The pandemic put so many concerts on hold it was heartbreaking. Some tours never came back, some came back with limited tour dates, and then some came back fully strong raring to get back on the road. And with that, there were so many I was looking forward to seeing. Some heartbreak occurred for those tours that never came back or decided not to tour through Orlando. But, one of the tours I was truly looking forward to finally made their way to town. That was Jinjer with support from Suicide Silence and All Hail The Yeti being held at House of Blues Orlando on November 30th.
It was a beautiful evening at Disney Springs, where the House of Blues Orlando is located. The area is already decked out in Christmas trees and lights and the crowds are all smiles with festive smiles. And I can say the same was true when I reached the House of Blues Orlando. The crowd all decked out in Jinjer and All Hail The Yeti merch were all smiles and excited to see this show finally come to fruition. Inside, it was all anticipation and chatter as the fans waited for the show to begin. We had received word that Suicide Silence would not be performing, but did not receive confirmation as to why, but it did mean All Hail The Yeti would be providing us with a longer set.
All Hail The Yeti out of Hollywood, CA formed in 2006. Their music has been described as a blend of supernatural and superstition where demons and myths reside. And with that, the metal gods blessed upon them a sound that will move mountains and fans follow them in droves. The band has released 3 studio albums and just released on November 12th, Within the Hollow Earth. All Hail The Yeti consists of Connor Garritty (vocals), Dave Vanderline (guitar), Nicholas Diltz (bass/vocals), and Ryan “Junior” Kittlitz (drums). And they came ready to rock that night.
The stage was adorned with standing banners, one letter for each word in the band’s name, written to look like a rune. There were single lights adorning the stage and what looked like a makeshift altar. The moment they began to step on stage, each of them wearing ritual looking makeup on their face, the crowd roared in approval. All Hail The Yeti wasted no time hitting us hard and heavy with “Suicide Woods” from their 2016 self-titled album. Ear shattering drum beats, killer riffs, and guttural vocals poured over the crowd. The crowd immediately responded starting a mosh pit while others threw up horns in appreciation. Following up with “Headless Valley” from Within the Hollow Earth kept the heavy pace moving. The song has such a great bass riff opening before hearing Dave letting loose on the guitar and Connor roaring out the song. “Slow Season” from their 2018 Highway Crosses came next, slowing down the pace, but still brining the heavy on stage. Nicholas and Ryan let loose a barrage of chest thumping beats while Dave intertwined guitar licks and Connor laid out some awesome vocals. Nicholas joined in providing great clean vocals. The only drawback I found during this set was the lack of lighting. While I completely understand the mood and setting the band wants to provide, as a visual fan, I’d like to be able to see the band onstage.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind, All Hail The Yeti was playing with passion and looking to get the crowd moving. And the fans were happy to oblige. With the energy they were pumping through the House of Blues Orlando, you’d have to be dead not to get caught up in it. Songs “The Art of Mourning” from their self-titled album, “Witch is Dead” from their 2016 Screams from a Black Wilderness, and “Funeral Heart” from Within the Hollow Earth gave the current and new fans a taste of the heavy metal All Hail The Yeti brings to the table at every show. Right before they closed the show with “Mr. Murder” from Screams from a Black Wilderness, Connor thanked the crowd profusely for coming out to support them and allowing them to do what they love the most, performing for the fans. All Hail The Yeti put on a great set that night. You can find their music and merch HERE.
Their full setlist that night was:
- Suicide Woods
- Headless Valley
- Slow Season
- The Art of Mourning
- Bury Your Memory
- Witch is Dead
- Before The Flames
- Funeral Heart
- After the Great Fire
- Mr. Murder
Headliner Jinjer is a Ukrainian metalcore band out of Donetsk that formed back in 2009. So far the band has released 3 EPs, 4 studio albums, and 1 live album. Jinjer’s last two studio albums, Macro and Wallflowers made major waves across the metal scene. Wallflowers released on August 27th via Napalm Records hit several top spots on the music charts including #1 on Billboard U.S. Top New Artist Album chart and #2 on their U.S. Hard Music chart. There is no doubt Jinjer has made a significant impact on the metal world and they’re just getting started. Jinjer is Tatiana Shmayluk (vocals), Roman Ibramkhalilov (guitar), Eugene Abdukhanov (bass), and Vlad Ulasevich (drums).
Jinjer’s stage crew had worked fast to get their set ready to go and the first thing that grabbed me was the huge amounts of lights on stage plus 3 background screens. I could already tell this was going to be a visual phenomenon. The lights dropped and a small intro of music began to play as Roman, Eugene, and Vlad made their way onto the stage. The crowd was now louder than ever and the moment the first notes of “Call Me a Symbol” off of Wallflowers hit, Tatiana came out and the crowd erupted more cheers. A rhythmic bass, heavy guitars, and rapid drums filled the venue, but it’s Tatiana’s unclean and powerful vocals and blew us all away. The crowd was bouncing hard and the song was perfect to get the crowd moving. They followed up with one of my favorite singles, “On The Top”, from their 2019 Macro. The music just whips you up and keeps your energy flowing, but what stands out most for me is Tatiana’s ability to switch between unclean and clean singing effortlessly. They stayed with Macro following up with “Pit of Consciousness”. I love how Eugene and Vlad stay in such rhythm together with Roman crafting his some beautiful guitar licks throughout.
And the rest of the set delivered exactly what we expected; hardcore metal, high energy, and a visual kaleidoscope of patterns and colors that blew us away. Visually, it was such an amazing sight, especially with Tatiana wearing glow-in-the-dark eyeliner that stood out under darkness along with her outfit. The lighting at one point literally provided a rainbow effect across the stage. The screens showed a variety of patterns during songs that vibed so well with the melody they provided. I’d been waiting a long time to finally get the opportunity to see them and I was elated at this performance. A large portion of the setlist was dedicated to the new release Wallflowers that included “Disclosure!”, “Sleep of the Righteous”, “Wallflower”, and “Colossus”. They also included a few tracks from the EP Micro including “Teacher, Teacher”, “Ape”, and “Perennial”. The band closed the night with “Vortex” also from Wallflowers provided a heavy, grooving song. If you want to check out Jinjer’s music and merch visit their site HERE.
Their full setlist that night was:
- Call Me a Symbol
- On The Top
- Pit of Consciousness
- I Speak Astronomy
- Disclosure!
- Judgement (& Punishment)
- Sleep of the Righteous
- Ape
- Retrospection
- Perennial
- Teacher, Teacher
- Wallflower
- As I Boil Ice
- Mediator
- Colossus
Encore:
- Vortex
The sadness part about the evening was it was an early wrap up due to Suicide Silence being missing. I wish Jinjer would have extended their set that night as they had that crowd wrapped around their finger. Though they are soon wrapping up this Coming To America 2021 tour, I look forward to them coming back again soon because I will not miss it. This was a fanastic night of great metal, a great crowd, and fans leaving after it was done with smiles on their faces. Thank you to Jinjer and All Hail The Yeti for such an awesome night of live music!
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