BY MIKE SHALER | Go Venue Magazine
Ukranian heavy metal sensation Jinjer is back on tour of North America, which made a stop on November 11, 2022, at St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit, Michigan. Along for the ride was P.O.D., Vended and Space Of Variations.
Space Of Variations, Jinjer’s fellow friends from Ukraine, came out with a strong force that had the capacity crowd instantly in the mood for a rocking good time. Lead singer Dmytro Kozhukhar led the way as Alex on guitar, Tima on drums and Anton on bass paved the way. Dmytro brought out the flag of Ukraine as he addressed his concerns about the war going on in his homeland and that we all need to let people know we love them. Even at a heavy metal concert, the preaching that we need to tell people we love them is not lost on the crowd as evident throughout the night watching people smile and look out for each other as they moshed. Space of Variations latest album ‘Imago’ is out now.
Vended, a band from Des Moine, Iowa, took the baton from Space Of Variations and kept the fans engaged with a heavy pummeling battery assault of a set. Their sound is akin to the band Slipknot, which only makes sense since two of the members, Simon Crahan on drums and Griffin Taylor on vocals, are the sons of Shawn Crahan and Corey Taylor of Slipknot. With Conner Grodzicki on rhythm guitar, Jeremiah Pugh on bass guitar and Cole Espeland on guitar, Vended plays like a fully wound-up pull string toy that keeps going and going. With a band like this, it’s ensuring to know the future of heavy metal music is in good hands.
P.O.D. barely needs an introduction as they’ve been around for 30 years rocking the world with their blend of nu-metal, rap and alternative sound that has become their identity. Based out of San Diego, P.O.D. brings that California vibe of chill yet frenetic energy with Sonny Sandoval on vocals, Traa Daniels on bass guitar, Marcos Curiel on guitar and Alex Lopez on drums. Having crowd pleasing songs like “Boom”, “Southtown” and “Alive” has given P.O.D. longevity and a song like “Youth Of The Nation”, has given them an anthem for future generations of rock, especially when they invited a young girl and her father on stage to wave a P.O.D. flag while the song was performed.
Jinjer has taken the metal music scene by storm the past several years with a growing library of albums that keep impressing fans and even those who aren’t metal fans but are so enthralled by the musicianship and singing they can’t help but be wowed.
It all starts with the incredible vocals by Tatiana Shmailyuk, whose voice can be as soft and sweet as a butterfly and then in an instant become the gruffest growling ape sound that makes your brain go W.T.F.? That reaction has been recorded many times on YouTube videos to their song “Pisces”. Add in technical surgeons, Roman Ibramkhalilov on guitar, Eugene Abdukhanov on bass guitar and Vladislav Ulasevich on drums, Jinjer is a top dog in the world of heavy metal. With songs like “Teacher, Teacher!”, “Whose Is Gonna Be The One”, “Sit Stay Roll Over” and “Captain Clock”, Jinjer has laid the foundation for a long-sustaining career for fans to enjoy. This tour runs until December 22nd, 2022.
Jinjer
P.O.D.
Vended
Space Of Variations
All images © Mike Shaler
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