SHINING Frontman Is Looking Forward To Working With ANDY LA ROCQUE On Next Album

Niklas Kvarforth, founder and frontman of Swedish extreme metallers SHINING, has issued the following statement regarding the recent announcement by KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque that he will be working with the band on the recording of its eighth album at his Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden.

"The pre-production stage of the new album should more or less be finished in August, and we have booked the studios for the whole of January and February 2012 to complete work on it. It's an album I'm particularly looking forward to recording because it will give me the chance to work with Andy La Rocque. I am a huge KING DIAMOND fan, and working with Andy was an opportunity I wasn't going to pass up. He will be attending some of our rehearsals and it will be interesting to see what his input will be to the almost finished album and to SHINING's particular sound. Whilst we're there, we also plan to record some covers for future release. As to the direction 'VIII' will take, well, for the time being let's just say that it will be blacker and more sinister than our previous releases."

SHINING will release the its first-ever single this month, which, aside from "Frtvivlan, Min Arvedel", will include a cover of the ALICE COOPER song "Prince of Darkness". The single will only be available in Sweden for the time being, although, according to Kvarforth, the band is looking into the possibility of releasing a different version elsewhere. .

SHINING's first-ever video can be seen below. The clip was directed by Martin Strandberg and Niklas Kvarforth, produced by Martin Strandberg and created by Black Shadows Filmproductions and Hill Fifty and uses the track "Frtvivlan, Min Arvedel" from the group's new album, "VII / Fdd Frlorare". It has been released in both censored and uncensored versions given the graphic nature of some of the scenes.

"We know we are going to get heavily criticized for some of the scenes," commented SHINING frontman and founder Niklas Kvarforth, "but it's nothing more than you will see as soon as you switch on a television or watch a move, or walk down a city street, come to that. But we're SHINING and it's always open season on SHINING when it comes to people who have neither understood, nor taken the time to try and understand, where the band is coming from."

SHINING's seventh full length album, "VII / Fdd Frlorare", which in English means "Born Loser", was released last month on the band's new label, Spinefarm Records, and includes guest appearances from Erik Danielsson of WATAIN, Chris Amott of ARCH ENEMY, Peter Bjrg of ARCANA, and Nordman, who is one of Sweden's biggest pop stars. The band also recently announced that it would be releasing its first-ever single, which, aside from "Frtvivlan, Min Arvedel", will include a cover of the ALICE COOPER song "Prince of Darkness". The single will only be available in Sweden for the time being, although, according to Kvarforth, the band is looking into the possibility of releasing a different version elsewhere.

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Censored: