Top 10 Ukrainian Rock and Metal Bands by Eugene Abdukhanov of JINJER

Metalhead Community is proud to put the spotlight on the Ukrainian rock and metal scene. We've enlisted the expertise of Eugene Abdukhanov, the invincible bass player of Jinjer, to curate his top 10 list and showcase the most incredible bands Ukraine has to offer. As one of the most accomplished metal bands in the history of their nation, Jinjer has paved the way for Ukrainian rock and metal on the global stage. Signed by Napalm Records and touring the world for years, Jinjer has shared stages with the industry's most prominent names. Originating from Donetsk in 2009, Jinjer has set the standard for Ukrainian rock and metal, making them the perfect band to kick off our list. Witness my personal favorite "Perennial" in the video below and dive into the Top 10 Ukrainian Rock and Metal Bands, recommended by Eugene Abdukhanov of Jinjer.

10 - Anna / Анна (Nu-Metal / Metalcore)

Anna is a nu-metal/metalcore band from Lviv that makes music in their native language, Ukrainian. They earned acceptance from the metal community in Ukraine for their determination, innovative approach, and understanding of music. They started their career with a demo album, "Proba / Проба," in 2003, which wasn't officially released due to sound quality issues. Their first official release, "Spriymay Mene / Сприймай Мене," came out in 2006 and isn't available on Spotify for unknown reasons. Since then, the band has released "Karmatresh / Карматреш" (2008), "Sribna Zmiya / Срібна змія" (2010), "Gimn Zamurovanikh / Гімн замурованих" (2012), "Nenasitni / Ненаситні" (2015), "Virodok / Виродок" (2015), "Ne Zgasay / Не Згасай" (2018), "Privet! Kak Dela!? / Привет! как дела!?" (2018), "Elektroshock / Электрошок" (2018), and "Peretinay Za Grannuyu Gran / Перетинай За Гранню Грань" (2018).

The band has been inactive online and on social media networks for some time, but they recently got back together and started working on a new album project.

Current Lineup:
Viktor Novosolov – Vocals / Віктор Новосьолов — вокал
Sergey Nesterenko – Guitars, Vocals / Сергій Нестеренко — гітара, вокал
Ilya Orlov – Bass, Vocals / Ілля Орлов — бас-гітара, вокал
Viktor Jirkov – Keyboard, Samples / Віктор Жирков — клавіші-семпли
Aleksander Gladishuk – Drums / Олександр Гладищук — ударні

9 - Pokruch / Покруч (Progressive Rock / Art-Rock)

Pokruch is a promising progressive/art-rock band originally from Kyiv. The band has rich instrumentation, a unique blend of ethnic with western influences, powerful musical character, and making music in their native language, Ukrainian. They truly show potential with their approach, already started to gain international recognition. Pokruch started their careers with a single, “Sad / Сад” in 2015, and continued with for more releases, “Neba / Небо” (2015), “Tsi / Ци” (2016), “Klasika i Kosmetika / Класика и косметика” (2017) and “Tango / Танго” (2020).

Current Lineup:
Yevgeniy Petrusenko – Vocals, guitars
Sergey KNOB Lyubinskiy – guitar, sound engineering

8 - Velikhan (Alternative Progressive Metal)

Velikhan is undoubtedly one of the promising Ukrainian bands who have made a big impact with their latest music video; HERO. The band is originally from Kyiv and making music in both English and Ukrainian. They are making the actual difference with their powerful musical character and the theme of their band. Velikhan started their careers with an EP, Oh Lord! in 2017, continued with Yassa (2017), Hero (2018), Slumper (Remix by L.s.) (2018), Cultrash (2019), and Monger (2020). The band was formed by well-known names from the Ukrainian metal scene. Guitarist Oleksiy Sherkhan Sidorenko, who is also the founder of the band MegamasS. Bass guitarist – Sergei KNOB Lyubinsky, founder of the legendary TOL and the recording studio Revet Sound. Drummer – Andrey Litvinenko from Psionic Arc. Vocalist – Nikita Obushenko who participated in the “Voice of the Country / Голос країни” TV show and made an impact with his performance.

7 - Agregat / Агрегат (Nu-Metal)

Agregat is a hardcore/nu-metal band from Donetsk. The trio is Sergey Ustavshikov / Сергей Уставщиков on vocals, Konstantin Tuyev / Константин Туев on bass guitars, and Aleksey Pereligin / Алексей Перелыгин on guitars. Unfortunately, the band doesn’t have much information online. Their song, Ubey Kapitalizm / Убей Капитализм, was released not long ago on February 1, 2020.

6 - 1914 (Blackened Sludge / Death Metal)

1914 is a black metal/blackened sludge/death metal band, who are surely one of the promising Ukrainian metal bands of all time, originally from Lviv. The band was formed in 2014, at the 100th anniversary of the first world war, and earned international recognition, actively touring for many years and taking part in almost every extreme metal festival all around the world. They are currently signed by Napalm Records and making the actual difference with their I. World War theme.

