History

Jinjer was initially founded in 2009 and looked nothing like it does today. None of the band's founding members currently remain within the lineup. These men were vocalist Maksym Fatullaiev, guitarist Dmitriy Oksen, and drummer Vyacheslav Okhrimenko. This lineup of Jinjer released the EP Objects in Mirror Are Closer than They Appear sometime following their formation. In 2010, Maksym was replaced by Tatiana Shmailyuk while Roman Ibramkhalilov became a second guitarist for the group. Since two of the band's current members joined at this time, Jinjer considers 2010 its official year of beginning. In 2011, the band expanded to a five-piece with the addition of bassist Eugene Abdukhanov, while Vyacheslav was replaced by Oleksandr Koziychuk. This lineup of Jinjer self-released their first studio album, Inhale, Do Not Breathe, in 2012.

After their first album's release, Jinjer began touring off of their own funds. They were noticed by The Leaders Records the same year and re-released Inhale, Do Not Breathe in 2013 and added some live tracks to the album. The same year, Jinjer won the "Best Ukrainian Metal Act" award, which they would win again three years later. In 2014, Jinjer self-released their second studio album, Cloud Factory, which featured a new drummer, Yevhen Mantulin. After this release, Jinjer began booking their own shows and traveling internationally. In 2015, the final founding member of the band, Dmitriy Oksen, departed without a replacement, leaving Roman as the sole guitarist.

After touring for a while, Jinjer signed with Napalm Records in 2016 and released their third studio album, King of Everything. Dmitriy Kim served as the drummer for this release. King of Everything brought the hit single "Pisces", the video of which has over 58 million views on YouTube and over 21 million streams on Spotify. They added Vladislav Ulasevich as their new drummer shortly after and their lineup has remained the same ever since. In 2017, they began touring with Arch Enemy in Europe and Cradle of Filth in the United States the next year. In 2018, they re-released Cloud Factory through Napalm Records. In September of the same year, Jinjer landed on Billboard's Next Big Sound Chart. In January 2019, they released the EP Micro and began tours with Amorphis, Soilwork, and Nailed to Obscurity shortly after.

Jinjer's fourth studio album, Macro, was released in October 2019. This album featured a new song, with some experiments in reggae and progressive rock. It was named one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019 by Loudwire. Jinjer was forced to cancel several tours, much like other artists, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. They released a live album, Alive in Melbourne, in November 2020. In March 2021, Jinjer began recording their fifth studio album. Wallflowers was released in August of that year, with Jinjer beginning their next world tour shortly after. Since their beginnings, Jinjer has sited that their influences come from a variety of sources, with bands such as Slayer, Pantera, Lamb of God, Gojira, and Opeth being a few names on that list. They have experimented with many genres, such as R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, and groove metal, though they are mainly labeled as a progressive metal or metalcore band. Their bassist is known for his use of a five-string bass that brings even more uniqueness to their music. Along with their lyrics that frequently center on the War in Donbas, Jinjer's sound is unmistakably their own, and they are most definitely on their own level in the music world.