Shine

Shine is a Polish black death metal entity. On 30 January 2026, the band released their debut full-length, Wrathcult — via Dark Descent Records, with promotion handled by Clawhammer PR.

Shine, Wrathcult Review: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production.

The First Three Sins, The Summary

The First Sin, The Strings/Keys: Layered tremolo riffs delivered with melodic sharpness and death metal weight with imperial black metal grandeur. The Second Sin, The Vocals: A commanding hybrid of blackened rasp and death metal roar — ritualistic, forceful, and punctuated by sudden manic snarls. The Third Sin, The Percussions: Disciplined blast beats and heavy double-kick foundations — thunderous yet controlling.

The Fourth Sin, Overall Discussion

Pandemic-Born Awakening

Born from the isolating grips of the pandemic, Hazael’s Tomasz Dobrzeniecki. Their debut offering, Wrathcultt, leaves no doubt that a powerful new force in Polish extreme metal has awakened.

Drawing deep inspiration from the foundational pillars of the genre — the majestic chill of Emperor, the primal fire of Bathory, and the crushing architecture of Morbid Angel, Entombed, and Dismember— Shine bridges the gap between old-school reverence and modern atmospheric dread.

Invocation of Ancient Chaos

The experience begins with Ancient Chaos, an opening hymn that summons the listener through a clean, haunting guitar line. A spoken-word sample follows — a voice echoing from the forest’s edge — setting a ritualistic stage before the full band descends.

When the onslaught arrives, it is a display of controlled violence: disciplined blast beats and piercing tremolo riffs that carry a melodic contour reminiscent of Emperor’s imperial grandiosity.

It is not mere noise; it is an orchestrated descent into the sublime.

The First Strike of the Wolf

Following the opening ritual is the first true strike: The Lamb Against the Wolf. This hymn sets the pace for the remaining eight hymns — forty-five minutes of extreme metal designed to melt the senses with a sound that is relentless yet unmistakably its own.

While hailing from the legendary Polish scene, Shine carves a different path than titans like Behemoth, Hate, or Vader. There is a sharper melodic aura at play here— a black death metal core infused with touches of gothic atmosphere and high-calibre production that remains clean without losing its feral edge.

Pagan Memory & Cultural Bloodlines

Shine states that the thematic core of Wrathcult is deeply rooted in the pre-Christian spirituality of the Polish forefathers. Inspired by seminal works like Bestiariusz Słowiański and Słowiańska Czarownica, the lyrics serve as a grim homage to nature and the higher powers that once shaped Slavic heritage. Shine operates on a fascinating cultural borderline — a place where Germanic, Norse, and Slavic mythologies bleed into one another.

This is not just aesthetic paganism; it is a conscious effort to upkeep the memories of a belief system that once thrived in the shadows of the ancient world.

Devilmanship: Precision & Dominion

Wrathcult unleashes a level of devilmanship honed to precision — a clear byproduct of the profound experience gained in previous projects. This precision extends to every facet of the composition and arrangement. The instrumentation is a force of nature, bleeding through the speakers and seizing the listener’s senses. This is a record that demands to be cranked to the max.

Shine operates on a sonic philosophy that balances razor-sharp clarity with pure ferocity. Nothing is washed out, and nothing is buried — every instrument possesses its own distinct presence, yet the music remains a single, surging entity of total destruction.

Ritual Percussion & Hidden Spine

The percussion of Paweł Duda drives the music forward with a thunderous, ritualistic discipline. His blast beats are tight and controlled rather than chaotic, while his double-kick patterns lean into a heavy death metal foundation that anchors the more ethereal elements. Sharp cymbal accents pierce through the atmosphere, giving the riffs an extra, jagged bite.

Beneath the surface, Wojciech Gąsiorowski’s bass acts as the record’s hidden spine; it follows the guitars with predatory precision, adding a necessary, crushing weight to the freezing tremolo lines.

Tremolo Majesty & Commanding Voice

The dual guitar assault of Tomasz Dobrzeniecki and Mateusz Waśkiewicz unleashes a fury of tremolo riffs with a sharp melodic edge — think the majesty of Emperor meeting the melodic venom of early Old Man’s Child. These are paired with chunky death metal chugs that nod to the Swedish weight of Entombed and Dismember, creating massive, towering walls of sound.

The tone is shimmering and sharp, yet grounded by a heavy low-end and layered harmonies that provide the album’s signature melodic presence.

Tearing through this atmosphere are the vocals of Marek Krajcer, which are both commanding and ritualistic. Sitting in the sweet spot between a blackened rasp and a death metal roar, his delivery is punctuated by sudden, manic snarls that add a layer of unpredictable violence to the ritual.

Polished Fury Without Sterility

The production of Wrathcult is surprisingly polished for a debut, yet it avoids the trap of being sterile or over-processed. It is the sound of a band that knew exactly what they wanted and executed it with veteran discipline.

A Forbidden Testament

Ultimately, Wrathcult is a forbidden fruit of extreme art — not merely another entry in the crowded Polish catalogue, but a bold statement from musicians at the height of their craft. By blending aggression, atmosphere, and surgical precision, Shine has delivered a debut that feels both comfortably familiar and vibrantly revitalised.

The Circle Closes

The experience concludes with a reflective, melodic instrumental — a ritual piece that pulls the listener back into the mythic space first opened by Ancient Chaos. It is a circular return, yet the atmosphere has shifted; the weight of everything invoked over the past forty-five minutes now hangs heavy in the air.

This is not a simple fade-out, but a final, sombre exhale. The ritual ends not with a disappearance, but with the chilling realisation that the void has been successfully summoned.

The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia

Shine makes its intent unmistakably clear: a new force in Polish extreme metal has awakened. Refreshingly, this is a sound that refuses to mimic the polished path of Behemoth or Hate. Instead, it feels like something fresh and vital emerging from a deep sleep. Shine channels a raw, relentless lineage into a sonic identity that is unmistakably its own.

The Sixth Sin, The Artwork

The artwork depicts more than a mere conflict; it is a nightmare of mythic destruction. The entire scene is built on a foundation of chaos and violence — not just a battle, but a definitive, end-times apocalypse.

The Seventh Sin, Disrelish

Faultless in its delivery, the album builds momentum with every track. There is no filler — only a consistent, brutal assault that leaves the listener submerged in the debris of a mythic war zone.

The Hymns

01. Ancient Ones
02. The Lamb Against the Wolf
03. Kneel Before the Serpent
04. Oddajcie co moje
05. The Cult of Oak
06. The Horror of the Night
07. Witch’s Prophecies
08. Wrath of the Hammer
09. The Necklace with Runes
10. Ancient Spirit