JINJER bassist says he witnessed real horror in the war in Ukraine: It Was 'The Most Horrific Time Of My Entire Life'
22-06-2022
Ukrainian metallers JINJER played their first live show since Russia’s invasion of their home country on June 10 at this year’s edition of the Greenfield Festival, which was held in Interlaken, Switzerland. The concert took place just days after it was announced that JINJER had been given permission from authorities to leave their war-torn nation and tour Europe this summer as ambassadors of the country.
Asked in a new interview with Finland’s Chaoszine what it has been like for him and his bandmates to be back on stage after all the tumultuous events of the last week weeks, JINJER bassist Eugene Abdukhanov said : “Well, it has its pros and cons. On the one hand, being on stage for this 45-minute, 50-minute or one-hour set is the perfect therapy for me, and it’s the only time I can forget about the war — just playing music and connecting with the crowd. Because all the other time, my mood really goes up and down constantly — it swings back and forth, back and forth. And I may feel absolutely okay at one point, but after a few minutes I’m totally depressed — depressed in the way that I can barely act. And being able to play is definitely a cure.”
“We were right about to go on the U.S. tour with SLIPKNOT… We were just before the SLIPKNOT tour in the U.S.,” he said. “And, of course, first of all, we couldn’t get out. It was the first weeks of war, which were the most horrific times of my entire life. And even if we were out of Ukraine by the time war started, we wouldn’t be able to play, because those first weeks, there were so many deaths, so much grief, so much horror, we wouldn’t be able to play, definitely.”
“I was bombarded with texts — all my friends, who were just checking how things were with everyone,” he said. “I got a bunch of texts from fans from all around the world. But somehow we made it through this.”
Ukrainian metallers JINJER have been given permission from authorities to leave their war-torn nation and tour Europe this summer as ambassadors of the country.
Earlier this month (June 8th), the band issued the following statement via social media: “We are very honored to announce that together with the help of the Ukrainian Ministry Of Culture, that we have successfully been granted permission to travel abroad as ambassadors of our country to raise funds and awareness about the war raging back home.
“Come support, dance and scream your hearts out for Ukraine!“
In support of the announcement, JINJER now has released a surprise video for ‘Call Me A Symbol’, taken off their latest critically acclaimed album, Wallflower.
Eugene adds:
“I think this video for ‘Call Me A Symbol’ will forever hold a special and unique place in our hearts as a band. Filmed on our short but awesome European Tour in 2021 tour that almost did not happen because of the pandemic, and now released at such a dark time in which our country has been invaded and there is war on the streets of our home. I really hope this video and this important time in history gives people a new perspective that there are always two sides to everything. Good and Evil, Just and unjust – cherish the good times and face the bad head on… but never ever give up.”
Watch ‘Call Me A Symbol’ below.
Three months ago, JINJER released new merchandise designs to help raise funds to support their country. By April, the effort had resulted in more than $150,000 being raised, with proceeds set to be distributed directly to charity organizations of JINJER‘s choosing.
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