Classical Composer Reacts to Pisces (Jinjer) | The Daily Doug (Episode 67)
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- Опубліковано 1 тра 2024
- #Reaction #Pisces #Jinjer #JinjerReaction #PiscesReaction
In this episode of #TheDailyDoug, I'm reacting to Pisces by Jinjer. I was astounded by the female 'growl' in this...my first introduction to this band! Enjoy!
Reference Video: • JINJER - Pisces (Live ...
People could react to this for the next hundred years and I'll still watch every. Single. One.
Truly, me too
Preach!
it's so fun cause they never expect it! XD
Dude same lol
Someone showed me this song a year or two ago and I loved it. Each of these reactions lately just make me love it more.
Finally someone who didn't get lost in the growl and talks about the music.
yes, this!
yes. this, this!
Yeah, but we all know we watch these reactions in particular to see reactors faces when that voice drops....
ua-cam.com/video/aLHVYDyhtpk/v-deo.html
but he totally missed appreciating the techneque. I get it that he's not into that style of music, but to dismiss it with "they could have done something else better" (or words to that effect) shows a lac of respect for the genre. he could have redeemed himself by explaining that he did some research into how to growl safely and which parts of your vocal tract this sound comes from.
"Why does she growl when she could hit all these clear high notes?" Why use electric guitar and bass when you could play the song with acoustic and stand up? I understand your question, but you might as well ask why a famous artist used yellow instead of red. Because she wanted to.
And mostly, because she can do it.
@@LeonBlackbird I have no illusions, but I have had a few fantasies about her using that growl when we were horizontally tangoing. Just saying, it's sexy.
True. Artistic choice.
@待つ地獄 I was gonna say Slaughter to Prevail- Demolisher. Just unrelenting Deathcore growl... Then comes the breakdown.
He just goes on and says that it's a part of their particular style.
“Sounds like Opeth”- what a BRILLIANT compliment.
Tati said in an interview that her friend played Opeth for her and she was determined to do that herself.
yes Opeth is one of most Jinjer's influences
@Trevor Harrold Underrated comment!
I've heard many bands this wonderful singer has been compared to, but opeth probably has been the most accurate yet!
“This sounds peaceful”
Me knowing what’s to come 😂
The best comments always come seconds before it kicks in.
I love it.
Every time!
"Oh, this is Tasteful"... give it a second lol
It never, ever get's old
😂😂😂
Emeralds= Fish Scales. Pisces= two fish= Neptune's children= yin/yang. Tatiana is the song writer and a Pisces, who never thought this song about the duality of her life would become so popular. It was a filler song made from a poem she wrote when she was bored, she has stated in interviews.
Black Sabbath's Paranoid was also a filler song. It was written in about 3 minutes just to fill out the album. It's their most popular and recognized song. Funny that. 🤔
So was ace of spades by Motörhead
@@bradleypearce285 Smoke on the water, as well!
@@morlokkurak4763 I guess not trying to do and just doing it sometimes leads to some pretty impressive bursts of creativity in a short amount of time hehe :)
@@Zabiru- Very true. Who can say where creativity comes from; the person or some other influence? Interesting.
The reason some bands choose to use growls is because music needs to traverse the full range of emotions. Metal, in particular deals with anger, angst, frustration, death, and the darker side of life. To reach that depth of expression, they growl in a cathartic expression of those emotions.
I agree...Metal is able to cover all of human emotion in a more purposeful way...It truly is complete in it's texture in representing humanity as a whole..I think that is why so many tend to demean its value...It is a mirror they refuse to look at for fear of truth....
@@randominc.2251 Yup! This was me. I thought it was just a preference/taste thing that I didn't like metal but it was me resisting and refusing to look at my shadow and my own darkness.
Beautifully said 💜
Really? The growl isnt artistic in any way compared to building music composition to reach those conclusions and emotions. It's a shock effect that makes it totally or at best nearly impossible to hear what the hell she sings, whats the point of that? Sounding like the devil, who many of us can realate to feeling as the devil? An unempathetic creature with powerful hate, thats the emotion I get out of it, very unrelatable. Do you really relate to it as part of your emotional spectrum? I might be wrong but I'd suggest you're quite unusual then, and probably need to work on it instead of relating to it.
Generally people who listen to growl music where I come from arent emotionally developed people who listen to relate in a productive and artistic way, it's much more the identity group they want to belong to than something personal.
