Jinjer – A Masterclass in Technical Meets Emotional

What better way to end a long, cold, damp, never-ending January than with a show that’s pure talent, grit, technicality and resilience, in other words, a Jinjer show?

We caught Jinjer in the middle of their European Duél tour, named after their latest LP released back in February 2025 via Napalm Records.

Duél is a heavy record, no argument there, but it’s so much more than the cookie-cutter formula a lot of modern metal leans on. Dark, atmospheric, polyrhythmic, soulful in places and deeply thoughtful, it feels like the band’s strongest work to date.

For this run, Jinjer brought along newly reunited Dutch prog legends Textures and genre-blending, high-energy German metalcore outfit Unprocessed.

Textures opened the night, back on stage and in the studio as of last year after an eight-year hiatus and a full decade since Phenotype solidified them as prog metal legends. They ease straight into that signature blend: complex, tight riffs, bright cleans melting into heavy gutturals, everything tight but never sterile.

When the band called it quits in 2017 and launched into their “A Farewell to Textures 2017” tour, they cited personal issues and feeling like they had “nothing more to say,” even announcing that Genotype wouldn’t be released.

So to see Genotype finally see the light of day in early 2026 is a genuinely beautiful surprise. Not much material has been reused, and there’s a noticeably more relaxed energy both on record and on stage. One thing is certain from their opening set in support of Jinjer: they’re back, they’re having fun, and the crowd is loving every minute of it.

Next up, Unprocessed dial everything up a notch.

Where Textures kept things in a steady, moody blue wash, Unprocessed hit the stage differently: strobes, intricate patterns, full “if you’re epileptic, look away now” energy as they storm into the first song.

Best known for their djent-pop blend, intricate guitar work from Manuel Gardner Fernandes and a show-of-force performance behind the kit, they deliver a dizzying cocktail of early/late metal and modern metalcore. Within a couple of tracks they’ve got the crowd jumping, moshing, and even managing a surprisingly big wall of death for how packed the floor already is.

Jinjer take their headliner slot with a mix of carefully curated visuals on a huge LED screen, an almost theatrical entrance, and the kind of craftsmanship that’s firmly cemented them at the forefront of modern metal as Tatiana’s presence commands and flirts with the stage effortlessly.

It’s impossible to ignore how often they’ve been compared, scrutinised and held up against the big names in the genre. But Jinjer have always met that pressure with resilience and honesty, openly talking about their influences, their struggles, and just how much work goes into every riff, lyric and tour.

The set leans heavily on Duél, and that’s exactly where they start. From the first powerful lines out of Tatiana Shmayluk’s mouth and the opening riffs crashing in, the energy in the room shifts. You can feel everyone lock in and bracing for impact.

The now almost-standard LED wall, which can so easily become a distraction, is used smartly. Strong, song-specific animations back every track, enriching the moment without pulling focus away from the band. Weapons, serpents, stained-glass windows bathed in red and blue light all pulse and mutate behind them, a visual counterpoint to staples like “Fast Draw,” “Green Serpent” and “Hedonist.”

“Pisces”, still one of their biggest songs to date, closes a set that’s been expertly curated to stab at every nerve. By this point, a swarm of crowd surfers has rolled over the barrier, pits have cracked open and collapsed on themselves more times than you can count, and the energy in the Forum feels like a living, breathing thing.

For the encore, Jinjer tear into “Sit Stay Roll Over,” a perfect closer to one of the liveliest shows we’ve seen in recent memory.

Across the whole night, one thing is undeniable: Jinjer are operating at the height of their powers. Tatiana’s cleans and screams sit on top of impressive fills and melodies, every member clearly honed and precise. No one’s treading on anyone else’s toes, no one’s desperate for the spotlight. It’s a band functioning as a unit: technical, emotional, and completely in control of their own chaos they unleash.

Setlist below. Words and photos by Gabby Adler