Shining (Swedish band)

Kvarforth is the main composer and vocalist of the band and started the band when he was twelve. By the time Kvarforth was fourteen, Shining had released their first EP Submit to Selfdestruction (1998) on which he played guitars and bass. It was not until the band released their first album, Within Deep Dark Chambers (2000), that Kvarforth became the band's vocalist.

The band's name does not refer to the book The Shining or the film based on it, but rather it means "the path to enlightenment", according to Kvarforth.

The band released two more albums Livets ändhållplats (2001) and Angst, Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie (2002), before splitting up in August 2004. Their fourth album, The Eerie Cold (2005), was supposed to be their last, but the band reformed later the same year with a new line-up capable of live shows.

Kvarforth disappeared in July 2006 and a rumor was spread he was presumed to have committed suicide. On 23 August 2006 the band posted a statement on their website declaring Kvarforth had disappeared. The band was said to continue with a new singer named "Ghoul," as one of the wishes from Kvarforth.{{cite web |title=Comment On Rumors Of Singer's Suicide |publisher=Shiningangst.se |url=http://www.metalstorm.ee/events/news_comments.php?news_id=3112 |access-date=26 October 2008}}

file:Kvarforth in Vienna, Austria (2007).jpg

At a concert that took place on 3 February 2007, at Diezel in Halmstad, Sweden, "Ghoul" was revealed to be Kvarforth. The concert was violent in nature, with Kvarforth occasionally fighting the audience and the guest vocalists (Attila Csihar, Maniac and Nattefrost).{{Citation|last=Satanen Perkele|title=Shining scandal|date=1 November 2013|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT1ML-azkaQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/PT1ML-azkaQ |archive-date=22 December 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=11 November 2018}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/a/jP0Kzn/skandalkonsert-i-halmstad|title=Skandalkonsert i Halmstad|work=Aftonbladet|access-date=11 November 2018|language=sv}}

The band released their fifth album in 2007, Halmstad (Niklas angående Niklas), a reference to Kvarforth's hometown.

A compilation album entitled, 8½ – Feberdrömmar I Vaket Tillstånd (2013), was released that featured re-recorded songs from 2001–2002 and different vocalists for 5/6 tracks.

The band's ninth album entitled, IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends, was released on 21 April 2015.

The band's tenth album, X – Varg Utan Flock, was released on 5 January 2018.

The band's eleventh album, Shining, was released on 15 September 2023.

{{quote box|width=250px|salign=right|quote=Of course we support suicide, Shining support all that is negative in this bastard world of ours. We have had a couple of cases in the past with people whom have ended their lives under the influence or partially under the influence of our work and of course this is a true blessing indeed, yet we pray for increased numbers of fatalities.|source=Niklas Kvarforth}}

Musically, Shining went from black metal with doom influences on their earlier work to a more progressive extreme metal sound with extensive use of clean guitars, pentatonic scales, guitar solos, different vocal styles and often tempo shifts and odd time signatures. Shining's music also contains several movie samples from films such as Prozac Nation, She's So Lovely, and American Psycho.

Shining openly promotes suicide and self-harm in all its forms (e.g. drugs) in their lyrics. The founder of the band, Niklas Kvarforth, has claimed, with contentment, there have been some cases of people committing suicide at least partially under the influence of Shining's music.{{cite web |title=Webzine interview with Kvarforth |publisher=Black Terror Webzine |url=http://shiningband.tripod.com/interviews-blackterror.html |access-date=26 October 2008}}

Vocalist Niklas Kvarforth wanted to "force feed" his listeners "with self-destructive and suicidal imagery and lyrics".Black Metal Satanica, 2008. In the beginning he used the term "suicidal black metal" for his music{{cite web|author=Metal1.info |url=http://www.metal1.info/interviews/shining/ |title=Shining | Interviews |website=Metal1.info |date=20 June 2014 |access-date=2 December 2015}} to separate himself from the "mediocre worms". However, he stopped using the term in 2001 because it had begun to be used by a slew of other bands, who he felt had misinterpreted his vision and were using the music as a kind of therapy rather than a weapon against the listener as Kvarforth intended. He said that he "wouldn't call Shining a black metal band" and called the "suicidal black metal" term a "foolish idea".

