Father Light
Stoned Jesus
From their EPK, "Ukrainian Prog-Stoner trio STONED JESUS held their first rehearsal since the Russian invasion in the middle of July 2022. It was a moment the band dubbed as "surreal" and justifiably so - the regular ritual of band practice was made impossible by the war. The members of STONED JESUS captured the moment for their social media channels. A broad smile of defiance and satisfaction can be seen on their faces. Regardless of the senseless havoc and destruction reaped upon their homeland, STONED JESUS would play on. It was the resumption of a music career temporarily thwarted but not defeated by evil." The album has six songs.
"Father Light" is the first. It's a three-minute introduction to the album. Birds chirp in the background, and you get that special feeling from the first real day of spring...it feels like a rebirth of sorts, as everything begins to grow once again. "Season of the Witch" is an opus of over 11-minutes. The opening riff is slow, depressing, and grinding. The vocals are also drawn-out for that mesmerizing, monotone sound. The riff picks up around the half=way mark into a livelier sound, including some meter shifts. It almost sounds semi-jovial at this point, and the bass work is excellent. But the slow grind returns.
"Thoughts and Prayers" has a strange, partly dissonant sound from the opening riff. The mood is still depressing and downtrodden. I suppose the title of the song was meant to be tongue in cheek. "Porcelain" begins with a slow bass line that reaches deep. Guitar joins in, matching the melody. Vocals also enter quietly. Like the song title, the sound is delicate and breakable, before the main fuzzy riff rounds out the sound. There are also some psychedelic elements present. "CON" is a shorter song with a faster pace. But the sound is still fairly dissonant. Although, there are some nice vocal harmonies along the way.
"Get What You Deserve" closes the album. A slow, fuzzy riff carries the sound forward. The song is very rainy, and very grey as far as visuals are concerned. Discordant tones are followed by brief moments of some melody. Overall, this was an underwhelming album, and I feel bad saying that because of the band's backstory. Even for the style, it was pretty boring. I am somewhat puzzled that they are on Season of Mist's label as well. That's about all I can really say about the album.
5 / 10
Mediocre
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Father Light" Track-listing:
1. Father Light
2. Season of the Witch
3. Thoughts and Prayers
4. Porcelain
5. CON
6. Get What You Deserve
Stoned Jesus Lineup:
Igor Sydorenko - Vocals, Guitars
Sergii Sliusar - Bass, Vocals
Dmytro Zinchenko - Drums, Vocals
More results...