A silver lining arises from a chaotic canvass.
Thinking outside the box is rarer than one might expect, for even the most ardent of progressive artists and bands will be faced with the pitfall of their novel niche becoming a standardized ritual. Yet to Ukrainian modern progressive metalcore/groove metal quartet Jinjer, bucking trends and forging onward into new territory seems more like the order of the day.
The dueling elements of rage and beauty have been carried through a melding of various musical genres into a compact 4-piece arrangement, resulting in a quirky synchronicity that has seen a continually original and distinctive music output. With nearly 4 years now in the rearview since their relatively nuanced and smoother 2021 LP Wallflowers, this fold has returned in full form with a harsher and more aggressive beast of an LP in Duel, arguably the most appropriate name and descriptor of what Jinjer has been about since day one.
It is near impossible to overstate the integral roles that each part of this outfit plays in forging the elaborate and furious tower of sound that unfolds during this opus’ 9 respective chapters. True to the example of influences noted by the band themselves like Pantera, Lamb Of God, and Gojira, the highly intricate contributions of the rhythm section are particularly noteworthy, with drummer Vladislav “Vladi” Ulasevich’s loose-flowing, jazzy, and fill-happy kit work hitting with the same level of impact as Vinnie Paul but also the complex dynamic range and elaborateness of Mike Portnoy.
Eugene Abdukhanov’s traveling bass work matches the cacophony of dissonant riffs thrown out by Roman Ibramkhalilov’s guitar work at every turn and often breaks away to further accent the jazzy and funky brand of virtuosic musicianship that makes Jinjer’s sound so distinctive. On top of this towering auditory mountain stands Tatiana Shmayluk’s blend of gut-wrenching screams and angelic sung melodies, fully embodying the beauty and the beast concept that has permeated metal for the past 30 years in a single, vibrant persona.
The aggression and impact factor has been accented to its greatest degree yet, resulting in an album that continues to push the envelope even within the already auspicious precedents set in this band’s previous studio work. Thrashing, speed-infused beasts like the opening crusher “Tantrum” and the similarly ferocious entries “Fast Draw” and “A Tongue So Sly” rank among the darkest and most brutal offerings out of Jinjer to date, frequently crossing the lines that separate their modern progressive groove tendencies from that of death metal.

Vladi’s kit work frequently veers into chaotic blast beats amid a cacophony of shifting beats and rapid-fire fills as the riff work rips and slams like a stream of tornadoes emerging from a supercell, with Tatiana’s dual vocal characters providing the clearest markers of where the verse ends and the chorus begins. Other similarly aggressive yet slower entries like “Hedonist” and the riff-happy closing hurrah and title entry “Duel” carry similar death metal tendencies via a dissonant and disturbing presentation, Tatiana’s more triumphant clean sung moments functioning as momentary glimpses of sunlight amid a sea of chaotic darkness.
The almost uniform sense of rage and discontent that this album expresses does come with moments of contrast, though they tend to be fewer and farther between than usual. The groove-driven stomp and disturbing presentation of “Rogue” veers the closest to the mechanistic feel of Meshuggah, leaning a bit closer to the raw side of things but coming off as a bit more methodical and precise.
The still heavy yet more melodic “Tumbleweed” could almost be mistaken for a lullaby if going by Tatiana’s mostly clean performance and the more common practice harmonic scheme of the music, ditto the twisted serenade that is “Kafka”, which brilliantly adapts the surreal and existential horror of its namesake’s writings into a dreary, distorted ballad with a chilling conclusion. The jazzy and experimental side of this outfit’s stock and trade comes into full view on “Dark Bile” and especially the progressive musical labyrinth “Someone’s Daughter”, both conveying dark and complex messages through a correspondingly dreary and through-composed musical template.
Comparing a musical creature of this sort to anything else is a fool’s errand, as even about what this band has accomplished previously in the studio, this is a piece of music all its own, drawing inspiration from the tumult and tragedy of a world where such things are always in ready supply. It clocks in at just over 42 minutes with each song never venturing too far beyond the 4-minute mark, yet the sheer level of content that is thrown to its audience could rival albums put forth by seasoned progressive outfits that span more than an hour.
It stands strong amid an already growing array of formidable albums to grace the early weeks of 2025, and will undoubtedly serve to expand Jinjer’s already expansive reach in the popular consciousness. Duel is the sort of album that shines a twisted mirror upon an already twisted world, yet somehow manages to come out with an uncanny blend of realism and beauty that may uplift the spirits of even the most downtrodden.
Released By: Napalm Records
Release Date: February 7th, 2025
Genre: Metalcore | Progressive Groove Metal
Musicians:
- Tatiana “Tati” Shmayluk / Vocals
- Roman Ibramkhalilov / Guitars
- Eugene Abdukhanov / Bass
- Vladislav “Vladi” Ulasevich / Drums
Duel Track-Listing:
1. Tantrum
2. Hedonist
3. Rogue
4. Tumbleweed
5. Green Serpent
6. Kafka
7. Dark Bile
8. Fast Draw
9. Someone’s Daughter
10. A Tongue So Sly
11. Duél
Order Duel HERE.
Nearly four years after Ukrainian progressive metal quartet Jinjer released their nuanced 2021 album Wallflowers, they’ve returned with Duel, a ferocious new full-length that trades smoothness for sheer aggression and avant-garde intensity
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Songwriting
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Musicianship
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Originality
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Production