Jinjer’s formidable sound has established them as a renowned name in the modern metal scene. Their brutal heaviness is augmented with intricate technical qualities, intriguing progressive touches, and enticing melodic elements. Now onto their fifth studio album, Duél, Jinjer leans into an unbound anguish making this album more ferocious and aggressive, without sacrificing the appealing, and highly revered, multifaceted character of their music.
The thunderous introduction to the album establishes the immense intensity that traverses Duél’s track list. Amongst Tantrum’s rhythmic heaviness, it’s hard to ignore the prominent proficiency of Eugene Abdukhanov’s bass performance thrown into the mix of a chaotic onslaught. Tatiana Shmayluk’s gutturals are unrelenting, before the track switches into a more technically driven instrumental offering accompanied by Shmayluk’s clean vocals. The dark mood remains, merely shifting form between heavier and lighter instrumental arrangements rather than dissipating entirely. Melting into Hedonist, the song manifests a gloomy atmosphere with a full instrumental sound, above which clean vocals weave amongst the shadowy yet thunderous sonic texture. Abrasive dissonance awaits within Rogue. The fierce nature of the raging rhythms travelling at pace leaves no means of escape.
Departing briefly from the unyielding barrage of heavy rhythms, Tumbleweed opens a doorinto a Gothic nightmare with lyrics harkening to a fairytale-esque world. The lyrics “Here I am just like a little beatle / Carried by the storm into a lake / Oh dear caterpillar! Or darling Mr. Toad”, reminiscent of children’s folktales, make this haunting track all the more eerie. Green Serpent soon returns to the thrill of momentous marching rhythms, indulged with more melodic aspects arising throughout the mix. Leading with a melodic focus, Kafka brings a melancholic and emotive sound through clean vocals, entwining guitars carrying discordant touches, and grounding percussion. The instrumental arrangements darken gradually as Kafka progresses, before reaching an explosive crescendo of extended brutality.
A sombre mood yet powerful sound awaits in Dark Bile. Contrasting harsh and clean vocals aptly portray multiple aspects of the emotional and introspective lyrics. Fast Draw returns to the volatile and frenzied characteristic of Duél. The unceasing momentum feels uncontrollable and endless in its anger, before reaching its sudden conclusion. Someone’s Daughter reveals the poignance and frustration at the erasure and overshadowing of women’s achievements throughout history that are enforced through patriarchal systems. Balancing light and shade amidst the song’s compositional arrangement, Someone’s Daughter reveals an intricate depth and emotion.
A Tongue So Sly unleashes a dynamic interplay of instrumental tones and textures, once again seeing the progressive creativity and technical proficiency take a dominant role. The authoritative force of the rhythms is continuous. Clean vocal melodies layered above retain the consistency of the melodic aspects introduced early in the song without lessening the impact. The album’s title track arrives at breakneck speed providing a torrent of energy as we reach Duél’s end. Booming chugs are callous in nature with each hit striking mercilessly. Shmayluk’s soaring clean vocals lead the melodies in this track, keeping the instruments situated firmly in the heavy sonic depths. Jinjer’s Duél is fraught with fiery emotion and resilience across the tracklist. Treading the bleakest paths of humanity and laying bare lyrical and compositional malevolence, Jinjer faces the darkness head on.
For fans of: Orbit Culture, Trivium, Infected Rain
‘Duél’ by Jinjer is out now on Napalm Records.
Words by Holly Royle
