Jinjer - Micro (2019)

As one of the most unique up and coming bands, today we have Ukraine’s Jiner and their latest EP: “Micro”. Mixing up elements of Groove Metal, Progressive Metal, Nu Metal and even some Hardcore/Rapcore elements, this band turns heads with their intense style and charismatic front woman: Tatiana Shmailyuk. Featuring five tracks, this EP should stir up some more momentum for the band as they tour Europe with Amorphis and Soilwork this year.

Wasting no time, “Ape”kicks things off with crafty tempo changes and intricate guitar work to set a vibrant and aggressive move immediately. Things get a bit more melancholic with the groveness of “Dreadful Moments”, which features some Meshuggah-like chops and brilliant hellish hash vocal onslaughts. The riffing power of “Teacher, Teacher!” when contrasted with the rap-like vocals make up for a very odd and yet intoxicating track.

The dreamy opening of “Perennial” nicely changes the pace of the song, but not for too long as the pummeling drumming and throbbing bass guitar line makes way for some more crushing headbanging moments. This is our favorite track thanks to the very moody experimental passages that are intertwined with the band’s signature brutality. Closing with the acoustic “Micro”, we are left quite pleased with this short but sweet EP.

Overall, Jinjer is a band which packs a lot of punch with their compact line-up and very creative style. Not even close to being cookie cutter, “Micro” is a short EP that quickly gets to the point and instantly delivers their message, as a bag of bricks to the face. Pairing their explosive sound with killer live performances, this band is here to stay, so better get into them before it is too late.

Label: Napalm Records

Release: January 11th, 2019

Genre: Experimental/Groove Metal

Country: Ukraine