrath, and also on Audiopain's EP 1986 (2000). He was a live guitarist for Gorgoroth from 2003 to 2004, and performed at Gorgoroth's now infamous Kraków gig in February 2004. In 2004 Apollyon participated in a live tribute to Quorthon of Bathory at the Hole in the Sky festival in Bergen, Norway. Apollyon played bass on all songs, and also did the vocals on the song Equimanthorn. In addition to Apollyon, the line-up of this tribute band consisted of Bård Faust (ex-Emperor) on drums and Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Samoth (Emperor) on guitars, as well as guest vocalists Gaahl (Gorgoroth), Abbath (Immortal), Grutle Kjellson (Enslaved), Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone) and Satyr (Satyricon).
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In Lingua Mortua is a Norwegian band formed by Lars Fredrik Frøislie in 1999 at Hønefoss, Norway. The music can be described as a mixture of 1970s progressive rock and black metal, and vintage instruments like the Mellotron, Chamberlin, Minimoog, Clavinet and Hammond organ are used frequently, as well as saxophone, bass clarinet, steel guitar, Ludwig drums and Rickenbacker bass.
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Jørgen Munkeby is a Norwegian jazz and heavy metal musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, known as the frontman in the band Shining and former member of Jaga Jazzist.
Even Helte Hermansen is a Norwegian guitarist, known from several orchestras playing experimental jazz.
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Det er klart at samarbeidet med Enslaved har inspirert oss, og det har også påvirket soundet på den nye skiva.
Det var etter at programkomiteen i Moldejazz fikk høre et live-opptak av Shining og Enslaveds felles tolkning av King Crimson-låten "21st Century Schizoid Man" at man bestemte seg for å gi banda utfordringen å lage et bestillingsverk til festivalen.