@@tomastorasen9164 You are entitled to your opinion but we as humans are complex beings that have a wide variety of emotions. Some, due to traumas and tragedies develop differently and have feelings of rage, anger, frustration, etc that needs to be channeled and released in a productive manner. This style allows for a healthy release. There have been psychological studies that have shown that metal music fans tend to be happier and more balanced psychologically because the music they enjoy helps them explore the wide range of emotions in a safer context. So maybe it is you who needs to do some reevaluation of your preconceived notions and your prejudice against those who are different.
"Now she sounds like she's from Opeth!" Best response EVAR! Seriously though, this might be the best and most informative reaction analysis to Pisces in the last 100 that I've watched, no hyperbole.
or even Otep
Well, he does have a doctorate in music... ;) On that note - HOW does someone with a doctorate in music manage to have NEVER heard RUSH 2112?
"Emeralds are ripped away" - I interpret this as being de-scaled.
It goes with being caught, and butchered; but also fits with having what's valuable taken away by abusers.
I think you are right;
Seems like I remember them saying in some interview that emeralds were supposed to be the scales.
Ye that sounds chillingly accurate
I've always kinda thought it meant caviar, but scales does kinda make more sense
thanks Fallout Fan , I like that
A brutal image
Part of the idea of the song is the duality of her personality, the sign consists of two fish swimming in opposite directions, hence the vocals matching this duality. Emeralds probably refers to the fish scales i would imagine.
It took me several years before I started to enjoy the growling in metal, but when you start to get into it you realize that there is enormous variation in terms of technique and sound both between singers and withing one singers range. Tatiana from Jinjer for example can vary her growling a lot in whatever to equivalent to pitch is, this song isn't the greatest in terms of showing of that part. It's mostly popular for the shock value :)
I'm really enjoying your channel, even though I have no theoretical knowledge of music! I guess it's just pleasing th listen to someone who knows what their talking about!
emeralds are ripped away - Think of the butchers cutting the scales (emeralds) off the fish.
@@deed5811 that’s my take also
I feel the same as you when it comes to harsh vocals in metal. It took me a while as well to appreciate it. I first really came to appreciate the use of harsh vocals when I heard it used in Epica's music. The contrasts immediately clicked with me!
@@deed5811 yep.
There has to be treatment on her growl vocals - I’ll have to do some research but there surely running them through some compression to get them that low, I’ve got to believe. Personally it’s not my thing. Do they do this growling in all their songs?
Doug: "This is tasteful. I like it!"
Tatiana: "BRRRRAAAAAAAARRRGRRRH!"
JINJER army is here... so... Jinjer - Teacher Teacher next maybe?
I think Home Back will be more tasty for him.
Perennial!
"I speak Astronoy" perhaps?
But anyway, how have I read that a couple of times: Jinjer is incapable to write a bad song!
I vote to Judgement & Punishment :)
@@bernhardkulzer9125 for a composer? "I speak astronomy" it is :-)
"This is tasteful...." Famous last words right before the boom drops! X-D
Opeth was a big influence on Jinjer. Not sure who started this trend of angelic cleans and demonic growls by the same singer, but Mikael Akerfeldt has to be among the pioneers.
I would think Burton C. Bell up there as well.
Quake for life !!!!!
Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride is fantastic at mixing these kind of vocals too
Her growl is amazing. So full and fleshy. Love it.
I think "emeralds are ripped away" is referring to a fish's scales being shed as it's "on cutting tables of callous men"
Why don't classical singers use their whole vocal ability and use growls?
See how that works?
I agree! I think a singer should use harsh vocals when the Erlkönig reveals his true intentions in Schubert's song! I would've done it myself when I performed it if I knew how to safely use growls/screams.
Tatiana has amazing control of her vocal fry and growls, this technique does not come easy to very many vocalists. Classically trained vocalists shy away from this stuff to avoid damage to their instrument.
@@mattybearvids I was commenting on the reactors comment about why she growls instead of using high notes.....
@@mikemclaughlin3306 mine was directed more towards the other comment
I dunno he kinda has a point, it's ultimately somewhat of a compositionally boring choice for a chorus when taken on its own once you get over the initial reaction, especially given how much focus is put on it in the mix compared to the rest of the instrumentation, which is a lot more interesting. I think it still works really well within the context of the song because of the contrast to the verses and because it makes the climax where she actually moves in and out of clean high belts and growls more impactful, but I can also see where he is coming from.
Perennial (Live At Wacken) - that’s where you want to go next. Then hit “ I Speak Astronomy.”
I credit Jinjer and Avatar for opening my ears up to “growling” - and now, I am a fan of the genre. This band is the real deal. They are amazing, and I cannot wait for COVID to be over so that I can finally see them!
