Jinjer is the best live band I have seen in recent years. The way the Ukrainian quartet manages to play their demanding music without sacrificing even the tiniest bit of their unbridled energy is something the contemporary metal scene could use a lot more of. Their studio albums generally don’t quite resonate as much with me, however, as there are always a few songs that disrupt the flow somewhat for me. ‘Duél’ has none of such moments, and the band also seems to generally give their songs slightly more room to breathe. This is unmistakably Jinjer, though, just a more refined version of it.

For those only vaguely familiar with the band: Jinjer plays a modern type of progressive metal in which groove metal riffs are pushed to their complex extreme, and the distinct hardcore vibe is more present in the unconventional song structures than the samey breakdowns many of their peers are obsessed with. Singer Tatiana Shmayluk has been the subject of many a surprised reaction in how she switches from the almost poppy alternative rock sensibilities of her clean vocals to the blunt aggression of her growls, while the rest of the band creates a dense, yet somehow not impenetrable whirlwind of riffs.

Starting with Shmayluk: given that ‘Duél’ is a relatively heavy album, I am glad to hear that the balance between her vocal approaches is tipped slightly in favor of her cleans. There are quite a few moments on ‘Duél’ that, while quite heavy, create a lot of space for her to play with melodically, and I’m glad she did. As a result, some of the more atmospheric moments on the record are some of the highlights for me. Many of them are grouped together around the middle of the album: the ominous ‘Tumbleweed’ in particular, but the dynamic ‘Green Serpent’, the labyrinthine ‘Kafka’, and the slithering ‘Dark Bile’ are equally good.

One thing Jinjer does on ‘Duél’ that I haven’t heard them do quite as extensively before is to create these really long riffs that almost appear to have no clear beginning or end, in a way that reminds me of Suffocation. The fantastic ‘Hedonist’ is probably the clearest example of this, but around half of the songs on ‘Duél’ have guitarist Roman Ibramkhalilov, drummer Vlad Ulasevich, and bassist Eugene Abdukhanov toying with such riffs in one way or another, creating an unpredictable, unsettling atmosphere. And if you want to hear Jinjer blunt and aggressive, there is still stuff like the annihilating ‘Fast Draw’, and opening track ‘Tantrum’.

With ‘Duél’, Jinjer found the perfect balance between modern metal riffing, progressive song structures, alternative rock melodicism, and hardcore aesthetics. Out of all their albums, it is easily the one that has the most pleasant flow, and the production is unusually organic for a contemporary heavy release. ‘Duél’ sounds like an actual band playing together rather than a soulless, over-quantized monstrosity. Some fans might be mildly disappointed that there aren’t any super catchy tracks on here, but I personally think those probably would have hurt the flow of the album. As it stands, it is impressive how accessible ‘Duél’ is despite its highly intricate compositions.

Recommended tracks: ‘Hedonist’, ‘Tumbleweed’, ‘Duél’, ‘Green Serpent’