Jinjer - 'Wallflowers' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Call Me A Symbol

2. Colossus

3. Vortex

4. Disclosure!

5. Copycat

6. Pearls And Swine

7. Sleep Of The Righteous

8. Wallflower

9. Dead Hands Feel No Pain

10. As I Boil Ice

11. Mediator

Sometimes there are albums that you have no expectations of whatsoever, and that turn out to be not only great listens, but also are the perfect fit for your life at that particular time. That’s what 'Wallflowers' from Jinjer has turned out to be for me. I’d heard of Jinjer in passing before, but hadn’t actually spent any time listening to them, so I put this on without any real idea of what to expect. What I got was something entirely unlike anything else I’ve heard recently, but in a very good way indeed.

In a way, they remind me of System of a Down – but not necessarily in sound, just in the unique way they seem to have put a huge myriad of influences together to create a sound that is entirely unique to them. And it is a sound that I am 100% here for.

When I’ve had a bad day or week, then I like nothing more than to put something heavy on to lose myself in it. But my biggest issue with a lot of very heavy albums is that they can be fine for a song or two, but listening to a whole album can be a chore because there’s no respite and very little variety. I can happily say that isn’t the case here – in fact, it feels like Jinjer have combined three albums worth of ideas into this one slab of innovative Metal.

I’ve not mentioned specific songs yet, and part of the reason for that is that the album works better as a whole than it would if you just picked individual songs to listen to. That’s not to say that there aren’t standout tracks on 'Wallflowers', but I really do encourage you to listen to the entire thing through first, preferably without a break.

If I was forced to pick a favourite song, then I’d have to pick two. The intensity and variety in “Copycat” make it an absolutely great song, and perfect to headbang to. My other favourite would be the album closer - “Mediator”. I very rarely pick album closers as my favourite tracks, but this one seems to sum the entire album up perfectly and provides a great end point for the entire experience, as well as being a brilliant song in it’s own right.

Production is great on this too – some heavy albums can feel muddy or confusing when listening, especially if you aren’t on the greatest system. I’ve listened to this on good headphones, cheap headphones, my good stereo and my phone, and the sound is brilliant whatever you are listening on, which says a lot about how well mixed and produced it is.

This album is a grower for sure. I liked it on first listen, but the more I listen the more I can find to pick out and enjoy, so it comes highly recommended by me. If you enjoy your Metal heavy, innovative and varied, then you absolutely need to check out 'Wallflowers' – you won’t regret it.