I think that Judgement and Punishment one-take would be a better next step as it's got more musical choices made in it that Doug might get his teeth in to and then Perrenial or Who's Gonna Be the One for hearing them in a live setting to see how good they all are and it's not just a studio band
Ooohhh.. Avatar. Don't think I've seen reactions to them yet, but they're SOOOOO fun on stage. Not always my taste in terms of music, but so incredibly entertaining and awesome stage presence.
@@Shoikan There's a few reax out there from different channels. Got to see them before the 'rona, and they did a series of streaming concerts in January that were absolutely incredible.
100%
@@knytestorme If he was a vocal coach, I'd agree...I just thought those others would be more interesting for him compositionally. :)
She sounds exactly like that live too. An incredible talent & instrument. The rest of the band are also amazing musicians in their own right. Vlad (drums) is classically trained formally, which is worth noting. And there are no solos in their work, doesn't need to -- it's sprinkled throughout their music.
So Vlad thé drummer is a classically trained musician. There’s a video of him playing Rachmaninov somewhere. Eugene, the bass player, is entirely self-taught. I think the rhythm section of this band is amazing - I’ve seen them live in 2020 in Sydney - absolutely incredible. Not a beat missed. The Melbourne concert has been released by Napalm - any of those songs would do as a follow up. Or, you could treat the well-trodden route: Perennial love from Wacken, Who is gonna be the One from the same concert and their latest release, a music video Home Back.
They CRUSHED Noah on that set
There is no doubt that the band themselves are tight as a drum. I appreciate Tatiana, but actually would listen to the band more just as pure instrumental. I still can't really get on board with growling of any kind... even if it's impressive.
3:20 lol Tatianna has said Mikael from Opeth is one of her biggest influences
Another good song to apreciate Jinjer is "Teacher, teacher", or "Judgement (& Punishment) - Tatiana Shmayluk - One Take Vocal Performance"
That version of Judgement & Punishment is so well done
@@mattybearvidsI completely and 100% agree with you. I LOVE that performance, it is probably my favorite of hers (studio wise at least).
I love judgement & punishment!
Everyone is always shocked by Tatiana's vocals, and rightfully so, but the musicians are very good. Glad to see someone do more than just react to her and recognize how good the song really is.
Tati is life-changing. Understanding growls: There are some things, that are emotionally powerful enough to the author, that they need to be yelled. The primal scream is the release of the spiritual burden of the subject. Also, it just sounds cool.
JINJER army is coming. Should listen to Devin Townsend's Kingdom.
Specifically "live EMGTV" .
I think he’d like Deadhead from Royal Albert Hall.
Yawn, and then he can become like every other "react" channel and do Meshugga, The Hu, blah, blah ;)
@@roblister3729 My thoughts too
both maybe?
Think it’s more like a fish (Pisces’s symbol twin fishes) thinking if they just find a hook they’ll be pulled up out of their difficult life in the water into the sun and be happy, but the fisherman butchers them and removes their scales (emeralds). I think.
Good thinking :)
Well put. The best analysis of this may have been by the two women on the channel LeannxAri saying "that sounds like my love life"
Now this is gonna be the weirdesr interpretation ever but I think the part "emeralds are ripped away" always reminds me of r*pe for some reason, so it's like some was r*ped from her, either her virginity if we're talking literally or her innocence or something of sort if we're talking figuratively.
Given the band's origin, I've been wondering if there's maybe a green(ish)-scaled fish commonly found in Ukraine that this is referencing.
this is the meaning the emeralds are the scales of the fish ...
'Now she sounds like she's from Opeth!'
- Smiles knowing how extremely accurate that is, not just vocally + how much more Opeth-esque it's about to get in the bridge -
The Pisces sign is two fish swimming in opposing directions. The duality of both unique personalities. A Pisces knows these lyrics are exquisitely intuitive. I will never tire of this song.
Please react to "Unleash the Archers - Awakening (Full Band Playthrough Video)" .. Incredible musicians, a great composition and an outstanding lead vocalist! You´ll gonna enjoy it! :-)
Gotta second this. UtA is a FANTASTIC band all around.
The Archers should definitely be unleashed! Would be interested in Doug's take.
Absolutely
Tonight We Ride!!
I will 'third' it @tarin indell ;) The whole 'technical musicianship' is awesome! Link ua-cam.com/video/gqUPGa15Oto/v-deo.html
Please look this: Epica - Sancta Terra (feat Floor Jansen) Live Retrospect show
Oh yes .. please yes! :-)
Oh yes this would be great :D
Definitely!
Yes!! Please! Oh I would love to see this!!
