Is the world of modern Metal is one in decline? A lack of freshness and new ideas has left the genre stuck with innovations now twenty years old. At a "mainstream" level, the prevailing trends seem to still be Meshuggah's Djent guitar tones and the repackaging of Hybrid Theory song writing. As a band with an "underground" buzz, Jinjer don't delve in either of these directions specifically, bar the modern guitar tone. Most of what I hear still feels like a reformation of ideas explored before in the world of Metal. I would label them "Post Metalcore", with the general framework feeling closely aligned. However these songs frequently morph into a Progressive beasts loaded with challenging entangled riff work hinged around some non 4/4 time signatures.
As a listener I feel somewhat torn, these songs feel chromatic, downtrodden and gloomy, bustled along by bursts of anger. Never do they seem particularly appealing to me, perhaps mirroring the Nu Metal perils of negativity without resolution. Yet upon spinning the record do I find myself frequently pulled into the mania as dizzying, brooding discordant guitar works bounce from wall to wall, playing of Tatiana Shmailyuk's gristly shouts and harmonious, yet grounded clean voicings. Its a mean affair, exploring the darker topics with little in the way of upbeat hooks or metallic gimmicks to give you a cheap reward or burst of adrenaline.
The broad topicality of Wallflowers catches my ear for the self portrait of trauma, abuse, a struggle with introversion in the face of social pressures and once again, the teachers! From their EP Micro, Teachers caught my attention with its plain and frank language for story telling. The recurring sentiment signals a deep grievance it would seem... and that words says a lot about this band. Grievance, these songs frequent a mood of dealing with grievances in the metallic context, using the aggressive instruments for struggle and pains rather than bombast and momentum. Of course they do load in the occasional "phat riff" or mosh moment, best heard at the end of of Vortex or a little Deathcore charm in the closing of Dead Hands Feel No Pain.
For me, this Ukrainian outfit remain to be a morbid curiosity. I'm never enamored or moved to goosebumps yet there is something undeniably "them" at play. The more I listen, the more I think its a focus on the uncomfortable and unease. Expressing pains and dark emotions, it culminates through Tatiana's words, her vocal style ferocious when roaring and oddly pristine yet lacking a typically effeminate charm in her clean voice. Wallflowers will have me tuning back in for the next one. If their evolution will lead to places I really vibe with remains to be seen.
Rating: 7/10