Review by Chris Pratl on March 23, 2020.

Jenner is Serbia's speedy thrash metal trio that issues its first EP and second official release aptly named The Test of Time. This is actually my first exposure to the band, despite having seen the name bandied about in various forums or social media platforms. It seems I should have paid a bit closer attention to these ladies early on it, because while I'm always a proponent of the “thrash-is-over” sector, occasionally ab and comes and kicks open a door or three. Jenner did that to a solid degree.

First, the production is very full and heavy in all the right spots, which, as a child of the 80's, is about as foreign to me as speaking Swahili in a Mexican restaurant. As production values grew stronger over the years, the true power of thrash and speed metal could be heard with all of the ferocity that it was originally supposed to be heard all along. I do enjoy the ripe, heavy-mix sound Jenner captured here; the bass is nestled nicely in the songs, the guitars are crisp without overstating their presence, and the vocals crest effortlessly over the mix. A winner there, for sure.

Now, the songs...this is thrash with speed elements abound. What I find overly tangible are the galloping riffs, a veritable necessity for thrash metal to be in any way effective. The blueprint of forming a 'wave-riff,' or main riff, to set the pace is well done in each of the songs, but particularly in the second track, 'Test of Time', a true banger if ever there was one. The speed and pacing is genuine and interesting throughout and I couldn't help but dig what I was hearing, even if I've heard the style so much over the last 35-years I'm practically able to dissect it in my sleep. The familiar sonic nuances that make up the core of thrash metal are also found scattered within, by way of riding, galloping verse riffs and chugging bridge cascades (as there's really no avoiding the need for them); but as with any genre, it takes a special band or artist to take an old dog and teach it some new tricks. Jenner manages it pretty damn well.

Guitarist Aleksandra Stamenković has taken over the vocal duties, and she manages to pull it off nicely, shifting between a turbulent growl and a clean, flowing tone so evenly that the seams never show. Her vocal style fits this type of thrash perfectly, and she never comes across like she's trying to embellish or over-compensate, which is always welcome in this house. The right amount of weighty powerhouse delivery whets the palate so well here.

My first foray into these ladies won't be my last; overall, a very palpable slab of speed / thrash that will no doubt lull the masses accordingly.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 3, 2020.

To err is human. I thought I get a cute four-tracker, but now here I sit with a CD, filled to the brim with 15 tracks – eleven of them are recorded live. Anyway, I think they are only relevant for interested groups and therefore I want to focus on the studio tracks that were the main reason for this release.

Each and every song title sounds like a fanfare ('Hell Made Metal', 'Victimizing Blitzkrieg' and so on), but what about the songs themselves? Of course, 'Evil Has No Boundaries' is beyond doubt, no matter which artists try to rape it and therefore I can even bear the feeble high-pitched scream of “J.Killheimer” at the beginning of this classic. Alas, already the opener shows impressively that our friends from Denmark are less competent songwriter. 'Hell Made Metal' is noisy and despite its primitive patterns somehow confusing, its guitar work sounds poor in view of its one-tone-approach and the lyrics are embarrassing (something like “God is still alive, but he won’t last long, metal is too strong”). The dudes want to demonstrate their sheer vehemence, but the result is pure noise, not at least because of the rather beggarly, vociferous production. It lacks clarity and precision and only its formidable harshness prevents a slap in the face of the sound engineers.

'Hell Whore' also falls victim to an embarrassing element. We are confronted with a painfully stupid intro – a dialog between a sleepy dude and the voluptuous hell whore (if I get it right) about the worst way of dying. Nevertheless, as soon as the music sets in, the band deserves praise for the relentless thrash to a certain extent. Just like 'Victimizing Blitzkrieg', the song is based on solid riffs, high velocity and an almost catchy chorus. Technical details do not play a role. This EP is no tribute to the rather gallantly fighting Bay Area pioneers like Forbidden or Testament. Instead, fans of Kreator’s “Endless Pain” and death thrash maniacs form the target group of this release. Decide for yourself whether or not two solid songs, a cover and a throwaway track are worth their price.

Finally, just a few words to the live recordings. The sound is very raw, live atmosphere is missing and many of the here offered tracks have also been released in regular studio versions. Thus, this section is only for those two or three people in the whole wide world who need every snippet of the Danish underground crew.

Rating: 6.4 out of 10