From Napalm records, “Leading modern metal juggernauts JINJER return with their eagerly awaited fifth studio album, “Duél,” set to be released on February 7, 2025. They are known for their unique progressive groove metal sound that is impossible to replicate and goes against everything written in the heavy metal rulebook. This new masterwork lives up to JINJER’s reputation as metal visionaries, once more showing that the band refuses to follow any set rules in their genre, but choose their own path of creativity.” The album has eleven songs.

We begin with “Tantrum,” and the sound unfolds like an explosion at first. The riffs are drastically heavy, and meaty bass notes mix into them, with technical drumming. The harsh vocals are very angry, but the clean harmonies and more atmospheric passages temper the aggression just a bit. It’s fast sprint from start to finish. “Hedonist” focuses more on clean vocals and melody, and pace is slower, but the music is still aggressive, and when the harsh vocals hit, it’s like a punch to the face when you are already down for the count. “Tumbleweed” saunters with a more noticeable groove, the kind of groove that the band does well, and the band is showing several faces through the first few songs.

“Green Serpent” begins with sultry vocals and an animate bass line, but you can see the storm raging behind seemingly blue skies. The storm brings heavy rain and strong winds that there is no shelter for. “Kafka” features some odd movements that might seem cumbersome to some, but they make sense in the scheme of the song, proving that the band is adept at several styles of music. It’s almost like the footsteps of a crippled creature, if that visual works. “Dark Bite” has a heavy groove that leaves a mark behind in your flesh, because it cuts deep. The bottom end of this music is so damn brutal. “Someone’s Daughter” slows things down again, and the clean vocals are so expressive, but the storm rages behind them, and the harsh vocals are deadly.

“A Tongue So Sly” is another very punishing song, and their technical mastery is noteworthy. The title track closes the album, and it’s a whirlwind of musical prowess, as well as a combination of many of the elements that make the band as original as they are. Their sound is indeed unique, and as a band they are a juggernaut, but through all of the time shifts, airier passages, methodological performances, and downright crushing elements, I am left with an album that I just didn’t like as much as I should have. No one can deny the band’s musicianship, but I found the album to be difficult to digest, and to enjoy.