Everybody’s favorite Ukrainian metal band, JINJER, have been working tirelessly on their fifth full-length studio album for the past few years, refining their groovy and dynamic sound. The recently released “Duél” – which came out on February 7th, 2025, via Napalm Records – boasts all the trademark elements that have made JINJER such a force to be reckoned with on a metal scene while also bringing out a darker and angrier side of the band.
The follow-up to the chart-breaking “Wallflowers” (2021) sees the band doing what they do best and thus delivering a relentlessly groove-heavy and riff-laden album. The fact that they lean into their sound a bit too much is quite visible on these tracks but this is not necessarily a bad thing as the soundscape they have developed over the years is dynamic and energetic enough to allow for it to be used continuously with some rather memorable and spectacular moments along the way – from such hit singles as “Pisces,” or “I Speak Astronomy” to the intense “Home Back,” “Vortex,” or “Teacher, Teacher!” to moodier songs like “Wallflower,” or “Perennial,” just to name a few. In other words, “Duél” is very much JINJER to the bone complete with some mellow passages that juxtapose heavier sections (especially when it comes to Tatiana Shmayluk’s extraordinary vocal performance), thunderous bass lines that underpin every song, fiery and meaty guitar riffs, and a raw drum sound that permeates through every beat. That being said, the album still boasts some solid and even outstanding tracks.
Off the gate, the high-octane “Tantrum” unfolds like an explosion of heaviness and aggression as growls, riffs, and drums mount an attack on all your senses before it settles into an ebb and flow of a clean-sung chorus section and heavier, growl-infested verses that give way to a beautiful bass passage before it closes with a soaring reprise of the chorus. It is exactly this playing around with and rearranging of different musical puzzle pieces that have made JINJER into such an acclaimed presence on the metal scene, and this track beautifully presents their tight songwriting and technical prowess. Another trademark element of the band is the neat interplay of bass and vocals, and tracks like the intense single “Green Serpent” capitalize on it big time. On this one Tatiana Shmayluk’s soft vocals float on top of complex, bass-led passages that seamlessly lead to slow, almost doomy instrumentals crowned by her low growls; this back-and-forth gives it a hauntingly beautiful quality and makes it a stand-out track on the album.
Elsewhere, free-flowing cuts like “Hedonist” or “Kafka” are vocally driven albeit less melodic songs that switch up the dynamic when least expected which, in turn, make the harsh vocals hit more fiercely when they come in. Then again, the uncompromising brutality and aggressiveness of “Rogue,” or the fast-paced and thrashy “Fast Draw” are not just headbanging worthy pieces (and intense live anthems) but also a showcase of the band at their absolute heaviest. There really isn’t much in the way of respite from the droning, sonic attack the band have deployed on this album, even if the aforementioned “Green Serpent,” or the sludgy melody and harmonic cleans of “Tumbleweed,” or the first single released, “Someone’s Daughter,” try to soften up the otherwise potent sound design. Not even on such numbers as “Dark Bile,” or “A Tongue So Sly,” with their thick grooves and aggressive vocals, or the title track, “Duél,” with its blend of all things JINJER presented in a concise format, does the band break form and incorporate any new elements, reason why the album feels so linear and uniform from start to finish.
All things considered, “Duél” is JINJER’s heaviest and angriest album to date, despite being the one that showcases Tatiana Shmayluk’s clean range the most. It is also their most unfluctuating and yet familiar album to date as song after song the riffs, grooves, and sheer intensity become the norm while melody and other melodic breaks take a backseat. That is to say that the Ukrainian quartet have traded their usual expansive songwriting for a more aggressive and harsher sound with an undercurrent of anger driving the lyrical content (with the current situation in Ukraine, how could it be otherwise). The bottom line is that “Duél” is a carefully curated and well-coordinated all-out sonic attack on the senses.
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
- Tantrum
- Hedonist
- Rogue
- Tumbleweed
- Green Serpent
- Kafka
- Dark Bile
- Fast Draw
- Someone’s Daughter
- A Tongue So Sly
- Duél
Lineup
- Tatiana Shmayluk – Vocals
- Roman Ibramkhalilov – Guitars
- Eugene Abdukhanov – Bass
- Vladislav Ulasevich – Drums
Label
Napalm Records
