Album Review: Jinjer - Macro

Last week, I talked about the new album from Infected Rain, and pointed out how they are very much in tune with a trend that I see being set up, one that is being led by Jinjer. We can call it 'hodgepodge metal' if we want to, but the basic idea is that bands are now free to throw anything and everything into one giant stew pot, seeing if all the seasonings come out tasting unique, even if there's a real risk it will be an absolute mess. In one sense, I applaud musicians who think outside the box, but I also worry that it's a sign of artists who don't know who they are or what they want to do. That's one of the reasons I hadn't previously talked about Jinjer, but since they came up as a direct comparison last week, I figured I might as well give them another chance to prove me wrong. So how did they do this time?

They certainly give us a lot to chew on. Within virtually any track on the album, we get crushing modern riffs, ferocious vocals, and moments of atmospheric melody. They never stay in one place for too long, and are intent on exploring every facet of what they can do. Sometimes, that means they deviate from something that is working, while other times it means they can throw an extra good idea or two into a song that otherwise wouldn't make it.

There's a give and take here, where in my mind the band is clearly better at one side of their split personality than the other. And this might be weird coming from me, but Jinjer is actually better when they are heavier, and more attuned to their death metal inspirations. Those segments of the songs are everything they should be, and Tatiana Shmayluk's harsh vocals are massive, deep, and bone-rattling. I can nit-pick over some of the harsh vocal patterns, but they have the pieces to be good at that side of the equation.

Their clean, melodic passages aren't as interesting. Tatiana's voice isn't as strong as a clean singer as it is growling, which leaves those bits sounding as if they struggle to keep up with the heavier moments. It isn't as much a yin and yang pulling the band in different directions as it is an ebb and flow where one pull is obviously stronger. This is where, when comparing Jinjer to Infected Rain, I find the biggest difference. That band had better melodies, stronger hooks, and a more appealing clean voice. At least for me, it did.

And then there's the element to all of this I can't outrun; giving me everything is a bit like giving me nothing. Jinjer has groove metal, death metal, atmospheric sections, and even a few riffs that pull from jazz. That's great, but the more you put into the mix, the more things I have to be a fan of to enjoy the music. With each new sound added in, the pool of potential listeners shrinks. It's creatively interesting, but I can't say I've ever been in a mood where what I wanted to hear was a mash-up of all these things. Normally, I would want to hear one or the other, or perhaps two of them juxtaposed. But with even more than that, I'm simply not that fond of certain parts of Jinjer's sound.

Philosophically, I could spend time here asking questions about what identity means to a shape-shifter, but I'll leave that for you to decide. If you ask me what Jinjer sounds like, there's no easy answer. Likewise, if you ask me if I like Jinjer, that's not an easy call either. They are doing some interesting things, and I appreciate their daring, but there are also glaring flaws. It's a record that is going to be hit-or-miss, but the ratio will be different for everyone.