Jinjer is a Ukrainian heavy metal band from Donetsk, Ukraine. Jinjer was originally formed in 2009 by Maksym Fatullaiev, Dmitriy Oksen, and Vyacheslav Okhrimenko. However, the band considers 2010 as its official year of formation when Tatiana Shmailyuk replaced Fatullaiev on vocals and Roman Ibramkhalilov was picked up for the lead guitar. Since their inception, the band has released three full-length albums and three EPs.
History
''Inhale, Don't Breathe'' (2012-2013)
The band was still trying to develop and cultivate their sound until bassist Eugene Abdukhanov joined in the summer of 2011. In 2012, Jinjer released their EP: Inhale, Do Not Breathe; the band's first recording with new singer Tatiana Shmailyuk and lead guitarists Roman Ibramkhalilov. The EP gained traction within the metal music community, and Jinjer began relentlessly touring throughout the year on their own funds. They were finally noticed by "The Leaders Records" at the end of 2012, and Jinjer's first full-length album, Inhale, Don't Breathe, was officially re-released in 2013; including three live versions. The band also gained prominence in part from winning the "Best Ukrainian Metal Act" award held by Kiev's InshaMuzyka label in 2013; they would go on to win the award again in 2016.
''Cloud Factory'' (2014)
Jinjer was gaining more and more recognition after the release of their album Inhale, Don't Breathe. The band quickly wrote another album, self-releasing it in 2014 under the title Cloud Factory. This would later be picked up and released by their current record label, Napalm Records. Jinjer began touring internationally with the album. With the tour, for which they personally booked their own shows, they started to develop a larger fan base. The band's intensity and dedication from the album and tour caught the attention of their current label, Napalm Records. and Jinjer was quickly signed with the label with which they were set to release a new and third album.
''King of Everything'' (2016)
After several tours around the world, Jinjer released their third full-length album, King of Everything, with Napalm Records in 2016 along with their single "Pisces". The album and single were pivotal points in Jinjer's musical career. The music video for the single quickly gained millions of views, and Jinjer's popularity skyrocketed. Along with winning the award for best music video for the song "I Speak Astronomy", the attention on the band paved the way for the release of King of Everything and the new single "Pisces" on 29 July 2016. In 2017, the band 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.
''Micro'' EP (2019)
Due to Jinjer's dedication to their craft and strong work ethic, their popularity continued to snowball into 2019 as they released their new 5-track EP Micro on 11 January 2019, still with Napalm Records. The EP was successful, and fans quickly took to the tracks "Ape" and "Perennial". This EP showcased Tatiana Shmailyuk's impressive and unique vocal range as well as the band's ability to quickly evolve and tune their sound between albums. In early 2019 they toured with Amorphis, Soilwork, and Nailed to Obscurity.
''Macro'' (2019)
Later in 2019, Jinjer followed up their EP Micro with their fourth full-length album, Macro, on 25 October 2019, still with Napalm Records. This album has several different elements of metal music incorporated into it, and it has been very successful thus far. Jinjer has continued to include several different elements in their music, such as reggae, in the track "Judgement", as well as sticking to their prog-like roots in other tracks.
