SOURCE – Hey guys thanks for taking the time to talk with us. For those who aren’t familiar with you and your music, can you tell us a little about Jinjer?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) – Hi there, pleasure to talk to you. My name is Eugene and I am a bass-guitarist of JINJER. We are 4-piece band originally coming from Donbass, Ukraine and the moment settled down in Kiev. Well, we don’t like putting a label on our music, but if you insist the best tag would be progressive metal, in the past we tent to be more of groove metal and metalcore. In 2013 and 2016 we were voted to be the best Ukrainian Metal Band. We are signed with Napalm and released our latest King of Everything album with them in the mid of 2016.
SOURCE – Tell us about the writing and recording process for your latest album, King of Everything. While it’s certainly well-received, what were some of the new approaches and differences that were taken with this album?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) -To cut short the main difference is that we are in 4… all previous records were made when we had 5 people in the band (we used to have 2 guitarists). Also music shifted more into progressive direction, better arrangements, more space for other instruments rather than just guitar riffing. Moreover this album released with a big label put a lot of responsibility and pressure… so it was bit tough at some point.
But as you say, it is well-received… so everything went fine.
SOURCE – With the state of the music business today, how do you determine your expectations for an album?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) -It has already done more than we expected – broke the boundaries. People now know us oversees and all around Europe. It’s cool! For some it was the best album of 2016… it means something!
SOURCE – Can we expect any more videos for songs off King of Everything?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) -For sure, we will release some before the Spring tour… just in a few weeks. Let it be a bit of suprise. I won’t tell which songs will be out.
SOURCE – With the glut of bands that are available to listen to on the Internet these days, why do you think it is that Jinjer has had such staying power?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) -Well, hard to say. It is definitely a complex of reasons. But probably the most important things are the originality, yeah you can trace some certain influences, but we do not copy anyone, we only adopt some stylistic features for our own genre, and we borrow them not only from metal, and of course it is about our hardwork.
SOURCE – So, album sales in 21st century pretty much are not what supports the band, it’s the live dates?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) -Definitely live dates… we make our living playing shows.
SOURCE – Social media has made it extremely simple for bands to interact on different levels with their fans. When you interact with your fans on Twitter, Spotfiy, Facebook etc. do you use discretion as you would in an interview or is it an outlet for you to open up to your fans?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) -It depends… and it depends on a fan first of all. Some are so intrusive that they definitely need a bit of discretion. Some are really cool and we get on with them so well that once we have had situations that fans become real friends and fellas and even follow us on tours.
SOURCE – What do you think is the most difficult aspect of being an extreme metal band in this region?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) -If you mean in Ukraine, then… – absolutely undeveloped scene and industry. We have great bands here but the scene is definitely amateur
SOURCE – What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not busy with Jinjer or with your day job?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) -I don’t have a day job… the only job is I do is JINJER. And in my spare time I am with my family, I play video games, watch TV series, do sport and drink beer 😀
SOURCE – Any further plans coming up you’d like to talk about?
Eugene Kostyuk (Bass) -We gonna tour, tour and tour…. and little by little we start working on new songs and next album. If all goes well, we will enter the studio next Winter.
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