Highly recommended!!! Real Live Orchestra and choir. Your analysis would be very welcome.
“Why does she growl instead of singing when she can clearly hit the high notes ?”
Simple. It’s an artistic choice.
Because it serves the song’s emotional core.
This song is about losing your innocence and learning the heart’s filthy lesson.
There is a conflict within. (Pisces) There is anger and pain there.
The softness of her voice serves the meager, soft and trusting side, and the growling and screaming serves the animosity and a passionate reaction to said emotions as a deliberate reaction to searing disappointment.
There are a combination of topics in this songs lyrics, but I’m touching upon the surface.
Jinjer knows how to serve their own material better than most I have heard.
Relaxed face, shock, nervous laugh, stank face and finally growling face of enjoyment. We've all been there 🤘😎🤘
Doug please do 'Ne Obliviscaris' next. "And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope". An amazing prog metal band.
And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope is their masterpiece! Watch the live clip from Colorado.
This one
m.ua-cam.com/video/rNuVdsx7qJY/v-deo.html
Guess there will be some interesting background to research for that one, too!
Not every band can say one of its songs is studied at a music school 🔥🔥
Live one!
Jinjer: Retrospection, is a good one. Talks about them missing their families on tour and she sings in native tongue as well as english. It's a great blend. I find it a little personal because they show behind the scenes of the 2019 tour of which I was at 2 of the shows. Home back as well. Hell, anything by them is awesome and different.
Dude, I went to 2 of their shows during this tour, just like you... I even find myself in the crowd footage of the video. :-D
I see you a re a man of culture. Retrospection and Home Back are two of my favorite songs from Jinjer.
Pisces is one of Jinjer's more "tame" tunes. I've become a fan over the past year. As a musician, I just want to give props to Jinjer's drummer, Vlad Ulasevich. Every member of this band are great musicians, but the truly great bands of *any* genre require a great drummer, and Vlad has the "A" game.
Vlad is crazy good and basses is a game changer as well
Tatiana has been singing in 8 different bands since she was 15 years old. She was born in 1987, the year of Cat (or Rabbit) according to Chinese horoscope, and her zodiac sign is PISCES. As a matter of fact the lyrics Tatiana made for this song are describing herself, revealing the traits of character of a Pisces personality. The lyrics are great.
Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt is one of the biggest influences on Tatiana (Lead singer ) and the song itself is highly Opeth influenced. This song is a must for any reaction channels due to the incredible vocal range. But two things which gets overshadowed by the incredible singing is the insane drum work and intricate guitar work. They both have knocked it out of the park in this "live " session.
Some songs I am sure you will enjoy reacting to.
Rivers of Nihil - Where the owls know my name
Ne Obliviscaris - And the plaque flowers the Kaleidoscope
Opeth - Blackwater Park
Opeth - Ghost of Perdition
Opeth - Deliverance
Insomnium - While we sleep
I agree. The guitar and drumming performance was top notch in this video.
If you are interested in a an epic prog rock / metal piece with 11 very different guest singers, various instruments and a very communicative composer/musician (Arjen)?
"Ayreon" with "The Day the World Breaks Down".
Hell yeah , awesome piece of music
Ayreon is ‘an universe in itself’ 😉
In my interpretation of "emeralds are ripped away", i think it's a reference to the "handsome butchers" removing a fishes scales, and as this song has a duality to its lyrics, the real world meaning would be people(handsome butchers) ripping away your achievements (your emeralds) in an attempt to bring you down
Thank you for actually appreciating this music instead of writing it off as “satanic nonsense” like everybody else. This is an amazing analysis!
My take, Doug... Regarding why she growls here: If you were a selfless fish (Pisces) who wanted to see the world but was a bit skittish, and then got into the nets and was hooked by handsome butchers who proceed to rip away your scales and entrails (emeralds)... you'd growl too! Sometimes the lyrics call for extreme vocals in a song. Tatiana (who's not singing as someone possessed, so you can toss the garlic back into the spaghetti sauce) wrote an incredible story and sang about it the way it deserved to be sung... as with most of her songs. Some vocalist just keep singing in their nice and charming voice even when the lyrics call out desperation. Not so with Tati. Her extreme expression - a rare ability - adds so much more to a song... especially if you follow the music with the lyrics and how the beautiful cacophony tells the story.
Symphony X - The Odyssey
He’s done a reaction to it, at least now.
When I was a child, my parents and I played "I see something you don't see" on long car trips.
Now, I can play "I hear something you didn't hear" with you :-)
In the last verse, the bass scales are the same as guitar scales from the chorus, just backwards (and with one additional note).
