Artist: Jinjer
Title: Macro
Genre: Metalcore / Djent / Death Metal
Release Date: 25th October 2019
Label: Napalm Records
Album Review
JINJER is probably the hottest export of the Ukraine! This is not only due to the charismatic Tatiana Shmailyuk, but also to their very multi-faceted musical style, which seems to inspire the masses. They became famous through the many “React” videos on YouTube for their single ‘Pisces’, which was released in spring 2017. The video has more than 27 million views to date and it’s always fun to watch, as well as the stunned faces of the “Reactors”. The EP ‘Micro’ was only released in January this year and the tour with AMORPHIS and SOILWORK was also at the beginning of the year. In between they had enough festival appearances and even a North America tour last month. And now the new album ‘Macro’ is ready to exhaust the masses. It’s already impressive how productive this band is. ‘Macro’ contains nine strong and multi-faceted songs that will definitely want you to join the upcoming European tour this autumn!
The first notes of ‘On The Top’ make the listener think that the album starts a bit calmer. But then power woman Tatiana gives all she’s got and kicks out perfect growls and clean vocals. The patterns and structures of the song are typical for the band and underline their unmistakable style. The loneliness of success is clearly highlighted here. ‘On The Top’ ties in very well with the next song ‘Pit of Consciousness’. Besides fast blast-beats and the matching snare game of drummer Vladislav Ulasevish the band also has the right approach and use of Tatiana’s growls. Another example of the multifaceted style of JINJER can be heard in ‘Judgement (& Punishment)’, which was the first single the band released from this album. The song begins with the usual JINJER sounds, but later brings cool reggae elements into the game. The vocal power and especially the vocal versatility are impressive and JINJER use the talent of their fronter to stay true to her own sound. Also the somewhat cheeky “Booyah!” has a little surprise effect and makes you chuckle. More of this, please!
This is followed by ‘Retrospection’. It begins with slow, soulful guitars, harmonies and the first lines which Tatiana sings, with a cold mood, are in her mother tongue. Very cool gimmick that the band could use more. It gives the song an Eastern European touch and changes tempo and dynamics several times. The background of the song could be the war in the Ukrainian region, from which JINJER originated, existing since 2014. In ‘Pausing Death’ the Ukrainians switch from Djent to Groove-Metal, which still has a clean and progressive part. Also the mixture of technical skills, blast-beats and hooks makes you head bang during the whole song. With ‘Noah’, the riffs are reminiscent of MESSUGAH and the vocal parts are immediately stopped to make room for the instrumental part and return to the familiar Djent style. This is exactly what is so exciting about this group: the ability to mix styles without losing power, technique or emotions.
And the same goes for ‘Home Back’. This song has jazz elements which are skilfully alternated again and again with metal. Also to compose a track like ‘The Prophecy’, which multiplies rhythmic changes and counter-attacks, you have to maintain the necessary knowledge. This song is about letting go of someone who doesn’t make you feel good. ‘Macro’ concludes with the instrumental Outro ‘lainnereP’, which could also be part of LINKIN PARK’s album ‘Reanimation’ on first hearing. The song sounds pretty cool and also fits perfectly as a finale to calm down after all the energy of the album. One thing that also stands out in this work are the lyrics; each song contains deep, thoughtful lyrics that would be a masterpiece for any band. The fact that English is not JINJER’s mother tongue makes this all the better.
‘Macro’ is a suitable sequel to the ‘Micro’-EP. The multifaceted songs only confirm how strong and self-confident the Ukrainians have become over all this time and show that the band knows exactly what they are doing. It should be added that not only the singer Tatiana is responsible for the band’s fame, but also Roman Ibramkhalilov’s awesome guitar tones, Eugene Abdukhanov’s complex bass lines and Vladislav Ulasevish’s relentless drums. The whole talent of the band is just impressive. You could easily call the band “The Next Big Thing”, because they thrill with their many qualities. Anyone who has seen them live can certainly confirm that their live performance is impressive and will be even stronger with the new album on the setlist. You will definitely hear more of JINJER in the future.
Tracklist
01. On the Top
02. Pit of Consciousness
03. Judgement (& Punishment)
04. Retrospection
05. Pausing Death
06. Noah
07. Home back
08. The Prophecy
09. lainnereP
Line-up
Tatiana Shmailyuk – Vocals
Roman Ibramkhalilov – Guitars
Eugene Abdukhanov – Bass
Vladislav Ulasevish – Drums
Website
http://jinjer-metal.com
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 9
Total: 9.5 / 10
Comments powered by CComment