Reload for the third time—JINJER are back. The Ukrainian band from Donetsk plays progressive metal that doesn’t ask if it fits. Tatiana Shmayluk’s voice shifts within a single measure between clear melodic vocals and a growl that’s deeper than you’d expect. Add to that drums that syncopate rather than pound, a bass that doesn’t merely accompany the groove but shapes it, and guitar riffs that stumble polyrhythmically yet still pull you in. JINJER sound like four people who know exactly what they’re doing—and have been refining their sound together since 2010.

Their best-known song, “Pisces,” explains in four minutes why they’re now performing on major festival stages around the world: It begins almost delicately, then shifts without warning into heavy, off-kilter grooves—and Tatiana Shmayluk carries the dynamics with her as if both were second nature to the same voice. Live, the band brings this incredible energy to the stage. JINJER has a presence like few others—not loud for the sake of volume, but focused, direct, with an intensity that transforms the room.

In 2022, they headlined Thursday at Reload. In 2027, they’ll be back for the third time. Anyone who was there in 2019 and 2022 needs no further convincing.