Duél by Jinjer | Album Review

The fifth album from the Ukrainian progressive metalcore outfit rises to meet this contentious moment in world history.

In 2008, four metal lovers got together in Donetsk, Ukraine and began a journey that would take them across the globe.

Performing as Jinjer, they had to hustle for recognition from the beginning. They self-released their first two EPs and toured the heavy metal festival circuits intensely, hoping to catch the eye of the right person. In 2012, the heads of Leader Records became those people, and they quickly grew from local favorites to internationally known for their highly technical brand of death metal.

But then, the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2022 forced the band to pause and consider their choices. After taking a few months to regroup and get their affairs in order, they received permission from the government to leave Ukraine and tour as goodwill ambassadors to the world.

Which brings us to Duél, Jinjer’s fifth LP and their first since the invasion forced them abroad, and they are as confrontational as they’ve ever been. They take on all challengers, daring enemies of all stripes to war over some of their most technical and primal riffage to date.

Opening track “Tantrum” sets that aggressive tone right from the record’s first seconds. The band flows through complex riffs such that they sound as natural as breathing, and frontwoman Tatiana Shmalyuk slays over top, combining clean singing with terrifying death growls as she stands in stark opposition to aristocracy and “petty bourgeoisie.” The slow burn outro adds to this narrative, as they make clear that no ostentatious display of wealth or power can silence critics:

My voice drowns out the orchestra sound

I cancel minuets, I turn you upside down

Such a loud premier will never happen again

Do not send me invitations anymore.

While they could have very easily made the entire album about political hegemony and war, Jinjer does something very smart and turns inward, exploring the base human impulses that lead to conflict in the first place. “Hedonist” does this spectacularly, as they decry the mindless and excessive consumption engaged in by the upper classes:

The cult of happiness, of pleasure quintessence

Bottomless delight is a natural human right

Of pleasure quintessence!

Forget the consequence

Deterrent is an enemy of life.

I also enjoy how songs take on multiple meanings depending on how you view them. “Fast Draw” is a perfect example, as it yells “draw your weapon before I draw mine,” something that immediately conjures images of gun battles, and thus the war in Ukraine. However, the lyrics, penned by Shmalyuk’s husband, Suicide Silence’s Alex Lopez, actually refer to fighting against your darkest impulses, in his case alcohol addiction:

What have I done to myself today?

Did I not lеarn my lesson or count my blessings?

I sing my sorrows once again

I madе my bed and I'll lie in it.

“Green Serpent” explores that same topic from Shmalyuk’s own perspective, where the negative effects of alcohol abuse sneak in slowly over time, like the titular snake:

It's starting here

You don't drink it, you absorb it

Eventually you're swallowed by the mud

Here it comes, the green serpent

It puts you on the path so unsure.

All that said, Jinjer’s technical approach can prove a double-edged sword, as their songs don’t lend themselves to repetition or catchy choruses. Consequently, Duél feels like a long string of punishing metal riffs and extended guitar melodies, and you end up connecting with some moments and not others.

But there’s no denying Jinjer are playing at the top of their game right now, and have the lyrical chops to rise to this uniquely contentious moment in world history. They represent Ukraine so boldly and passionately, and I can only hope their message spreads far and wide, so this bloody conflict can finally come to a close. Slava Ukraini!

Production: 7/10

Lyrics: 8/10

Songwriting: 6/10

Overall: 7/10

Favorites: Tantrum, Green Serpent, Fast Draw

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Thank you for reading! What did you think of this album? Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts and recommendations.