Ukrainian metal artist Jinjer announced another North American run earlier this year with special guests Hanabie. and Born of Osiris. The tour included a stop at House of Blues Orlando on October 3, 2024. Jinjer has visited Florida multiple times and each time the Central Florida metal community came out in droves to watch them perform. This night was no different. The House of Blues Orlando was jammed packed with fans excited to see these bands perform. I admit, I was also excited as I had never seen the openers and Jinjer has always been a favorite to see live.
Born of Osiris from Illinois started off the show. They got their start in 2003 and are signed to Sumerian Records. The band released six studio albums with their most recent Angel or Alien released in 2021. The band consists of Ronnie Canizaro (vocals), Lee McKinney (guitar), Nick Rossi (bass), and Cameron Losch (drums). Born of Osiris is fast and heavy with their music and they had the crowd already running circle pits early on. It didn’t take long before they started crowd surfing to the stage. Musically, the band sounded great. Some of the songs they performed included “Empires Erased”, “Angel or Alien”, and “Machine”. The crowd loved it all. Visually, there were so many strobe flashing it was blinding or the band was in such dark lighting you could barely see them. It would have been nice if they provided better lighting for their fans. If you want to learn more about Born of Osiris, you can check out their music and merch over at bornofosiris.com.
Next was the band Hanabie. I’ve heard of the band but never seen any videos of them nor heard of their music. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. When they came to the stage, they were not what I envisioned. Hanabie. (yes the band name is listed with a period at the end) is a nu metalcore band from Tokyo, Japan that formed in 2015. The band is signed with Epic Records Japan and surprisingly only released two studio albums. Their second album Reborn Superstar! was released in 2023 and did very well on the Japanese charts. The band consists of Yukina (vocals), Matsuri (guitar), Hettsu (bass), and Chika (drums).
Hanabie. came to the stage one at a time as if to introduce themselves to the crowd. They were all wearing very colorful clothing and Yukina came out waving the American flag, which brought huge cheers from the crowd. They looked more kpop than nu metalcore. But, once they started playing, all bets were off! Hanabie. not only played hard, Yukina’s guttural vocals were phenomenal. This was not what I was expecting from this band. The colorful pop-like outfits plus their hard sound was a combination that worked very well for them. Their music had a pop mixture with some sounds reminiscent of anime. Overall, though, their music was heavy and the band ensured the crowd knew they could throw down too. While English was not Yukina’s native language, she communicated with the fans through Hanabie.’s music. Yukina led the crowd in bouncing up and down, taught them the chorus for one of their songs, and had the crowd perform the Wall of Death.
I really enjoyed their performance, especially since all of their songs were brand new for me. Yukina is an amazing vocalist performing both with clean and unclean singing. Chika is a great drummer and she was fast through all of their songs, laying down rapid-fire beats as they performed. Hettsu is a talented metal bassist and she was headbanging along with the songs through the performance. Matsuri is one hell of a guitarist stringing out some beautiful riffs. She is so engaged with her music it is so clearly seen through her expressions. Some of the songs they performed included “We Love Sweets”, “NEET GAME”, and “Tales of Villain”. They’re a truly talented band and lots of fun to watch. Check out their music and merch over at hanabie.jp.
Then it was time for our headliners, Jinjer. The metal band from the Ukraine formed back in 2008 and has released four studio albums. Their most recent album was Wallflowers released in 2021. The band also released three EPs along with two live albums. They are currently signed to Napalm Records. Jinjer consists of Tatiana Shmayluk (vocals), Roman Ibramkhalilov (guitar), Eugene Abdukhanov (bass), and Vladislav Ulasevich (drums).
Vlad came out first to the roar of the crowd. He smiled and raised his drumsticks as he took his seat. Eugene came out next, followed by Roman. And when Tatiana hit the stage the crowd went insane. Fans of Jinjer are very passionate and dedicated for this band. They wore their merch, carried in posters of band members, and sang all night long to their songs. Jinjer kicked off the show with “Just Another” from their 2014 King of Everything and then followed with “Sit Stay Roll Over” from the same album. Jinjer’s music is invigorating. Their heavier songs will fuel you with energy and excitement. Their more melodic songs will get you engaged and flow through you with emotion. And sometimes you get a beautiful mixture of both elements. It is one of the reasons I love their music. And their live performances are truly incredible. The setlist they’ve used throughout the tour is fantastic. They played a few of my favorite songs in “I Speak Astronomy” from King of Everything, “Wallflower” the title track from Wallflowers, and “Pit of Consciousness” from Macro. The band closes out the show with “Vortex” also from Wallflowers.
The members of Jinjer are also very talented musicians. Vladislav is intense behind the drums. He hits hard, drums fast, and loves every minute spent on the stage. Eugene is very intense when he plays. He’s always so focused on his bass notes. Roman is stoic on stage. And he plays his guitar the same way. While the riffs are heavy, savage, and smooth, Roman always keeps his cool. Roman will flash a smile and smirk to the fans, otherwise he is dialed in on the music. Tatiana is a completely different story. She is emotion personified for Jinjer. She will headbang, gesture to the crowd, and, that night, even dance. It was the first time I’ve seen her perform in a dress and she used it to dance at times, letting it spin and flow. It was a different side to see than the heavy metal headbanger we’ve seen in the past. And we can’t forget Tatiana’s phenomenal vocals. Her transition from clean to unclean is incredible and there is no slowing her down. At one series of melodic songs, she asked the crowd if they had a good rest before they threw down the heavier songs again. They are so amazing and I love seeing them. You can learn more about Jinjer at jinjer-metal.com.
This was such a fun night of metal music. Three great bands and three superb performances made it a very memorable night. If you have the opportunity to catch this tour, go. Do not miss out on this tour because it is fantastic.
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