Once you are used to hear "extreme vocals" (i. e. screaming/growling) you start to appreciate the nuances, the expressivity, and the purpose of those techniques (IF they are used well). So, you'll see that "why she isn't using her clean voice?" is not a good question, like asking to a painter "why are you not using watercolours?". I guess the answer is: because it's her style, we like it, and she is extremely good.
*beep boop* Wintersun - Time (Live at Sonic Pump Studios) Remaster *beep boop*
And "Sons of Winter and Stars!"
The song is all about the duality. Thats why she goes back and forth between the "fry" voice and her singing voice so dramatically multiple times in this song.
It's False Chord vocals, a woman would not be able to produce that kind of sound with a fry scream. You can find the difference between False Chord and Fry vocals easily on youtube, but the main thing is that False Chord has no pitch since you don't use your vocal folds to produce it, while fry is normal singing with distortion added on it.
The song is about how Tati has ended up in abusive relationships and has subsequently come to realise that it's a widespread issue.
Others have mentioned the duality of the Pisces star sign being represented as two fish swimming in opposite directions. The duality is purposeful : it reflects the duality of predatory men that Tati has observed.
"Pisces swimming through the river, all their lives against the stream, searching for a hook to catch on and see the sun beam" represents those women who fall into abusive relationships (the sunbeam being the initial promises or hopes).
"Don't suffocate in painful torture, on cutting tables of callous men, under the knives of handsome butchers, emeralds are ripped away." is saying that you don't have to suffer - in fact you must leave that situation. The callous men and handsome butchers are the two-faced abusers - all goodness and light on the outside, but dark and rotten on the inside. There's that duality again.
The emeralds being ripped away could refer to fish scales, but could also refer to the hopes and dreams of the victim of that abuse.
The reason for the growl not only highlights the dualities that are the theme of the song, but also illustrates the anger, frustration and / or despair of the victim.
This is exactly how I felt but I didn't have the words! I'm so glad to hear it from someone who could fully articulate it :)
This is a ballad! She will melt your face with most of their songs. After listening to Opeth and Jinjer I have realized that "growling" is just as valid as any other vocal technique when done "right". It can add quite a bit of emotional swing to a song and is increadibly effective when trying to convey a dark sound, poweful message, or a character in a story. Opeth, Jinjer, and Amorphis are masters at creating soundscapes with both clean and harsh vocals. There are not many bands that can pull it off.
Yay you did it!!!! This video is going to make your channel BLOW UP!!
1k views in 45 minutes
They do list Opeth as one of their musical influences!
What an insight. Thanks for a great video!
The face you make expressing your root emotions is the reason to use growls as a musical expression. They could get into some places that any clean tone can get even close.
Wintersun - Time
Amazing choice 👌
@@Alexisking222 Thanks :)
Someone should make a montage of all the faces people on YT make when this chorus hits :)
There's a few already
I alone made 3 videos. : )
Or rather feces
Jesus Christ, this very video (Doug's reaction) was my first time listening to her...
BRB, gonna call an exorcist.
@@jasondoe2596 there’s about 50 reactions to this song on UA-cam.
It’s fun every time. Enjoy!
I loved the break down of the lyrics at the end, it was a wonderful interpretation. :D
I love that you can catch what I love in this song. Your close look at the songs and each piece of the puzzle is why I love your reaction videos. Keep up the great work man.
Thank you for this amazing reaction! Love Jinjer, I'm also Ukrainian and was born and grew up in the same region as the band members. Jinjer - Perennial (live from Wacken) would be a great choice for next reaction. Also Home Back (official video) is another song I would love to see you reacting. This one is dedicated to the war conflict in our native region. Guys from Jinjer became war refugees in 2014 due to those events and their native town is still remains occupied.. Really emotional and powerful song.
"Emeralds are ripped away" refers to the scales being scraped off by a butcher.
Oh wow, I’d never have thought that
Scale armor, etc. So like when looking for a partner, they only see the surface, and she starts to let her guard down and that's where she is taken advantage of etc
@@docknives3792 I think as is often the case with metal, its a double meaning. There is the literal meaning of a fish being descaled. Wanting to check out the sunlight and then being caught, tortured and butchered. But also a woman's perspective on abuse and the loss of innocence.
@@khellendross3573 well...yeah that's literally what a metaphor is...
One of the best reaction viedeos i have seen,!
cool react video I enjoy watching everyone Ive introduced to this song react...its priceless man. loved seeing you scowl...it does that to all of us
I have seen them live. Amazing musicians and her vocal control is astounding even live.
