Stoned Jesus embarks on an ambitious trilogy.
For this first installment (their sixth album) entitled Songs to Sun, Igor Sydorenko (guitar/vocals/bass/keyboards) has teamed up with Andrew Rodin (bass/vocals, ex-White Ward) and Yurii Kononov (drums, Schattenfall, ex-White Ward). The band is still supported by Season of Mist.
The album begins very calmly with New Dawn, which reveals a first melody on the guitar, followed by the bass and a few cymbals, then bright keyboards that carry us to the first vocal parts. The mix remains very soft until the saturation appears, letting the groovy riffs ignite and even daring to introduce a few playful tones during these long instrumental parts that lead to the final explosions and then to Shadowland, a much shorter track that gets straight to the point. While the rhythm remains solid, some harmonics are more hazy, helping vocals bring that intoxicating touch during the choruses until the mix becomes much livelier while remaining in these soaring tones until the last burst before Lost In The Rain calms the spirits. A new melody captivates our minds as it builds, adopting increasingly melancholic tones before suddenly darkening, only to return to the light when the vocalist reappears to lead us into the final solo, which gradually fades away to make way for Low. The track is quite short too, and wastes no time in giving its riffs a catchy raw power to which the vocals contribute greatly, but the band surprises us with a striking touch of Post-Black Metal and a few screams that lead us to See You On The Road, the next composition. The musicians return to pure Stoner Rock, where the fat riffs take a rhythmic walk between a few moments of hesitation, but also a heavier passage after the middle of the track, which contrasts greatly with the final, leading into Quicksand, the last track, which is almost ten minutes long, starting acoustically with a touch of country/ folk feel that becomes increasingly intense, then relaxes and races off again, repeating this cycle until it becomes transcendent and leaves us with these few words: “Now I’m ready to become what I hate the most,” which echo in the void.
Although I’m not usually a big fan of Stoned Jesus‘ Prog sound, I found myself carried away by the flow of Songs to Sun, and I enjoyed the experience! The band has announced this trilogy as their most ambitious project yet, and I can’t wait to hear the rest!
85/100
