Shiningstar are a band on a definite meteoric rise. Hailing from St Petersburg, Russia this is not your average symphonic metal. Tougher, edgier and led by the versatile energetic vocals of Elena ‘Luka”. Fire . Wind. Water. Earth is their latest single and has secured them a deal with Time to Kill records , All within the space of a year !
‘’Shiningstar was formed in the fall of 2020. Alexey - drummer and vocalist - wanted to play symphonic metal and he had been thinking a long time before about creating a serious project which will be promoted worldwide.
‘’Alexandr - our talented composer, guitarist and keyboard player - already worked with Alexey in another project Dark Matters. And Luka recorded an album for her previous band Ethir Anduin with Alexey as a producer. We all have a lot of ideas and thoughts in common.
‘’So Alexey suggested his idea to Alexandr and Luka. And that’s how Shiningstar was born.
‘’Shiningstar is a very bright and resonant name with a huge meaning for us, by the way it looks great on the logo :) We have the most ambitious goals, and Shiningstar is the guiding star for us. And, besides, we live in the northern part of our country - the north (polar) star has a lot of meaning in our lives in a romantic way and is directly related to the purpose of the group.
What drew you all to symphonic metal?
‘’Symphonic metal always drew us with melodies, beautiful harmonies, fabulous atmosphere, combination with heavy riffs. This style of music is most emotionally revealed in our soul.
You are heavier than most symphonic metal bands? Is this from your influences or your environment in Russia?
‘’We've always loved symphonic metal and also heavy metal. If you look at the history of the creative path of each band member, there are death metal, black metal, deathcore projects in our discography. Everyone has a lot of experience in extreme metal genres.
And this time we want to combine the heaviest styles of music with very beautiful melodies and harmonies + symphonic arrangements. We are creating something new for you!
Does Russia have a large music scene?
‘’Yes, we have a large metal scene here in Russia. Every year there are new and new bright bands that go on tours around the world, record big albums, are signed to foreign labels.
The most famous names now: Katalepsy, Arkona, Second To Sun, Slaughter to Prevail and many others.
You have 3 singles, the latest being Fire. Wind .Water. Earth.
‘’Yes, we released 3 singles. Each single has a common concept, but was created as a separate composition. All the tracks are very different from a musical point of view.
‘’First (“Shining Queen of the North Star”) is closer to classical symphonic metal.
Second (“At the Edge of the Universe”) is closer to old school, to melodic death metal with symphonic moments and some parts have elements of deathcore.
‘’Third (“Fire. Wind. Water. Earth”) is completely different in the mood. It’s closer to electronic metal as Rammstein, with elements of symphonic metal and core music.
There will be 2 more singles which will show the full palette of our musical desires and thoughts.
‘’And there will be a full length album which will combine all the singles and something new.
Is doing videos the best way to promote Shiningstar? And how important is the visual element of the band?
‘’Yes, we think that music videos are the best way to promote the band. The visual part in our work has a huge meaning. Our songs are the stories and we want to show you these stories. That’s why videos are very important now.
‘’Also we are preparing for a concert show and have a hope that we will be able to demonstrate our visual image to you soon (as soon as the epidemic is over).
Do the elements influence the band's lyrics?
‘’The lyrics affect the visual elements. The lyrics are very important and we try to visually demonstrate what we are singing about.
Where does your lyrical inspiration come from? Art , media, literature?
‘’Well we live in the northern part of our country. And our lyrical inspiration comes from our folklore, fairy tales, old stories, what we have absorbed since childhood.
What makes Shiningstar different to other bands?
‘’We create something new. We want to combine the incompatible. Mix of electronic, symphonic and heavy music. As you said before, we are heavier than many symphonic metal bands :)
How do you balance the melody with the heavy, and is it a band process or one main songwriter?
‘’We have 2 main songwriters - Alexey and Alexandr.
Alexey is responsible for the rhythmic component, composes the composition, draw the whole structure and decides how it all will be combined.
Alexander comes up with melodic arrangements, orchestrations. He saturates songs with symphonism. He is our talented composer.
And Luka adds her own character to the vocal arrangements of course :)
The biggest misconception about symphonic metal?
‘’Probably the biggest misconception is that all symphonic metal bands are similar to each other. And that all bands are just clones of Nightwish. And opera vocals are necessary part of every metal band in this genre.
But this is not true and we will soon prove it.
Plans for the future?
‘’We have the most ambitious plans for the future! New 2 singles, album. And we are preparing a concert performance. And ready to go on tour all over the world. The main thing for us is to always develop and continue our creative path.
Top 6 albums of all time?
Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark
Metallica - Black Album
Pantera - The Great Southern Trendkill
If we talk about symphonic genres:
Nightwish - Once (which was a turning point in symphonic metal)
Dimmu Borgir — Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
Septicflesh - Codex Omega (or Titan or The Great Mass)