You are the fist person who made a real analysis of this song, thanks for take the time to appreciate this ripe of music 👍🏻
Love Doug's reaction videos!! Shocked for like 3 seconds and immediately back to explaining what the band is doing music theory wise. Love it
i've watched hundreds of reacts to this video and so far you have the best breakdown/analysis of the band and the music as a whole
Forgot to mention Ne Obliviscaris - And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope. This particular composition is a part of the curriculum in the Syndey Conservatory and it's totally justified.
This is fairly mild for Jinjer,you need to see their live on stage performances.Try Who is gonna be the one live Napalm records or Pit of Consciousness live Kiev and there are plenty of others they are excellent live video’s
I love this guy's analysis, im learning a lot
This is the BEST review I've ever seen. It's so awesome to see great classical musicians analyse and admire bands like Jinjer. This just made me realize the fact that I really do want to learn music. Thanks a lot for this.
Interesting text analysis, very different what people get out of that text. Most of the reactions I have seen have focused on lead vocals in particular, but also a lot on the drummer. So actually the first time I get a musical reaction to the string instruments, which I myself am extremely impressed with (I myself am a musician with guitar as my main instrument). Nice you are so open minded, that I realy like 😏
You have to do Ne Obliviscaris: And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope .
If you need more of a reason to react to this the song was featured as part of the curriculum at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. I recommend the live performance from Denver.
your reaction to this was the best I saw and for the fun I sure liked the vocal coaches react to this... great analysis too.
I love when they all step back like they're watching a possession taking place.
Text wall incoming:
Her name is Tatiana, Roman on the guitar, Eugene on the bass and Vlad on the drums (since 2016).
This is actually a re-recording of an older song, specifically made to show off their (at the time) new drummer - the video description got a bit more info on that too. The explosive and surprising nature of the songs composition, combined with her vocals however, is what made it go viral on reaction channels and is basically the reason this band got the exposure they deserve (this will get more clear when you hear more songs though).
The band actually comes from a poor background, growing up in the now occupied regions of eastern Ukraine (they speak primarily Russian there). When the war started they fled their homes, leaving their friends and families behind (their song Home Back talks about this) in order to continue to make music. They eventually found residency in Kiev, but were basically on tour ever since, just to make ends meet. At least right until covid came along, before that they had a couple hundred shows within the last two years alone. Their drummer Vlad is actually their fifth drummer, the fourth one was more of a substitute since he could not keep up with their insane touring schedule, but he still works as an audio engineer for them and is responsible for a lot of their live mixing. You'll likely see him in a few videos if you keep up with this band.
Pisces itself is basically a metaphorical song about herself. There is one symbol of the zodiac sign that resembles two fish, swimming in opposite directions, like a yin & yang sign, so the whole song is loaded with duality (and of course oceanic / fish) references, including in the instrumentals and vocals.
But yes, a mixture of clean and harsh vocals is kinda her shtick (as well as the most brutal female growls and screams in the scene - and a killer stage presence). I personally often compare it to how we also use distortion on string instruments too, to get a different sound for different applications (usually more aggressive / angrier ones). The fact that it is not one or the other the whole song (with very few exceptions), but a mixture of both, is what adds to the appeal and the variety within their songs, but you will notice that there is also a huge variety between their songs too, with a lot of genre mixing going on.
I think emeralds being ripped away could refer to the fish scales (scale armor blaze), leaving her vulnerable. In interviews she mentioned how (especially in the past) she would dress more manly or harsher looking, even though she is quite the opposite of that on the inside (A coward is shivering inside).
I'll drop my usual Jinjer recommendations if you want to dive deeper into this rabbit hole, but Perennial live at Wacken might be one of the best next choices (they're sort of in order, but with being able to jump between the two categories).
Official video suggestions:
Teacher, Teacher
I Speak Astronomy
Pit Of Consciousness
Cloud Factory
Retrospection
No Hoard Of Value (official lyric video)
Home Back
Sit Stay Roll Over
Live suggestions:
Perennial live at Wacken
Who Is Gonna Be The One live
On The Top live in Kiev
Pit Of Consciousness live in Kiev
Judgement & Punishment live in Melbourne
I can actually suggest you a friend of hers too, Lena Scissorhands and her band Infected Rain, which are from Moldova. The best songs to start with are probably Black Orphan Soul and Black Gold.
Another (Canadian) metal band you should definitely check out is Spiritbox, starting with their songs Blessed Be and then Rule of Nines. It's a husband and wife band, and they both previous were part of Iwrestledabearonce.
