“I used to do these very gloomy and dark paintings, and Opeth’s music really inspired my creativity”: Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmailyuk gets goosebumps even thinking about Damnation, and likes to fall asleep to Sorceress

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The discovery of Mikael Åkerfeldt’s band when she was 16 led the Ukrainian artist into a big new world of prog – but she’s not sure about actually meeting him

Tatiana Shmailyuk and Opeth
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tatiana Shmailyuk, lead vocalist with Ukrainian metal band Jinjer, discovered Opeth as a teenager. In 2019 she told Prog how her passion for Mikael Åkerfeldt’s voice led to the discover of much more progressive music.

“I discovered Opeth in around 2003 when I was 16 or 17. A friend of mine gave me a mix CD with a bunch of different bands on, and that’s when I first heard Damnation. I fell in love with it and I’ve been a huge fan ever since.

It’s my favourite album of theirs. Oh my God, it’s so atmospheric! And Mikael Åkerfeldt’s voice is so soothing – I’d never heard a male metal vocalist sing so clean before, but when he growled, it was the deepest shit I’d ever heard.

He’s also a wonderful compose; he really hits the jackpot. Mikael’s vocals have definitely inspired me to growl as deep as I can, but I try not to imitate other performers as I prefer to do my own thing.

Opeth - Death Whispered a Lullaby (Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London) - YouTube Opeth - Death Whispered a Lullaby (Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London) - YouTube
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I love all the songs on Damnation, but the one I like the most is Death Whispered A Lullaby [written by Steven Wilson]. I have goosebumps just talking about it! I appreciate listening to the album all the way through, as one long song, and that’s how I used to listen to it when I was painting. I used to do these very gloomy and dark paintings, and Opeth’s music really inspired my creativity.

I found their 2016 album, Sorceress, very relaxing too. It’s an album that needs time to really appreciate and understand it. I like to have it on when I go to sleep. I find it very soothing – but I miss his growling!

OPETH - Sorceress (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO) - YouTube OPETH - Sorceress (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO) - YouTube
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Discovering Opeth was a revelation to me. At the time I was listening to mostly nu metal and alternative music, then through Opeth I discovered progressive metal. Tool came next, then Anathema, Porcupine Tree and Katatonia. I really like Soen and Riverside now as well.

The first time I got to see Opeth live was actually this summer. We were both playing at Rock The Coast Festival in Spain and I was lucky enough to be able to watch them from the side of the stage. I was singing along and it was so cool.

I didn’t go up to Mikael afterwards though. I don’t think he needs to hear what I think about his music! I would probably have been too paralysed with fear to talk to him anyway, because he’s my hero!”

Natasha Scharf
Natasha Scharf
Deputy Editor, Prog

Contributing to Prog since the very first issue, writer and broadcaster Natasha Scharf was the magazine’s News Editor before she took up her current role of Deputy Editor, and has interviewed some of the best-known acts in the progressive music world from ELP, Yes and Marillion to Nightwish, Dream Theater and TesseracT. Starting young, she set up her first music fanzine in the late 80s and became a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines over the next decade. The 00s would see her running the dark music magazine, Meltdown, as well as contributing to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Artrocker. Author of music subculture books The Art Of Gothic and Worldwide Gothic, she’s since written album sleeve notes for Cherry Red, and also co-wrote Tarja Turunen’s memoirs, Singing In My Blood. Beyond the written word, Natasha has spent several decades as a club DJ, spinning tunes at aftershow parties for Metallica, Motörhead and Nine Inch Nails. She’s currently the only member of the Prog team to have appeared on the magazine’s cover.