Much to the surprise of SHINING’s founder Niklas Kvarforth, When Prozac No Longer Helps, the book of his lyrics that he translated into English from his native Swedish, and which was published in December of last year, sold out in a very short time, and a second edition is now at the printers, ready for it's September 23rd release.

The second edition differs slightly from the original in that it contains a handful of minor corrections, and two additional lyrics, one being those for the song 'Through Corridors Of Oppression', which was previously omitted, and lyrics which Kvarforth wrote for Norwegian black metallers URGEHAL six months before the untimely death of their frontman Trondr Nefas. As with the first edition, the second will feature the English and Swedish lyrics side-by-side and will also be limited to 500 copies signed by Kvarforth. It will once again only be available directly from the band’s webshop in order to make sure that the true fans who want a copy get a chance to buy one without having to pay inflated prices elsewhere. The second edition is available to pre-order now at this location.

When Prozac No Longer Helps garnered praise from fans and critics alike, who were at long last able to understand the true emotions and the darkness behind the lyrics that accompany Shining's music. WATAIN’s Erik Danielsson perfectly summed up the depth of Kvarforth’s body of work saying: “The dark and narrow back alleys of the human mind are best explored and translated into art by those who abide in them. Artists who are not trying to hide their wounds or helplessness, neither their lustful yearning for Death and misery. . . This is why Niklas’ writing stands out as genuine; it comes from a sea of darkness in which he learned to swim a long, long time ago”.

Commenting on the decision to print a second edition Kvarforth said: “When we decided to publish the original version, we were not entirely sure that there would be much interest in a book of lyrics, and we were astonished at the speed with which it sold out, every copy having been snapped up within six weeks. We were even more surprised when we were approached by several people who wanted to translate and publish the lyrics in their own languages, which is something that is in the works. It just goes to show that there is life in the music business outside of just listening to sounds”.

Having announced that they have teamed up with Norway’s Dark Essence Records to release a new full-length album, Shining recently revealed the cover art by Michal Pawlowski.

To be titled 8 ½ - Feberdrömmar I Vaket Tillstånd, the album will be released in both CD and limited edition black or white 12” vinyl versions, with liner notes by Niklas Kvarforth, and is set to appear on September 23rd. All three versions are now available to pre-order at this location.

Whilst the use of the number 8 ½ may seem a little strange to denote what would effectively be a 9th full-length album from the band, its use is deliberate because 8 ½ - Feberdrömmar I Vaket Tillstånd is a rather special beast from Shining, consisting as it does of six songs from the Livets Ändhållplats and Angst era in their original pre-production versions but with the addition of newly recorded bass and guitars, as well as Lars Fredrik Fröslie’s keyboards (ANGST SKVADRON, WOBBLER, ASMEGIN) which the band didn’t start using until their sixth album.

Additionally, the vocals on each of the tracks will be performed by six different vocalists, including Kvarforth, who have added their own interpretation and given a totally different dimension to all the songs. It’s a project that the SHINING founder and frontman has wanted to do for many years now, and it is also serves as a kick in the teeth to all the bootleggers who have tried to illegally earn money for themselves off the back of the band’s hard work and creativity.

Nine tracks from Shining can be heard below:

SHINING by SHINING OFFICIAL

The official video for the track 'Tillsammans Är Vi Allt' from Shining's album VII / Född Förlorare can be seen below: