Jinjer

Wallflowers

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Genre: Progressive Metal.
Released: 27/08/2021
Via Napalm Records

Album Review: Jinjer – Wallflowers

Jinjer has certainly blown up over the past couple of years which is why there is so much hype surrounding their new album ‘Wallflowers’. Fans of the Ukrainian outfit have been eagerly awaiting the successor to the critically acclaimed album ‘Macro’ since 2019 and the day for new music from Jinjer has finally come. I cannot wait to jump straight into this release so here are my thoughts on Jinjer’s ‘Wallflowers’.

Opening track ‘Call Me A Symbol’ kicks the album off in one hell of a heavy manner. With a bombardment of machine gun-like drumming combined with no-nonsense riffs and Tatiana’s harrowing vocals, Jinjer waste little time getting the listeners banging their heads. As the track progresses, the song unravels to reveal the melodic and progressive nature Jinjer loves to incorporate into their music. A mix of clean vocals and syncopated rhythms help give the song personality and allow this track to stand out from others. Following that is the track ‘Colossus’ which seems to have a more complicated rhythm to it. If I had to describe the track in one way I’d have to say it’s one hell of a groovy track. Vlad Ulasevich lays down an impressive beat throughout the song while Eugene Abdukhanov’s bassline gives the track some much-needed oomph.

Debut single ‘Vortex’ is up next and I find this song to have a great emphasis on melody. From Tatiana’s vocal delivery to the subtle licks and riffs played by Roman Ibramkhaliov, the song feels quite majestic in nature, even during the heavier section. I think theirs a reason as to why fans have been very vocal about just how much they enjoyed this track and I believe it’s one of the strongest tracks on the entire album. How do you follow up such a beast of a track, with something completely out of the box! ‘Disclosure!’ feels like a track that is destined to get a crowd rowdy around the halfway mark of a show. Its unrelenting progression will send metalheads around the world into a frenzy without a doubt.

As the album progresses, ‘Copycat’ continues the fast-paced onslaught whilst throwing in some pretty heavy breakdown phrases, while ‘Pearls And Swine’ shows just how diverse Jinjer can be. Blending their ridiculously heavy side with their much more intricate and progressive side, the song brings a nice balance to what fans have come to love about the Ukrainian outfit. ‘Sleep Of The Righteous’ is a very unique track. Once again, Jinjer blend both their styles however this track does it in a way I don’t think the band have done it before. Along with a similar style to the band hit song ‘Picese’, the song utilises the sudden contrast created from the bands two vocal points. This is a song I highly recommend you giving a try as it’s the song that stuck with me the most after listening to the album.

Title track ‘Wallflower’ comes in next and the acoustic style catches you off guard, to begin with. This song really highlights the band’s technical abilities as the track is littered with complex phrases and progressions while Tatiana shows her impressive vocal capability throughout the entirety of this track. From delicate highlights to unearthly screams, she proves she can do it all in this emphatic track. As the album draws to a close, ‘Dead Hands Feel No Pain’ does its job well. This is the kind of track that will have your head bopping along to its infectious rhythm without you even realising it. It’s not the best song on the album but it helps to fill the space and I can imagine this going down quite well with existing fans of the band.

The penultimate track ‘As I Boil Ice’ may have one of the oddest names in recent memory however, it’s certainly no joke of a song! Starting with a blistering assault of growls before setting an almost sadistic tone for itself. Unlike anything else on the record, the song has this unnerving feeling about it that really helps it stick with you. From quite eccentric vocal delivery to just a demonic esc instrumental, this song sounds like it wouldn’t feel out of place in a slashers movie. It’s certainly an interesting way to build up to a final track, and ‘Mediator’ finishes the album off perfectly. A heavy-hitting number that picks turns the pace right the way up, a circle pit is just waiting for this one to hit! Not to mention just how impressive this song is from a musical standpoint. Some of the band’s best work has come from this album and there is no wonder why the band chose to make this track one of their singles. It slays!

‘Wallflowers’ had a very high expectation of its release and I think it’s surpassed it. I truly believe this may be Jinjers best work to date! The band have evolved so much over the years and this album is the culmination of the group’s grit and determination to prove themselves. If you are a fan of Progressive Metal then you have to check this release out! Truly outstanding work from Jinjer on this one.