1914 started their careers with a long-play album called Eschatology of War in 2016. Since then, the band released three more long-play albums, Ich hatt einen Kameraden (2016), Für Kaiser, Volk und Vaterland! / Stoßtrupp 1917 (2018), The Blind Leading the Blind (2019), and two singles, Arrival. The Meuse-Argonne (2019) and C’est Mon Dernier Pigeon (2019).

Current Lineup:
Vocals | 2.Division, Infanterie-Regiment Nr.147, Oberleutnant – Dmytro Kumar
Guitar | 37.Division, Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr.73, Wachtmiester – Liam Fessen
Guitar | 5.Division, Ulanen-Regiment Nr.3, Sergeanten – Vitalis Winkelhock
Bass | 9.Division, Grenadier-Regiment Nr.7, Unteroffiziere – Armin von Heinessen
Drums | 33.Division, 7.Thueringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr.96, Gefreite – Rusty Potoplacht

5 - Sinoptik (Progressive Rock)

Sinoptik is a well-known band in the Ukrainian music scene, hailing from Kyiv. The progressive rock trio gained recognition in their native country after winning the title “The world best rock band” in Berlin and performing in front of 80,000 people in the Olympics Stadium in Kyiv. Sinoptik officially started their careers with a long-play album, 16/58 in 2014. Since then, the band has released two more long-play albums, Interplanet Overdrive (2016), Fields on Fire (2018), three singles, Standalone Syndrome (2016), Black Soul Man (2020), Apple Tree (2021), and one EP, From Nothing to Forever (2019).

Current Lineup:
Dmitriy Afanasiev – Guitars, Vocals, Keys
Ruslan Babayev – Drums
Aleksander Savin – Bass

4 - Zlam / Злам (Djent / Progressive Metal)

Zlam / ЗЛАМ is another progressive/djent metal band hailing from Kyiv, with an innovative and modern approach to metal music. Their musical character has similarities with Jinjer and Tol, with less emphasis on death and more on hardcore/screamo. In fact, the current drummer of Jinjer; Vladyslav Ulasevych is Zlam’s original drummer. After listening to a few of their songs, it’s easy to see why Zlam deserves recognition.

Zlam started their careers with a long play album called Pid Tiskom Nabutikh Obraziv / Під тиском набутих образів in 2012. Since then, the band has released one more long-play album, Bachiv, Yak Vdikhayut Gore / Бачив, як вдихають горе (2014) and an EP, Vidchuttya, Yak Tisyachi Do Tsogo / Відчуття, Як Тисячі До Цього (2016).

3 - Space of Variations (Modern Metalcore / Post-Hardcore)

Space of Variations is a post-apocalyptic modern metalcore/ post-hardcore band from Vinnytsia, and one of the most well-known metal bands in the country. The band started their careers with a single called Gunsight in 2015, then continued with two EPs, Blackmail (2016) and XXXXX (2020), one single, Tibet (2017), and one long-play album, Mind Darknet (2018).

2 - Tol / Тол (Modern Progressive Metal / Metalcore)

Tol is one of the most well-known and respected Ukrainian metal bands, originally from Kyiv, who pioneered a new genre in their native country and are also one of Eugene's personal favorites. Their music has a modern approach, blending elements from different styles such as hardcore, djent, metalcore, progressive metal, and deathcore. TOL started their careers with an EP called Kley.Mo / Клей.Мо in 2013. Since then, the band has released two long-play albums, Sindrom Bajannya / Синдром Бажання (2013) and Utopiya / Утопия (2013). However, their discography on Spotify does not appear to include all of their releases or the correct release dates.

1 - MegamasS (Sport Rock / Hardcore)

MegamasS is another promising band that is sitting at the top of Eugene’s Top 10 Ukrainian Rock and Metal Bands list. These gents are originally from Kyiv and have the largest respected discography compared to all other bands on the list. They define their own music genre more specifically as “Sport Rock / Hardcore.”

MegamasS started their career with a single called “Kolya / Коля” in 2013, and continued with four EPs, “Odin 2” (2015), “Odin 3” (2016), “Odin” (2017), and “MegamasS” (2020), two singles, “Ti Doljna Bit Moyey / Ты Должна быть моей” (2016), and “Na Grani Pustoti / На грани пустоты” (2017), and two long-play albums, “Sverkhrelyef / Сверхрельефъ” (2017), and “Yevo velichestva udar / Его величество удар” (2017).

In conclusion, the Ukrainian metal scene is a vibrant and dynamic community that boasts some of the most exciting and talented bands in the world. Eugene Abdukhanov of Jinjer has given us a glimpse into this world by sharing his top 10 Ukrainian rock and metal bands. We hope that this list will serve as an introduction to these incredible artists and inspire more people to discover their music. From Jinjer's groundbreaking progressive metal to the innovative djent of TOL and Velikhan, and the heavy sludge of 1914 and Megamass, there is a diversity of styles and sounds that will appeal to any metal fan. These bands have already achieved significant success both in Ukraine and beyond, and we have no doubt that they will continue to make waves in the metal world for years to come. We invite you to join us in supporting these talented musicians and enjoying the rich and exciting world of Ukrainian metal. Thank you for reading, and we hope you'll explore these bands and discover your new favorite music.

Listen to Metalhead Community's Monsters of Metal Underground playlist on Spotify