JINJER THE AGONIST KNOCKED LOOSE
HEAVEN, LONDON MORE THAN A SWX, BRISTOL
Ukrainian tech-marauders make a triumphant return to the UK
decade into the business, prog-metal outfit Jinjer are the behemoths no one saw coming. Hailing from a war-torn Ukraine, where they patiently built their sound, the band first sparked interest with sophomore album Cloud Factory. At the heart of the appeal is vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk, who skyrocketed Jinjer into international waters in 2016 with vocal masterpiece Pisces, amassing 29 million views on Youtube. Today, with the backing of Napalm Records and fresh off a North America Tour, Jinjer return to the UK and to a sold-out event, boasting their latest release, Macro.
Canadian quintet THE AGONIST, previously fronted by Alissa WhiteGluz, now flaunt Vicky Psarakis in the centre spot, and she delivers her spin on three albums’ worth of material. Switching between high-speed metalcore and cleanly sung atmospheric sections, the band deliver a performance that sadly falls into the category of the generic. Their compositions, whilst showcasing Vicky’s guttural growls, resemble
a bastardisation of Nightwish and early Avenged Sevenfold, resulting in a sound that proves a disorientating offering for tonight’s crowd.
A countdown clock appears, the visual representation of time only heightening the sense of anticipation in the air. Demonic ‘Teacher! Teacher!’ growls kick in and JINJER’S set begins, bleeding intensity from the off. The riff shakes the ground and the vocals are sharper than ever as Tatiana hops from throat-shredding howls to angelic cleans, showcasing vocal versatility at its finest. The set, evenly spread across new and older material, is laced with an experimental vibe, often with a jazzy groove, thanks to the wandering arabesque-style bass lines of Eugene Abdukhanov. Pisces makes an appearance during the encore and sounds colossal. With enough twists and turns to coin an Opeth album,
Jinjer deliver past all expectations tonight with the very same balls-tothe-wall attitude we first tasted in 2017 at the Underworld.
IEVA ISABELLA RUIZ
STRAY FROM THE PATH/MALEVOLENCE/ THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA/GIDEON/LOATHE
Christmas has come early in Bristol, with two tours combining into one festive extravaganza. LOATHE keep going from strength to strength, the abrasive light show and bounce of their experimental metal testament to that fact. GIDEON
somehow up the ante even further, with bodies flying everywhere as they showcase material from new album,
Out Of Control. It’s an intensity THE
DEVIL WEARS PRADA struggle to match, but the singalongs they generate are enough to see them through, even if there’s less movement on the floor. MALEVOLENCE, on the other hand, are the sonic equivalent of a chainsaw to the skull, taking no prisoners whatsoever during a truly brutal and manic 30-minute set. STRAY FROM
THE PATH are on the form of their lives right now and, in front of a rabid audience begging for more, cause utter bedlam with every note they play. All that’s left is for KNOCKED LOOSE to deal the final blow with gusto, threatening to bring the venue down in a whirlwind of chaos, breakdowns and gang vocals. Season’s beatings, everyone!
ELLIOT LEAVER