Like many others, my introduction to the Ukrainian progressive metal band, JINJER, was in the form of the session performance of “Pisces.” The live track from King Of Everything caught the attention of metal fans worldwide, collecting a massive 58 million views on YouTube following its release in 2017. Since then, the band has maintained a dedicated fanbase in the U.S. and earned a positive response to each new release, including the most recent full-length entitled Wallflowers. I was fortunate enough to catch JINJER’s first headlining appearance in Orlando, Florida on their Coming To America Tour last week and capture some of the excitement.
The energy in the crowd was contagious as the crew set the stage for the main event, and I found myself envious of the people experiencing JINJER live in-person for the first time. Once the lights dimmed, the crowd chanted as the band came out and started off with “Call Me A Symbol.” The set was just as stunning visually as it was musically with continuously changing LED screens and several UV reactive elements including vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk’s eyelids which flashed bright orange even when the stage went dark.
The audience went particularly crazy for popular singles “I Speak Astronomy,” “Judgement (& Punishment),” and “Teacher, Teacher!” The remainder of the performance featured mostly songs from Wallflowers blended with a handful of others from Macro and Micro. Each time Tatiana belted out a lengthy clean note or heavy growl, the crowd grew louder. While I missed hearing some favorites from older albums, I certainly wasn’t complaining and neither was the rest of the audience. Watch out for upcoming tour dates near you here, and don’t wait to buy tickets as much of this tour completely sold out!
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All photos by Ali Brant Photography
