Jirfiya – Still Waiting

Jirfiya
Still Waiting
November 25, 2020
36:28

Founded in early 2019. Shortly afterwards, the debut EP “Wait For Dawn” was released. And now the first album “Still Waiting” was released. The French progressive metallers Jirfiya are doing very quickly. Founding member and guitarist Jérôme Thellier contacted me again. The band’s biography is still quite short. At least you learn a little more about the musicians. Singer Ingrid Denis is / was (?) Also active in the bands Oscil and Mercibo. The other two founding members Jérôme Thellier and Pascal Davoury come from the metal band Born from Lie. With drummer Nicolas Dumant, the lineup is now complete. Like the EP, the album was produced by Andrew Guillotin at Hybreed Studios. Since I already liked the EP, I of course also listened to the album.

Like the EP, the debut album starts with acoustic guitars. A trademark of the band? But it’s nice to hear that Jirfiya do without epic bombast in the introduction. But a little later, “Silently” really bangs out of the boxes. And guitarist Jérôme Thellier nags bitterly angry before he is thwarted by the powerful voice of Ingrid Denis. This time fortunately without any technical gimmicks. The interplay of “Beauty and the Beast” is also celebrated here in terms of singing. But that too hard, heavy metallic riffs, which are occasionally loosened up by acoustic guitars. “The Right Side Of The Border” sounds a bit like an alternative. Singing and guitars seem hectic and are driven again and again by fast drumming. A lot of reverb is “House Of Poison” on Ingrid’s voice. In contrast to her melodic singing, Jérôme growls angry. “The Farewell” is somewhere between Power and Thrash Metal. After so much sweaty aggression there’s with “The Hill Of Shame” a short breather. As on the EP (“A Part Of Light”) you can hear a great power ballad here. “This Is My Home” is the end of the “official part”. A melodic, anthemic rock song, which is mostly in the mid-tempo range. Without the bonus tracks that followed, the album would have just played the playing time of a slightly longer EP at 28:47 (for comparison, “Wait For Dawn” was already 23:37). For these two songs, the former session drummer Thomas H. also sits at the battery. “We’ll Spill Some Blood” starts with a melodic bass line. But then the riffs and drums drive ahead. Both singers go along with the high tempo easily. Once again, a great guitar solo can be heard. “Live With That Voice” is the second power ballad on the album. Here Jérôme also contributes clear vocals.

The name Jirfiya should definitely be noted for the future. Provided the three have the necessary stamina.

Those were my closing words on the EP review. And I think I was right. “Still Waiting” keeps everything that “Wait For Dawn” promised. Jirfiya have since become a quartet and have maintained the high level. A musically varied album, far from the mainstream. Still, always with beautiful melodies. The singing duo Ingrid Denis / Jérôme Thellier do a very good job. The rhythm section is always convincing. It’s just fun to listen here.

Jirfiya – House Of Poison: https://youtu.be/heAW0XrYtu4

Lineup:

Ingrid Denis – Vocals
Jérôme Thellier – Guitar, Vocals
Pascal Davoury – Bass
Nicolas Dumant – Drums (except track 7&8: Thomas H.)

Track list:

• Silently
• The Right Side Of The Border
• House Of Poison
• The Farewell
• The Hill Of Shame
• This Is My Home
• We’ll Spill Some Blood (Bonus Track)
• Live With That Voice (Bonus Track)