Or constance by spiritbox
Great comment.
TL;DR
This "live" session was to show off their new drummer Vlad. He's amazing, quite unique too.
After a Jinjer experience, you obviously have to listen to Spiritbox too. A relatively new band and Jinjer are big fans ;). I would suggest Rule of Nines as a starter.
I usually suggest Blessed be.. excellent production musically and visually and then the surprise factor at the breakdown.
Yes Rule of Nines or Blessed Be to start. Def not Holy Roller first haha!
Yes! Spiritbox being mentioned way too less over here!
@@cooltechnician Blessed Be is also a good option as a first song of course. Personally, I think Rule of Nines gives a more allround show of their capabilities.
THE best reaction I've ever watched for this song. (And I've seen alot). Loved your detail with the analysis. Subscribed!!
I can really appreciate a classical composer as yourself take appreciation in bands such as these... loved the reaction!
Great reaction, Doug, you got a lot right and, gained another subscriber. The 'Emeralds' reference are the fish scales, in some lights they can look emerald in colour, it's about ripping away the armour. Two members of Jinjer are Pieces, Tatiana the vocalist and Eugene the bassist. I think that you started with the right song from them, please check out some others tracks from them, I suggest the next one that you review/react to should be 'Teacher Teacher' official video, then possibly, 'Perennial' live at Wacken, and 'Judgement and Punishment' both the official video (for the story) and then the one-take vocal performance by Tatiana, maybe do a double-header first the one and then the other. They are a great and versatile band, especially Tatiana with her many vocal styles and abilities.
This song is always the one that’s recommended for the shock value of being lulled by her clean vocals and then the growl punching you in the face. The actual purpose of this video was to showcase their new drummer. Tatiana has actually said multiple times that she hates that this video has turned into a spotlight for her.
High quality analysis regarding music and lyrics. Thank you! :)
Finally an analysis that makes sense and is spot on!
When I 1st heard this song a few months back and delved into the lyrics I took it as her struggles as well and the Emerald being ripped away line sounded like the scales being scraped or ripped away by the butcher which to me seemed to indicate her Armor.
Great reaction! Always good to hear someone with very good musical knowledge critique this amazing band! Jinjer has a lot going on underneath their "progressive metal" wrapper, and until you really take in a few of their songs do you realize just how talented and diverse they really are as instrumentalists and song writers, all the while keeping their metal roots. Tatiana Shmaylyuk and the band are Ukrainian, so the vocals are ideas born in their native thoughts and tongue, then translated to English (painstakingly, according to Tatiana!). And yea, in the metal world the "extreme vocal" (growls official name) takes the place of more traditional vocals and is really what gives this music a lot of it's intensity, and Tatiana's talent in both "cleans and extremes" really puts her with the top metal vocalists of the world.
Amazing analysis from you, on the music and the vocals.
wow, i heard this song so many time and saw so many reactions to it and this was the first time someone mentioned the lyrics. I didn't even know them until you talked about them. Thanks for that :)
The shock value is a favourite of the reaction community for sure, but when it comes down to it, this song is just amazing, the band are incredible and Tatiana has a quite unique gift, in both clean singing and her natural ability to hit those crazy growls. Tatiana is the most understandable growler that I've heard. I hate the style, but when used for effect I think it can be amazing.
One for you to check out is Rivers Of Nihil: 'Where Owls Know My Name'. Quite a dynamic tune, plus the official video is entertaining.
Thank you Doug for recognizing the musicians awesome job in this one. Whenever I see a reaction to this one it is always all about Tatianas growling, while it is lovely is it's own right I am really loving the musicianship and talent of the other band members.
I love watching reactions to this song, it’s always hilarious XD
First of all, thank you very much for your attention to this band. They have a pocketful of skills and great (yet uncomfortably strange) music to surprise you ). Concerning the lyrics, there vere comments about duality, but I'd like to call your attention to the image of a mermaid depicted almost literally... Moreover, Tatyana (their voice and lyricist, too) has not written a single word for nothing ) Metaphoric and poetic.
Yeah, not normally my genre, but I just love this song and all that's about it.
The singing, the backing instrumentals, the power, the lyrics - I just gotta love it.
They have a lot of good songs, and amazingly diverse for their "brand".
See their live show at Wacken for "Perennial", and their "I Speak Astronomy" or "Teacher, Teacher" videos.
Her "one-take" video of "Judgement and Punishment" is fun too (reggae, even!).
this is absolutely the best analysis and appreciation of this song
Probably one of the most insightful reactions to the full performance of the band. Great job!
