Conor Fynes
'Split' - Dolorian / Shining (7/10)
As a band that exercises a philosophy of hatred towards every living thing, you wouldn't think they have many friends. That hasn't stopped them from making a split EP however, here with the Finnish doom act Dolorian. Although many of Shining's earlier releases have passed me as being somewhat bland when compared to the hordes of other bands within depressive black metal, this split sees them stepping up to the plate. Each of the two bands delivers one song,and as short as this split is, each track is strong enough to warrant a solid recommendation for lovers of ambient black and doom metal.
First is Dolorian's offering, a plodding doom mini-epic called 'Ekstasis'. It begins with a flood of clean guitars and a slow, intentioned pace. Eventually, Dolorian burst into a crushing display of ambient funeral doom, with vocals and instruments nearly garbled by the effects and atmosphere. To be honest, I had never heard of Dolorian's work before hearing this split, but I know I will have to listen to them in the future. Their music here is profound and full of rich, sad atmosphere. While not as impressive, Shining's 'Through Corridors Of Oppression' is a beautiful track that sounds a little more pleasant on the ears than what Shining typically produce. Like Dolorian, it has a doomy feel to it, but follows a more conventional structure. Kvarforth's vocals here are clear-sounding, filled with grief but never going over the top like he usually does.
Dolorian's half is arguably better than Shining's track, although both are strong and memorable. I do not usually expect much from these one-off releases that bands churn out, but the Dolorian/Shining split proves to be one of the better ones I've come across.