Having celebrated their 15th anniversary with two reissues last year, Stoned Jesus are turning over a new leaf in 2025. The Ukrainian psychedelic prog rockers are rolling across the European summer festival circuit in heavy anticipation of their upcoming sixth album and first with the band's new lineup.
To kick off the new year in high gear, Stoned Jesus are honoring their fellow trailblazers HIM with a faithfully heart-pounding ode to love metal.
Listen to Stoned Jesus cover "Buried Alive By Love" below.
Though they were already a known force on the international album charts, before "Buried Alive By Love", HIM were at odds with how they were perceived by the music industry. Igor Sydorenko - the mastermind behind Stoned Jesus - understands the feeling all too well.
"We constantly struggle with the limitations of the genre, having been pigeonholed as a stoner rock band early in our career, so HIM are very relatable to us", Igor says. "It's absolutely unfair that such a diverse and interesting band are remembered as this moody, one-dimensional bunch by the general public. I truly consider Ville Vallo one of the most underappreciated rock and metal composers ever. His way of balancing the heavy and dark stuff with the catchiest melodies is very inspiring when I'm busy with my own songwriting".
With the opening track on 2003's Love Metal, HIM truly hit upon their signature style. "Buried Alive By Love" shot the album to the top of the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. Now, more than two decades later, the hit single is launching a new era for Stoned Jesus. The band's new rhythm section add fresh sludge, while Igor's razor-sharp riff and coolly impassioned pleas match the Finn's gothic groove drop for bloody drop.
"This is just a phenomenal song", Igor continues. "Bumping HIM in the van with the new boys on our first tour together sure helped to build and solidify the chemistry that we have now".
While only their second album, Seven Thunders Roar marks an early milestone for Stoned Jesus. The riffs still roll downhill with all the sludgy force of a mudslide, but the band added crisp acoustic guitars to reflect their newfound inner strength. "Climbing up", Igor sings on "I Am The Mountain", a 16-minute instant classic that charges through lush folksy valleys and peaks of headbanging doom at full steam. "And we're never going to stop".
When it first arrived back in 2014, even Stoned Jesus were surprised by their follow-up to Seven Thunders Roar. Having already reached the summit of stoner metal, for The Harvest, the band dug into their progressive rock roots. With its synth-laden passages and weaving guitar solo, "Silkworm Confessions'' definitely sows those seeds. But while it leans heavily into the album's sci-fi narrative, "Here Come the Robots" comes busting out the gate with a hard-charging riff that's so aggressively catchy, it could've been programmed by alt-rock radio.
"After years of waiting we're finally reissuing two of our most-beloved albums, the heavy prog stalwart The Harvest and the already-legendary psychedelic classic Seven Thunders Roar!" Igor says. "It's funny now to think how surprised people were hearing The Harvest for the first time - a lot of them possibly expected Seven Thunders Part Two, but as a songwriter I'd never been into repeating myself. And with Seven Thunders, what else could I say about this overlooked-then-and-praised-now record, its importance and influence for the genre?
"This was our first release with our then-manager, Vlad Lyashenko, the man who helped to shape the Ukrainian rock and metal underground into the force it is today" Igor continues. "Both reissues are dedicated to his memory, since he passed away in 2023 - hauntingly, on the very same day we'd released our fifth album, Father Light. So please enjoy both The Harvest and Seven Thunders Roar with extended bonus tracks and have one for the guy to whom we owe our career"
The reissued editions of Seven Thunders Roar and The Harvest are now available through Season of Mist.
Order
https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/StonedJesusReissues
https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/StonedJesusReissues
Line-up:
Igor Sydorenko - Lead-Vocals & Guitar
Andrew Rodin - Bass & Backing Vocals
Yurii Ciel - Drums & Percussion
Follow Stoned Jesus:
https://music.apple.com/sg/artist/stoned-jesus/396799004
https://open.spotify.com/artist/23lyMLxYNPS15hpVvFNptR
instagram.com/stonedjesusband
http://facebook.com/stonedjesusband
twitter.com/stonedjesusband
youtube.com/c/StonedJesus
stonedjesus.bandcamp.com
