ALBUM REVIEW: Alive In Melbourne – Jinjer

On March 5th 2020, Ukrainian modern metal juggernauts JINJER played one of their last shows before the world went into a global lockdown. In a world without live music, the record market is slowly and steadily becoming somewhat oversaturated with live releases – so can the explosive act separate themselves from the pack?

For the almost 44 million of us who have watched JINJER‘s seminal performance of Pisces live in the studio, we can all attest that this band are a force to be reckoned with when live. Their unique brand of jazz-tinged djent rhythms joined with Tatiana Shmailyuk‘s otherworldly growls propelled this band into the stratosphere, leaving their latest release Macro both highly anticipated and under a lot of scrutiny.

Sadly, with the pandemic being what it is, this phenomenal album (one of the strongest of 2019) would not get the live reception it deserved. What we have left is this album, proof that this band has what it takes to go all the way and make it to the realms of quintessential metal acts of this century. 

Kicking things off with Teacher, Teacher!, it’s a while before the crowd gathered get a look in at the tracks from Macro – but Judgement and Punishment goes off with all the enthusiasm which JINJER have managed to enjoy since they became a household name in the world of metal. 

Drummer Vladislav Ulasevich deserves a special mention for his relentless groove and ability to hold down rhythms which aren’t often seen in mainstream metal. It’s in Who is Gonna Be The One that Tatiana proves once more that she is very much in line to take the crown as next queen of metal. 

Overall, this album couldn’t possibly hope to replace the experience of seeing this fantastic band live. However, if this is the closest we can get to JINJER live in 2020, it’s a pretty good consolation prize. The band is pitch perfect throughout, and the crowd’s reactions are satisfying to listen to – screaming, moshing and singing along. If only we could have been there too!

Rating: 8/10

Alive In Melbourne is set for release on November 20th via Napalm Records. 

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