Jinjer bassist Eugene Abdukhanov has spoken out against the band’s metalcore classification, asserting their position as a major progressive metal act in a recent interview with Louder Sound.
Abdukhanov addressed the band’s creative approach and their perceived place within the metal scene, expressing frustration with ongoing genre categorization.
“There are no limitations to what we do,” Abdukhanov said. “We don’t deliberately control what we make; everything coming out from Jinjer is a flow of creativity. I’ve always thought we’re underestimated by the prog scene because of our supposed metalcore origins.”
The bassist went further to criticize current media coverage of the band’s sound.
“It’s almost an insult to see the media claim that we’re a metalcore band in 2025!” he continued. “I want to play on proggier bills and I generally consider that, by now, Jinjer has become one of the biggest prog metal bands – without even being a part of the prog metal scene.”
The comments highlight the ongoing debate around genre classification in modern metal music.
Abdukhanov previously talked about the issues in the music industry during an interview with Germany’s Moshpit Passion. He pointed out the mistreatment of musicians and said, “Musicians, from being at the very top of the pyramid, like artists, actually everything’s supposed to work for musicians, they turn to be at the very bottom of the pyramid.”
“Because the musicians are working for everybody else. This is how it is done,” the bassist continued. “It turns out that the musicians are working for management, the musicians are working for labels, the musicians are working for booking companies, promoters.”
Jinjer is currently on the European Duel Tour, which they recently added new headlining dates for 2026.
