The Harvest

Stoned Jesus

Stoner Rock/ Metal has gradually begun to take the underground by storm over the last […]
By Danny Sanderson
March 11, 2015
Stoned Jesus - The Harvest album cover

Stoner Rock/ Metal has gradually begun to take the underground by storm over the last few years, and with it has come some really brilliant music. The number of excellent bands and albums that have come out of the woodwork over the last five years or so, are almost too numerous to mention. And today, I'll be sampling a new offering by one of the best, and criminally under looked, contemporary Stoner acts on the planet; STONED JESUS. This Ukrainian three piece have been making waves ever since their formation in 2009, with two amazing albums, ("First Communion" and "Seven Thunders Roar") garnering them a reputation for producing some really cool, infectious and groovy tunes. Each of their albums has a unique flavour, and their newest full length, "The Harvest", is no different.

Right from the start, this album is clearly going to be epic. The opening song, "Here Come the Robots", is a stone cold classic, with brilliant vocals, riffs, and an incredible confident and cool Bass line. This is an incredibly strong and powerful track to open this record with, and it's sure to become a crowd favourite in the near future. The second track, "Wound", is another absolute belter, featuring a really cool, upbeat guitar hook that constitutes the main riff of the song. It's got more of a straight up, Hard Rock edge to it and is incredibly catchy. "Rituals of the Sun" is more or less a straight, classic Doom song; it moves forward slowly, but manages to pack in a lot of guitar and bass hooks, and the vocal delivery on this track is, at points, hair-raising. "YFS" opens on a really powerful, thick, and gnarly sounding bass riff, which is coupled with some really cool drumming. I honestly believe that having a really strong bass line and bass tone are essential to Stoner Rock, and Rock and Metal music in general, and this band luckily nails both of these criteria perfectly. The penultimate track, "Silkworm Confessions", brings this album close to its climax, and it's clear why this is one of the lead singles off of this new album; all of the music on here is really cool, and like the vast majority of their stuff, is incredibly catchy. Again, I can see this being very popular live during future tours. And finally, we come to the sixth and last song on this record, "Black Church". The opening couple of minutes slowly builds into a really cool song, and shows the band experimenting with the traditional Stoner Rock sound somewhat. And when the song kicks in, it's very good. The main motif of the music to start with, is a marching, almost military riff which is copied on bass and drums, and builds some tension for what's coming next. The vocals on here are very good as well. Through the second half of this near fifteen minute track, the band begin to dabble in Psychedelic sounds, and it works really well, especially on the sections where the hammond organ is used. It's on this high that the album closes, and another brilliant record is over.

This album, just like every other album this band has done, is a sprawling, brilliant piece of Stoner Rock. Just like the previous two albums, there isn't a bad song on here, and the music really draws the listener in. This band, as I said at the start of this review, are making waves, and it's on the back of great releases like this that they are able to do so. This is a band that is going from strength to strength. And hopefully the best is still yet to come.<

9 / 10

Almost Perfect

"The Harvest" Track-listing:

1. Here Come the Robots
2. Wound
3. Rituals of the Sun
4. YFS
5. Silkworm Confessions
6. Black Church

Stoned Jesus Lineup:

Igor Sidorenko - Guitars, Vocals
Sergey "Sid" Olegovich - Bass, Backing Vocals
Viktor - Drums

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