While they’ve blazed beyond the hot box of stoner metal, after 16 years, STONED JESUS are still expanding their horizons. This week, the heavy progressive rockers are officially embarking on a three-album journey that will take them all the way to the sun, moon and back. Though created during a dark period of instability, the trilogy’s stunning opener, Songs to Sun, is guided by a burning passion for innovation that frontman Igor Sydorenko shares with his new bandmates.
“The melodies, the hooks, the progressive side coming together with the sheer joy of a band riding grooves”, The Obelisk writes of Songs to Sun in an early review. “…it’s a next-level, AOTY-contender-type outing”.
“This is an outstanding record from a band who are simply at THE TOP OF THEIR GAME and who deserve all the plaudits fully coming their way”, salutes Outlaws of the Sun.
Songs to Sun comes out tomorrow, September 19 on Season of Mist, but you can hear all six mind-melting tracks today at 1:00 pm EST by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
Listen:
https://youtu.be/KaRaHheg1NI
“It’s time for Songs to Sun to arrive”, Sydorenko says. “The first part of The Songs Trilogy is one of our heaviest and intense yet eclectic and intricate collection of tracks to date. I’m extremely proud of presenting it to you all to enjoy. Can’t wait to play this material live, too. See you on the road!”
Pre-order & Pre-save:
https://orcd.co/stonedjesussongtosun
Pre-save on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/4CYNwXVJHZn9MMtOIvLApx
Stoned Jesus are true trailblazers. Though often associated with the stoner crowd, frontman Igor Sydorenko has experimented with folk, prog, pop and alternative rock amidst familiar doses of doom. But after hitting the road hard in celebration of the band’s 15th anniversary, Sydorenko and his new mates set off for higher creative peaks.
“Each album in our upcoming trilogy highlights a different phase to Stoned Jesus”, Sydorenko says. “Songs to Sun shows off our heavier, more aggressive side”.
As if climbing above a mountain in the desert, massive opener “New Dawn” slowly appears on the horizon before bursting into flame behind a heavy psychedelic groove. More nods to Seven Thunders Roar and The Harvest appear like a rippling heat wave throughout Songs to Sun. Lead single “Shadowland” slides into Sydorenko’s catchiest riff since “Here Come the Robots”, though he and his new mates outrun their demons with a gothic spell of keys before breaking toward the light with a high-powered fusion of pop melodies and headbanging prog.
An existential shadow hangs over Songs to Sun. The album reflects the unstable ground that Sydorenko navigated once the band’s previous lineup dissolved. “There’s a constant sense of instability that seeps through the lyrics of Songs to Sun”, he says. “Lost in the Rain” dwells on a break-up amidst a shimmering ballad that finds the sweet spot between Pink Floyd and King Crimson. Even the rubber-burning “See You on the Road” puts the pedal to the metal despite the grind of life on tour.
But even though Songs to Sun provides plenty of headbanging moments, it’s the love for experimenting with their music that continues to give the members of Stoned Jesus a rock-solid foundation. “This is probably the happiest I’ve been creatively in Stoned Jesus”, Sydorenko says. “With both Andrew and Yuri now in the band, we can experiment as deep as we can”. “Low” breaks away from people-pleasing tendencies by doing something the band has never done before. Andrew Rodin holds down the low end with a climbing bass line and punishing backing vocals, only for Yurii Ciel to blow the song wide open with a torrential rush of blast beats.
“I’m tired of ideals, they’re fragile and unreal”, Sydorenko bristles as Songs to Sun begins to set. While the only time when the amps aren’t cranked to 11, “Quicksand” is not only the longest but also the album’s heaviest song. Written many years ago, but deemed too personal to share until now, its prickly acoustics strip away any and all pre-conceptions as Stoned Jesus prepare for the dark next phase of this epic journey.
“Songs to Sun merges the groovy intensity of stoner metal with the profound intricacies of vintage prog, while keeping the riffs and the choruses as catchy as ever” Sydorenko says. “One will hear a lot of new twists and turns. Being able to experiment is the only way to progress for me and the boys in the band”.
On Songs to Sun, Stoned Jesus set their heavy progressive rock to stun.
More praise for Songs to Sun and Stoned Jesus:
“Stoned Jesus know their way through a solid tune” – Metal Sucks
“…the band are now poised to take their message further than ever before, with 6 new songs that are quite simply, brilliant” – The Razors Edge
“To call it Stoner/Doom Metal is too simple of a label, for the band has a wide variety of other elements in the music. Each song has a distinct groove, and hook, and the impression lingers long after the album is played through” – Metal Temple
“Contrast, something Stoned Jesus always have been masters of, but with Songs to Sun and their ever more progressive future, it has become their calling card” – Stoner Hive
“What has been accomplished throughout the entirety of Songs to Sun is nothing short of brilliant from top to bottom” – Head-Banger Reviews
“…they proved once again to be a more diverse and thoughtful act than they’re almost ever given credit for being” – The Obelisk
“…a fantastic and at times unique take on all things Stoner Metal” – Outlaws of the Sun
“To call it Stoner/Doom Metal is too simple of a label” – Metal Temple
“Stoned Jesus prove they aren’t bowing down to anyone” – The Sleeping Shaman
“…takes the listener on an enigmatic journey within the fine line that delves between metal and heavy rock” – New Noise
