THE WEIGHT OF SOUND – Jinjer, Entheos, and Crystal Lake in Chicago

Review and photos by Brian Serra

What is the weight of sound? Can it even be measured? Sure, it’s not a physical corporeal object that you can place on a scale, but it’s there. When the volume of a car stereo is at an incomprehensibly loud level, you can HEAR the vehicle rattle. Speakers can get blown out, and you can SEE the damage. As far as concerts are concerned, you can definitely FEEL that thump of the kick bass during every line check.

Sound feels… HEAVY.

Tonight, three “heavy” bands converge to perform at the Chicago House Of Blues.

There’s Entheos, frequently described as a progressive death metal band.

There’s Crystal Lake, mostly known for their brand of intense melodic metalcore.

Lastly, the headliner, Jinjer, has a seemingly perennial presence in progressive metalcore.

Whoever put these three artists on the same bill definitely did their homework.

Not only do they all fit together sonically, but all three have gone viral at one point or another during their careers.

Crystal Lake appeared on my radar about a decade ago when the YouTube algorithm was dripping every extreme metal reaction video in existence into my feed. Seemingly overnight, everyone who incorporated the over-exaggerated “YouTube reaction face” into their thumbnails was talking about Crystal Lake. That was all thanks to one song, “Apollo.”

The track was heavy yet melodic, the chorus was memorable, the lyrics were inspiring, the bridge had one of the most stank-face-inducing breakdowns you’ll ever hear, and their vocalist at the time, Ryo Kinoshita, was a BEAST. Within the span of one song, he would constantly dip in and out of various vocal styles. Singing, screaming, growling, rapping, that sort of metal scatting that you would find in a song by Disturbed or KoRn, etc. Ryo was undeniably one of the most versatile vocalists around.

Currently without a permanent lead vocalist, Crystal Lake have had to recruit several vocalists in order to play live and continue to tour. For tonight’s show at the Chicago House Of Blues, vocalist Myke Terry (who has handled lead vocal duties for several bands) had some pretty big shoes to fill.

While part of me wishes that Ryo was still with the band, even I have to admit that Myke did justice to these songs. Now, Myke is no stranger to the Crystal Lake fandom as he was a guest vocalist on the song “Neversleep.” Onstage, he brought a more relaxed, almost calm and collected vibe to the mix. Well, as calm and collected as you can be while providing metalcore vocals, anyway.

It was Crystal Lake’s final date on this tour, and they certainly went out with a bang. You see… Crystal Lake is the type of band that can win you over with the energy and intensity in their live performances alone. Though the crowd was obviously primarily there for the tour headliners (Jinjer), Crystal Lake won them over by the end of their set. Fittingly enough, one of their final songs of the night was dedicated to everyone in attendance; a heartfelt (but still brutal) number about their dedication to the art of music called “The Weight Of Sound.”

Entheos and specifically their lead vocalist, Chaney Crabb, randomly got the attention of multi-platinum artist Drake. Yes, THAT Drake. He once reposted a clip of an Entheos song along with the caption “Chaney Crabb my twin flame.” As if getting a random shout-out from one of the mainstream music world’s biggest superstars didn’t get this band enough virality, the following year, Chaney was invited to appear on one of Kai Cenat’s streams.

For those of you who just loudly asked “WHO?”, Kai Cenat is one of the most popular Twitch streamers, frequently amassing over hundreds of thousands of viewers each time he goes live. Chaney was given a platform to perform her style of technical death metal to hundreds and thousands of new eyes and ears. She also gave an inspiring message of perseverance and following your dreams.

Onstage, tonight at the House of Blues, Chaney showcased her impressively wide range of vocal styles. Clean singing? Check. Gutturals? Check. Pig-squeals? Check. Chaney did it all amongst a gutturally powerful set (pun definitely intended).

Now, on to the main event. The headliner… JINJER.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, I’ve got you covered. Jinjer went viral about a decade ago for their song “Pisces.” Similar to Crystal Lake, every reaction channel and metal music news outlet under the Sun certainly made sure that you knew exactly who Jinjer was.

Though the song went viral specifically in response to lead singer Tatiana Shmayluk’s vocal ability, the rest of the band deserves a spotlight shone on them as well. Tonight, each member of Jinjer was a technical marvel at their respective instruments. Vlad, on drums, with his unconventional time signatures, would make any Tool fan squeal like a schoolgirl.

Roman, on guitar, uses such rich, full, almost jazz-like chords when creating his one-man wall of sound. Eugene, Jiner’s bassist, can attack his strings with full force one minute and soothe your senses in the next with a disarmingly beautiful bass solo (look up “Tantrum!”). With Jinjer, bass is thrown into the forefront and not something that just rumbles along in the background to the guitar.

Tatiana, on vocals, has a bona fide vocal prowess that unequivocally commands your attention. As cultural ambassadors for Ukraine, Jinjer and Tatiana have used their music to bring light to the conflict, injustice, and war currently ravaging their home country. With low growls, high shrieks, and everything in between, Tatiana demands that you pay attention to her lyrics.

You feel the weight of each word.

Tonight’s music isn’t “heavy” as in “overbearing.”

These are songs that implore you to listen.

This music is “heavy” as in “deeply emotional.”

These are songs that have a lasting impression and impact.

This is music that compels you to hear, see, and feel the weight of sound.