Interview: Jinjer
Interviewer: Tim Finch
Ukranians Jinjer are the rising stars of the metal scene. They are making waves and growing a massive following. As their sold out tour of the UK rolled into Birmingham, Tim sat down with guitarist Roman for quick chat in what turned out to be his first ever interview in English.
The Razor's Edge: Welcome to The Razor's Edge!
Roman: Thank you.
The Razor's Edge: Your new album, Macro, has been out for a month now. How do you feel it’s been received by the fans?
Roman: The reaction from the fans is great. People have commented that its great. We play the songs live and people love them and we are happy with every song on the record.
The Razor's Edge: How long did it take from initial ideas to actually having the finished album?
Roman: It was tough. We had three months to compose and record Macro. Vlad [drummer] composed three songs, I composed three songs and Eugene [bass] composed two songs. When we came together we changed a few bits, but each composed our songs. We rehearsed a lot, we sat at home and practice for eight hours a day. In the mornings we got to studio and play some ideas, then go home, sit at your laptop try to record something and send to the guys. Then a second rehearsal of the day we were like 'lets play this'. It was the process every day.
The Razor's Edge: How do you feel as a band you have progressed over the last 4 albums?
Roman: A lot of changes. We've changed drummers, in the past we had two guitar players. On the sound we changed the tuning, now we have low tuning, yeah lot of changes. For us it has progressed well, we think we have progressed with the sound and the playing and improve on every single album.
The Razor's Edge: You’re on tour now, what’s the live shows been like so far?
Roman: Yesterday in London was AMAZING! Also in Amsterdam it likes yeah two of the best shows so far.
The Razor's Edge: And it's sold out tonight in Birmingham.
Roman: It's a legendary venue. All the posters and drum heads signed on the wall its like WOW!
The Razor's Edge: How do the shows in the UK compare to back home or in the rest of Europe.
Roman: Actually we've only once toured the UK. It was 2017, and then we played Download and Amplified Festival. We enjoyed the tour and the festivals a lot. Every single show in the UK, we love to tour here.
The Razor's Edge: In terms of touring; who would be your ideal touring partners?
Roman: For me, Gojira, Slipknot or System of A Down or Korn. I grew up listening to these bands, they are still playing it would be great to play with them.
The Razor's Edge: You're playing at the 20th anniversary of Bloodstock next year. How do you feel about playing the main stage of such a prestigious festival?
Roman: We are really excited. It's a big thing, a huge festival. We are very excited about the summer festivals. We are excited to play such huge festivals.
The Razor's Edge: You're playing a lot of festivals across Europe at the same time?
Roman: Yeah [laughs] you can find out which ones on facebook or instagram. Qstock was announced a couple of days ago. Also Hellfest, Copenhell, I don't know all the festivals but its a lot.
The Razor's Edge: Hellfest is huge, have you ever played there before?
Roman: No, never
The Razor's Edge: Do you have anything special planned for the festival run next summer?
Roman: Special plans? To see some cools bands we are playing with. We are from the Ukraine and the bands I listen to never came to the Ukraine. Only for the first time I saw Slipknot this summer, also Meshuggah and Slayer. This is my plan for the festival summer is to watch all the bands. [Laughs]
The Razor's Edge: Now the album is out, whats next for Jinjer? Where do you go from here?
Roman: Touring, touring, touring and a little bit of rest. Maybe some music videos, some play through videos.
Jinjer's new album 'Macro' is out now. You can read our review here.
