For many musicians, sharing a stage with their heroes can be both humbling and inspiring. For Jinjer bassist Eugene Abdukhanov, performing at Download Festival just before the Swedish legends Meshuggah was more than just a prime slot: it was personal.
“I must say this, I would really love to be there [to see their show right now],” Eugene admitted during an interview with Forever Loud (via Blabbermouth) “I checked their first songs and had to run here to do the interviews, ’cause work is work. But this is one of my favorite bands, and playing before them was something special for me.”
There’s often a perceived divide between complexity and groove in metal, but both Meshuggah and Jinjer manage to strike a balance. When the interviewer observed this, Eugene didn’t hesitate to agree.
“Thanks a lot for the kind words,” he said. “And you are absolutely right. No matter how complicated what they do seems to be, it always has the groove. It always makes you just nod to the rhythm.”
The influence of Meshuggah on modern metal is undeniable, and Eugene didn’t shy away from crediting them with shaping not only Jinjer’s sound but an entire generation of bands.
“I must say that it’s not only us, whole generations of bands nowadays, more or less in this or that way, are actually based on Meshuggah‘s music. So they changed the whole approach to the sound, to riffing, everything. So in many respects, they created the whole scene which we have now.”
That evolution — from underground curiosity to genre-defining force — is exactly what Eugene sees as the hallmark of true legacy.
“And this is what differs, like really legendary music, legendary bands from everybody else. You are not afraid to bring something new to the table, no matter what the others say. And I pay huge respect to Meshuggah for that, because I remember the days before ObZen, before even Nothing, when there wasn’t such a band yet, such a big and massive [band] with such a heritage. And for many people, it was really hard to accept them. But I kept saying that, ‘No, this is a really big thing. You will see in the future.’ And I think I was right. So it’s just a masterpiece band.”
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