In a 2014 interview, Kvarforth insisted that "metal is bullshit" and insisted that Shining's music is accurately described as "evil fucking music."{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btEuaxoMn6Y |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/btEuaxoMn6Y |archive-date=22 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Shining (Niklas Kvarforth) interview @ Hellfest (21.06.2014)|date=20 August 2014 |via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}

• Niklas Kvarforth (a.k.a. "Ghoul") – guitars, keyboards (1996–2004, 2004–present), lead vocals (2000–2004, 2004–present), bass (1996–2000)
• Peter Huss – guitars (2005–present)
• Charles Hedger – guitars (2022–present)

;Vocalists

• Robert Ayddan (1998)
• Andreas Classen (1999–2000){{cite web |title=Shining biography |publisher=MusicMight |url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/sweden/halmstad/shining |access-date=26 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918111622/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/sweden/halmstad/shining |archive-date=18 September 2012 }}{{cite web |title=Shining - Metal Storm |work=Metal Storm |url=http://www.metalstorm.ee/bands/band.php?band_id=372

|access-date=26 October 2008}}

;Guitarists

• Håkan "Inisis" Ollars (2002)
• John Doe (2005–2006)
• Andreas Casado (2005–2006)
• Fredric "Wredhe" Gråby (2006–2011)
• Sebastiaan Bats (2011)
• Euge Valovirta (2012–2017)
• Teloch (2018)
• Benny Bats (2017–2019)
• Silmaeth (2019)
• Kevin Storm (2019–2022)

;Bassists

• Tusk (2000–2001)
• Johan Hallander (2005–2007)
• Phil A. Cirone (2001–2005, 2007–2008)
• Andreas Larssen (2008–2010){{cite web|url=http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=52633 |title=Shining Parts Ways With Bassist - in Metal News |website=Metal Underground.com |access-date=2 December 2015}}
• Christian Larsson (2010–2016)
• Alex "Impaler" Friberg – bass (2022–2023)

;Drummers

• Ted "Impaler" Wedebrand (1998–2001)
• Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg (2001–2004)
• Rickard "Rille" Schill (2008–2010)
• Ludwig Witt (2005–2007, 2011–2012)
• Jarle "Uruz" Byberg (2007–2008, 2016–2017)
• Rainer Tuomikanto (2012–2016)
• Nicholas Barker – drums (2022–2023)

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• Within Deep Dark Chambers (2000)
• Livets ändhållplats (2001)
• III – Angst, självdestruktivitetens emissarie (2002)
• IV – The Eerie Cold (2005)
• V – Halmstad (2007)
• VI – Klagopsalmer (2009)
• VII – Född förlorare (2011)
• Redefining Darkness (2012)
• IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends (2015)
• X – Varg Utan Flock (2018)
• Shining (2023)

• Submit to Selfdestruction (EP, 1998)
• Dolorian/Shining (Split EP, 2004)
• Through Years of Oppression (Rarity compilation, 2004)
• The Darkroom Sessions (Rehearsal compilation, 2004)
• Shining/Den Saakaldte (Split EP, 2008)
• Lots of Girls Gonna Get Hurt (EP, 2012){{cite web|url=http://www.metalstorm.net/events/news_comments.php?news_id=16543 |title=Shining - Reveal New EP Details |publisher=Metal Storm |access-date=2 December 2015}}
• 8 ½ – Feberdrömmar i vaket tillstånd (Compilation, 2013)
• In the Eerie Cold Where All the Witches Dance (Split EP, 2013)
• Shining on the Enslaved (Split EP with, Enslaved, 2015)
• Fiende (EP, 2017)
• Oppression MMXVIII (Compilation, 2020)

• "Förtvivlan, min arvedel" (2011)

• "Förtvivlan, min arvedel" (2011)
• "Tillsammans är vi allt" (2012)
• "Vilja & Dröm" (2015)

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{official website|http://www.shiningasylum.com/}}
• {{allmusic}}

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Category:Swedish black metal musical groups

Category:Musical groups established in 1996

Category:Season of Mist artists

Category:Spinefarm Records artists

Category:Musical groups from Halmstad