Jinjer Documentary

History

Jinjer was formed in 2008 by singer Maksym Fatullaiev, guitarist Dmitriy Oksen, bassist Oleksiy Svynar, and drummer Vyacheslav Okhrimenko. This lineup released the four-song EP Objects in Mirror Are Closer than They Appear. In 2009, Fatullaiev was replaced by Tatiana Shmailyuk, and Roman Ibramkhalilov joined on second guitar. In 2011, Oleksiy Svynar was replaced by Eugene Abdukhanov, while Okhrimenko was replaced by Oleksandr Koziychuk.

This lineup self-released the EP Inhale, Do Not Breathe in 2012 and Jinjer began relentlessly touring on their own funds. They were noticed by The Leaders Records in late 2012, and Inhale, Don't Breathe was officially re-released in 2013 in an extended format, with three live tracks. The band won the Best Ukrainian Metal Act award held by Kyiv's InshaMuzyka label in 2013 (they would win that award again in 2016).

Jinjer self-released their first full-length album, Cloud Factory, in 2014; the record featured another new drummer, Yevhen Mantulin. It would later be picked up and re-released by their current record label, Napalm. Jinjer began touring internationally and personally booked their own shows. The final remaining founding member, Dmitriy Olsen, departed in 2015 and was not replaced, leaving Ibramkhalilov as sole guitarist.

After several tours around the world, they released their second full-length album, King of Everything, in 2016, along with the single "Pisces". Dmitriy Kim served as drummer on this album. Videos for "Pisces" and "I Speak Astronomy" became popular on YouTube. In 2021, Metal Hammer placed "Pisces" at No. 74 in their list of "The 100 Greatest Metal Songs of the 21st Century". Shortly after the release of King of Everything, drummer Vladislav Ulasevich joined and the band's lineup has remained stable since.

In 2017, Jinjer committed to two tours across Europe in support of Arch Enemy, followed by their first tour of North America, alongside Cradle of Filth, in 2018. The band also reissued their 2014 album, Cloud Factory, on Napalm Records in February 2018. In September of that year, Jinjer landed on the Billboard Next Big Sound chart. They released the five-track EP Micro in January 2019, followed by tours with Amorphis, Soilwork, and Nailed to Obscurity.

Their next full-length album, Macro, was released in October 2019 and featured experiments in reggae and progressive rock. Loudwire named it one of the fifty best metal albums of 2019. Jinjer was forced to cancel several tours, including their first in Latin America, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They released the live album Alive in Melbourne in November 2020. They then returned to Kaska Record Studios in Kyiv in March 2021, and their fourth full-length album, Wallflowers, was released on 27 August. Loudwire ranked it among the best rock/metal albums of the year again, placing it at #21.

In March 2022, it was reported that Jinjer had "paused" their career to focus on relief efforts in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country one month prior.