Jinjer & All Hail The Yeti - Coming to America Tour
Jinjer at Warsaw, November 23rd, 2021
It’s a peculiar time in the live music scene- factors like vaccination effectiveness against new variants of Covid-19 in tandem with shows returning to potentially risky indoor venues in the cooler weather has added an aura of uncertainty around the operation of touring. The risk vs. reward arithmetic has become murky- many involved in the music industry have suffered without the work and there’s an argument that the psychological benefits of entertainment options for the long beleaguered public may outweigh the public health risks at this time. We’re not here to judge the difficult decision made by any bands that are opting to hit the road - though we strongly encourage all fans who choose to venture out to be considerate about the safety of themselves and others and to observe all possible precautions.
The observance of such a precaution set a somber tone early in the evening - several hastily printed signs around the venue noted that Suicide Silence would unexpectedly be unable to perform. While not formally posted nor announced, word quickly spread throughout the venue that the band had been quarantined due to a potential exposure in their crew. Fans were understandably disappointed to be missing the influential deathcore group, though overall people were empathetic about the situation given the unusual circumstances of this tour.
Any disappointment quickly dissipated when All Hail The Yeti took the stage and kicked off the night with a fervent performance of “Suicide Woods” from their self-titled debut album. Hailing from Los Angeles, AHTW has a bass-heavy metalcore-style sound that smoothly fits right in with the style of both Jinjer and the absent Suicide Silence. The majority of the crowd doesn’t seem intimately familiar with the band, but an enthusiastic welcome from vocalist Connor Garritty and Nicholas Diltz’s stoner metal-esque bass intro to “Headless Valley'' from their Within the Hollow Earth E.P. (released just a few weeks ago on November 12th) stirred the beginnings of the night’s first moshpit. The band’s other selections from the new E.P. including “Bury Your Memory” and “Funeral Heart” were strong performances amongst a choice of hits spanning their career. Their enthusiasm for their new material was evident in their historical eye paint, stylistic lettering on banners that spelled out the band’s initials, and even with the flowers decorating their microphone stands like maypoles - all nods to the E.P. 's Nordic & Pagan aesthetic. The band’s swift seven song set seemingly didn’t take up any of the time that would have been allotted to the missing Suicide Silence, but the earnest fun effectively set the stage for Jinjer.
All Hail The Yeti at Warsaw, November 23rd, 2021
Jinjer’s arrival was characteristically brutal as they came out swinging with “Call Me A Symbol”, the first of eight tracks they played from Wallflower. The first glimpses and initial roar of vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk send the crowd into a frenzy - she’s unquestionably become one of the most popular voices in the metal scene and it’s not hard to see why. Tatiana’s live vocal performance is absolutely colossal, she might be controlled when she’s singing gently but she uses the brief quiet moments to showcase her ability to turn on a dime and tap into an almost unfathomable ferocity, physically throwing herself into every brutal note. Popular footage of her commanding massive European festival stages like Wacken Open Air and Resurrection Fest make it feel surreal to see the band performing in a room for only 1000 - it potentially explains the relatively spartan stage set up as a logistical decision to give her and the band as much space as possible to move around.
Tatiana rightfully garners adoration, though the rest of the band’s dynamic abilities like Roman Ibramkhalilov’s blistering guitar work, Vladislav Ulasevich’s breakneck drumming, and Eugene Abdukhanov’s thundering bass satisfyingly come together in tandem to create songs that feel uniquely diverse and inventively heavy. This is best experienced in tracks that experiment with cross-genre influence, like on “Judgement (& Punishment)” from the album Macro, where reggae-esque verses sharply contrast with the heavy choruses.
While the majority of the show felt like the band had their foot firmly on a gas pedal, they didn’t shy away from embracing the crowd during brief breaks in between songs. As fans caught their breath, Tatiana took time to appreciate the crowd’s patience with the tour’s safety precautions. She also briefly called out Russian aggression in the Donbas region of Ukraine noting how the conflict weighs heavily on the lives of their Donetsk-based band, their families, their friends, and their country as a whole - placing contention over vaccines and wearing masks firmly into perspective. Many in the crowd showed their solidarity via the band’s merch, much of which is adorned with the Ukrainian flag’s distinctive yellow and blue coloring.
After briefly departing the stage following a performance of the aptly named “Colossus”, Jinjer returned for an encore and flexed the strength of Wallflowers one last time to end the show with the album’s hit single, “Vortex”. The song is a complete showcase of each band member performing in tight unison over clean vocals, all before ending in one last explosive, guttural final salvo.
With exception for the disappointment of fans of Suicide Silence, the night was a rousing triumph for a band on the ascent asserting themselves back into the scene - showing how passion for music and compassionate consideration for each other can bring people together for a cathartic experience despite an array of difficult circumstances that might otherwise keep us apart.
Connor Garritty - Vocals
Nicholas Diltz - Bass & Vocals
Ryan “Junior” Kittlitz - Drums
Dave Vanderline - Guitar
Full setlist available here.
Tatiana Shmailyuk - Vocals
Roman Ibramkhalilov - Guitar
Vladislav Ulasevich - Drums
Eugene Abdukhanov - Bass
Full setlist available here.