You're right, this song is very Opeth influenced. FYI, Tatiana is a Pisces and seems to really be into astrology. Emeralds ripped away I take to mean the descaling of the fish on the callous men's tables.
As to why bands/singers do growling vocals, because why not?
Also, check out Tonight We Ride by Unleash the Archers.
I think everyone in this band is independently influenced by Opeth to one degree or another. Tati has said that Michael is one of the singers she'd be most likely to fangirl over if she met him.
Ah, Pisces... the reactions never get old. As much of a "gotcha" song it is for reaction channels, I think it's truly a great song. Regarding bands using harsh/scream/growl vocals in their songs, when I first started listening to metal, my thoughts regarding using such vocals versus using melodic content were very similar to yours. I tended to stick to power metal (Rhapsody of Fire and Dragonforce were my go-to bands in the beginnings of my metal journey) as a result. I don't think I truly understood the creative function of harsh vocals until I listened to the Dutch symphonic metal band,
Epica (the lead singer Simone Simons is very good friends with Floor Jansen!). What really struck me about Epica's music was the use of contrast: the "beauty and the beast;" the sacred and profane; light and dark, etc. I came to realize that the use of harsh vocals is mostly to reinforce intensity, which is usually the intended outcome of most metal subgenres. However, I think harsh vocals are best used when they contrast clean vocals. I find music with both harsh and clean vocals _so_ much more interesting than using clean/harsh vocals alone. I think the intended emotions of some songs can only be achieved through the use of harsh vocals. Having listened to Pisces many, many times now, I can't imagine the song without the screams; I don't think the song would work without them! And, although the use of clean _and_ harsh vocals is a staple of Jinjer's style, the use of such vocals (and clean/distorted guitar tones) is especially poignant in a song with themes of duality.
Anyway, just something to think about when it comes to using harsh vocals. I've come to appreciate harsh vocals when reinforcing intensity, but that being said sometimes I want breaks from the intensity. But consider, also, how effective it might be if a singer were to use growls/screams in Schubert's immortal "Erlkönig" when the titular character reveals his true intentions to the son! I would've done it during my senior recital if I knew then how to growl safely. In fact, there's a metal cover of Erlkönig on UA-cam, and the singer uses metal screams when when he vocalizes the text "And if you're not willing, then I will take you by force!" It's a great moment in the cover!
Smart reaction. I like you analysis - learned a lot.
Great perspective and explanation. Thanks!
I'd like to once again submit my recommendation for reacting to Nightwish's "Shoemaker," and add that you'll get much more out of the song if you do some research on Eugene Shoemaker, the father of planetary sciences, ahead of time, unless you happen to already know about him and his work! Also, Nightwish's video is a lyric video, and very well done at that. I look forward to that (I think inevitable 🙂) reaction!
Great analysis of the music. I'm constantly amazed what marvelous complexity the three guys manage to create. They are all heavily influenced by jazz. Reading between the lines from what I've seen in discussions, it seems that in the Soviet era jazz and maybe latin music were among the few relatively pop forms of music that were accepted so there is a lot of jazz influence in Ukraine's musical culture.
As to the vocals, in most of their songs Tatiana is using her growls to express anger over various stuff that is wrong in the world, such as Home Back about their hometown in eastern Ukraine getting caught in the war there (she says since the ceasefire it "isn't getting bombed anymore") or their many songs about environmental destruction.
Pisces though is personal to Tatiana rather than being about some larger issue. The way I think about it is that a lot of women's songs are about hurt and anger, but it is made to sound beautiful, which romanticizes pain. The other side of that is I've been close to quite a few women with turbulent inner lives (to put it mildly). Making those inner struggles sound pretty would romanticize both the pain and the stress it causes for them and those around them. One of the things that first caught my attention about this song is it doesn't do any of that. It is brutally frank about her fears, anger, and pain as is the song Pit Of Consciousness which is an even deeper dive into her mental health struggles (it echoes what she talks about in an interview with Psychology Today which is one of the best interviews with her I've seen). Similarly, I Speak Astronomy is a love song, which Tatiana wrote as a "call to the universe" to find someone she's mentally and spiritually compatible with, where I take the growls mixed in as a warning she isn't always sugar and spice. ;)
They are friends with a band from Moldova that uses a similar style, called Infected Rain. Orphan Soul and Black Gold are good starting points if you are interested.
Came to your channel for the first Nightwish reaction video but man, your videos are just on point. Your talent and musical knowledge are just incredible. Waiting for the next video ✌🏻
This is just an epic masterpiece, maybe the most touching voice of the world, never got similar shivers