Review – @rickgrimm.music
Photo – Vincent Shaw
Festival Hall, a venue with a storied history, opened its doors on a Tuesday night to host a different kind of service: the worship of the almighty riff. Tonight, we feasted on the ferocious fanfare of a fully female-fronted lineup of fat riffs and mosh pits.
Kittie is yet another band I was unaware of until the lead-up to this show. In the time-honored tradition of live music appreciation, I allowed their performance to be my first exposure. As is often the case, I’m glad I did.
The second track of the night, I’ve Failed You, was a lot riffier and showcased their instrumental prowess. Tara McLeod and her stunning gold-top Les Paul delivered the first lead break of the night. But honestly, all the stagecraft swagger resided on the far side of the stage, where bassist Ivy Vujic stole the show with undeniable charisma.
When they unveiled Oracle, it felt like Mercedes had fully settled into the pocket, and the crowd responded in kind. The emergence of the first crowd surfer of the night signaled that I wasn’t alone in feeling the uptick in energy. The chunky, lurching groove of Eyes Wide Open was a standout track, delivering a powerful sing-along moment even for a first-time witness like myself.
The second half of the set continued to deliver, with heavy tracks like the tribal and visceral We Are Shadows, featuring a dirty breakdown that had the crowd out for blood. I was enamored by the talent of Mercedes Lander, who once again proved her chops, effortlessly handling both impressive drumming and backing vocals.
By the final tracks, Kittie had solidified their reputation. They scratched a similar itch for me as A Perfect Circle and nu-metal-era Sepultura simultaneously. A supremely underrated act worthy of significantly more accolades, Kittie delivered a set that was groovy, heavy, and ruthless.
Jinjer has been gaining momentum consistently for a while now, and they show no signs of stopping. This performance was just another top-notch display of their brilliance. The band members emerged one by one to applause, with my initial thoughts centered on their unique gear setups: Eugene Abdukhanov rocking a headless bass and Vladislav Ulasevich behind a beautiful drum kit complete with a pedal-only hi-hat—a rarity in heavy music. The psychedelic imagery displayed on the massive LED backdrop set the tone for a night of djenty, groove-laden chaos.
The set opened with Just Another and led seamlessly into Sit Stay Roll Over. When the latter track’s blast beat and minor-third layer cake ripped through the crowd, I was compelled to join the pit. The wall of death call came early, and the crowd obliged with all the fervor of a populace that forgot we don’t have dental coverage by Medicare. By the third track, Vlad Ulasevich’s tight, ghost-note-riddled grooves had people headbanging from the hips. Tatiana Shmayluk’s ceaseless crowd engagement and flawless vocals cannot be overstated.
Fast Draw was a two-stepper’s dream, while Green Serpent brought a slower groove, offering some reprieve for the pit lords. The crowd surfers felt more like they were paddleboarding on the River Styx, with energy that stayed consistent and deliberate despite the restrained tempo. Eugene’s bass lead break was a nice touch on the end too.
Someone’s Daughter brought a brief interlude of visual darkness before launching into a super-djenty riff. This song was probably the most internally divisive for me because, while it had a lot of individual ingredients I liked—killer drum development, bass lines, and Tatiana’s flawless performance.
Now, onto my rant about the title track off their latest release: Duél. This song fucks so goddamn hard, my god. It had it all: killer riffs, killer grooves, killer bass, killer vocals, killer arrangement, and a breakdown that honored genre tropes without sounding cliché. It had change-ups, and they even went to the effort of creating an animated backdrop that synced to the song. All of this was topped by an unbelievably tight performance. I’m surprised the sound system could handle that much power being pushed through it. I would honestly pay a moderate amount of money just to see that song on its own. Absolutely world-class.
Jinjer are a titan of an act. The mix, the music, the musicianship, and the intensity all check boxes. Tatiana Shmayluk is among the best performers to ever do it, and the band’s ability to blend technicality with raw energy is unmatched.
Kittie, meanwhile, proved why they’ve been a staple in the metal scene for decades. Their performance was a reminder of the power of female-fronted metal, and their ability to balance melody and aggression is second to none. I truly hope these titanic performances inspired some of the women in the crowd to pick up instruments and bless the world with more acts like these.
Thanks to the Festival Hall Crew for having us and special thanks to Marric Media.
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