Swedish depressive black metal outfit Shining, led by Niklas Kvarforth, has released their eleventh studio album, showcasing their darkest work to date. The self-titled record’s arrival was accompanied by the release of a third single, “Fidelis Ad Mortem,” featuring a guitar solo by King Diamond’s Andy La Rocque, who also handled production, recording, mixing, and mastering at Sonic Train Studios. The song’s unsettling atmosphere, along with a lyric video, continues with the album’s constant dark emotion.
Niklas Kvarforth commented on overall sacrifices he has made:
“SHINING has completely destroyed my life and shattered every single relationship I have had over the years, but still, this sick child of mine means everything to me. So yes, I am willing to sacrifice everything for him and have done so on more than one occasion.”
Kvarforth discussed the latest single:
“’Fidelis Ad Mortem’ is a song that was partly written by myself all the way back in 2001, but somehow always felt weirdly out-of-context to the vision I had for this band back in those early days, and thus, therefore never deemed suitable of being a part of any of the last nine records that followed. However, now, when SHINING finally are having a more or less stable lineup, the band convinced me that we should at least try to record it, while Andy La Rocque gave myself a boost in his role as our producer, which was something I desperately needed in order to take that necessary step backwards and fall blindly into territories both treacherous and unknown. And I am glad he did, so that this unorthodox piece of Anti-Humanitarian Art can finally be unleashed publicly and hopefully go on to inspire you all. Finally, it so happens that Andy actually found this particular moment of productivity so inspiring that he ended up recording the two solos as well, showcasing his patented skills in a remarkably fiery way, the way only he can.”
Watch the clip below and order the album here:
