It always makes me extremely happy to hear young bands who realize there is more to thrash metal than just speed and aggression. There just aren’t all that many who do. Serbia’s Jenner fortunately does and already manages to impress greatly on their debut album ‘To Live is to Suffer’. Guitarist and main songwriter Aleksandra Stamenković appears to realize there is more to a great thrash song than just a bunch of riffs and the rest of the band knows how to complement those compositions perfectly. It has honestly been a while since I was this impressed by a thrash metal debut album.

Since Jenner isn’t quite as focused on speed as many contemporary thrash bands, Stamenković’s songwriting qualities really shine through and Anđelina Mitić gets all the room she needs for a strong clean vocal performance. If forced to compare ‘To Live is to Suffer’ to a classic thrash band, I’d say it combines all the strengths of Metallica’s first three albums, though the sharp, precise bite of the rhythm guitars feels closer to Megadeth and the production gives the album a distinctly contemporary vibe. And while Jenner isn’t the type of band to unleash a whirlwind of riffs upon its listeners, the songwriting is highly dynamic.

Another thing that really took me by surprise about ‘To Live is to Suffer’ is the amount of melody it has without sacrificing any intensity. Mitić’s surprisingly soaring vocals and Stamenković’s thematically strong lead guitar parts are doing a lot of the heavy lifting there, but the riffs themselves are just very memorable. You won’t mistake a riff on ‘To Live is to Suffer’ for a very similar one on the same album, as is often the case with thrash-related albums. Even the more complex songs have multiple hooks to hang on to.

Due to how dynamic the songs are, the album’s 37 minutes are over before you know it. A track like the strong opener ‘Factory of Death’ has quite a bit happening in a relatively short time in terms of atmosphere and time feel changes, but never feels disjointed or messy. Also, you barely feel the time signature and tempo shifts in the Holy Terror-esque closer ‘Opened (on the Table)’. Other highlights include ‘How Deep is Your Greed’, a riff monster with fantastic punky call-and-response chorus, the aggressive stomper ‘Demon’s Call’ and the more traditional ‘Hear the Thunder Roar’. But really, the entire album deserves to be heard.

On the non-technical side of thrash, I have not heard a debut this good since Bonded By Blood’s first album. Hopefully Jenner has a bright future ahead of them. Everyone but Stamenković has left the band since the release of ‘To Live is to Suffer’ – though session drummer Selena Simić has been promoted to full-time member – but the main songwriter is still there and she does remarkably well as the new lead singer. Jenner is exactly the type of band for anyone who wishes there would be more younger bands who realize that the likes of Heathen and Flotsam and Jetsam also play thrash metal.

Recommended tracks: ‘How Deep is Your Greed’, ‘Hear the Thunder Roar’, ‘Demon’s Call’