siLLy puPPy STONED JESUS is one of the legions of stoner metal bands that has emerged since the genre took off in the early 90s when bands like Sleep and Earth were really starting to slow things down in the metal world which created a whole lot of breathing room for fuzzy doom metal riffing to reverberate to high heaven (or hell) and focus on gloomy atmospheric constructs over compositional fortitude. While most of the early bands like Kyuss, Electric Wizard, Trouble, Melvins, Sleep and Elder were from the English speaking world, other nations quickly jumped on board with bands like Boris from Japan, Spiritual Beggars from Sweden and Italy’s Ufomammut. Add to the list a whole bunch of acts that from behind the former Iron Curtain and there seems no end in sight.

One of these bands that emerged from the remote outbacks of Eastern Europe was the wickedly cool named STONED JESUS which formed in Kiev, Ukraine where they took the traditional doom aspects of early Black Sabbath and married it with the heavier psych and stoner qualities of more recent bands. The band was founded in 2009 by Igor Sydorenko (guitar, vocals), Nik Kobold (bass) and Alexander EphirZ (drums). The band released a demo soon after forming and wasted no time cranking up the guitar riffs and channeling the zeitgeist of early Sabbath. The debut album FIRST COMMUNION emerged in 2010 on the Solitude label. After the band’s sound expanded past the homeland, the album was released on the German label Nasoni which launched these guys into the international playground.

Now a former Soviet nation is hardly the first place that comes to mind when considering Sabbath inspired stoner metal but the guys in STONED JESUS have done their homework quite well and proudly display their amazing delivery of Anglo-oriented 70s inspired doom and gloom. FIRST COMMUNION is a retro sounding album through and through and could actually pass as some lost early session of Black Sabbath. First of all, Igor’s vocal style is a dead ringer for Ozzy Osbourne and nails all those nasal articulations perfectly. Likewise his guitar riffs evoke the earliest occult fueled grooves of Tony Iommi although his guitar playing is limited to riffing without too many accompanying solos. In fact many of the four tracks, three of which exceed the ten minute mark are in for the slow burn, that meaning cyclical riffs repeat almost ad infinitum until the hypnotic spell is finally broken by a chord change or some vocal utterances.

The bass and drum provide the grooves while the guitar generally adds higher register counterpoints. It really does sound like a Sabbath rehearsal circa 1969 where someone resurrected the primitive recordings and remastered them with cleaner production values and then laced with all the stoner modernisms heard in more modern bands like Sleep or Electric Wizard. Stoner metal can be rather generic and STONED JESUS certainly falls into that trap on FIRST COMMUNION. For my money this is way too derivative of early Sabbath and although the band imitates the early pioneers to great effect, what this trio fails to delivery are classy compositions that find new layers of doomy stoner vibes to layer upon the influences of yore. While i have to admit that stoner metal is not my first love in the metal universe, the best bands within its jurisdiction have really stood out for a reason and STONED JESUS unfortunately fails to do just that. A nice hypnotic background sort of music but as an active listening experience i find this album a bit ordinary.

UMUR "The Harvest" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Ukranian stoner/doom metal act Stoned Jesus. The album was released through Moon Records in February 2015. Stoned Jesus was formed in 2009 and released a couple of demos before recording their debut full-length release "First Communion (2010)". The lineup features (among others) singer/guitarist Igor Sidorenko who is also known for his work with Arlekin, Voida, Snakerider, and Krobak.

Stoned Jesus displayed a wide varity of influences on "Seven Thunders Roar (2012)", and it was generally a pretty diverse stoner/doom metal release. The stylistic diversity continues on "The Harvest" which features both crushingly heavy doom metal tracks like "Rituals of the Sun" and "Black Church", and faster paced and energetic hard rocking stoner metal tracks like "Here Come the Robots", "Wound", and "YFS" (I hear a strong Monster Magnet influence on those three tracks). There´s also a psychadelic element present in the music, and occasionally even an experimental/progressive touch (especially in the two long closing tracks "Silkworm Confessions" and "Black Church").

The material on the two predecessors was of a good, and sometimes high quality, but the 6 tracks on "The Harvest" tops the material on both predecessors. The guys in Stoned Jesus have really taken a step up here. And it´s not only in the songwriting department, but also when it comes to the sound production, which is very powerful and organic, suiting the material perfectly. The musicianship is also top notch. The vocals are delivered with great conviction and power, the riffing is heavy and hard rocking, and the rhythm section tight yet loose enough to sound organic. Again a perfect fit for the material featured on the album.

To my ears "The Harvest" is just the right next step for Stoned Jesus. It shows balls, it shows development, and it shows the band are skilled composers and performers. I never doubted any of those things in the past, but on this album they trimmed the fat (but still kept their adventurous edge) and have written some really memorable material that stands out just that little extra, like the best material always does. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Seven Thunders Roar" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Ukranian stoner/doom metal act Stoned Jesus. The album was released through Moon Records in March 2012. Stoned Jesus was formed in 2009 and released a couple of demos before recording their debut full-length release "First Communion (2010)". The lineup features (among others) singer/guitarist Igor Sidorenko who is also known for his work with Arlekin, Voida, Snakerider, and Krobak.

The music on "Seven Thunders Roar" is a combination of psychadelic rock and stoner/doom metal with the occasional touch of progressive rock. It´s a fairly diverse take on the stoner/doom metal style, which ensures that "Seven Thunders Roar" is an interesting listen throughout. To some there might be a minor issue with stylistic consistency though, but to the more adventurous listener who don´t mind eclectic music, that may not be an issue at all. In fact it might even be a strength. The Black Sabbath influence which was very dominant on "First Communion (2010)" is slightly less prominent on "Seven Thunders Roar". It´s still there and occasionally the worship factor is a bit too high (like the case is with many stoner/doom metal acts), but it´s obvious that Stoned Jesus have worked hard on creating a more personal sound on this release, and they are relatively successful at that.

As mentioned the material on the 5 track, 47:57 minutes long album, is relatively varied for the genre. The opener "Bright Like The Morning" features a lot of psychadelic tinged jamming, "Electric Mistress" is crushingly heavy and doomy (and at times reminds me of something written by Electric Wizard), "Indian" is short, catchy, and groove laden, the 16:04 minutes long "I'm The Mountain" is progressive and goes through many sections and moods, and "Stormy Monday" is heavy, atmospheric, and melancholic. To my ears one of the greatest strengths of the material is the adventurous song structures, which aren´t necessarily linear or vers/chorus structured (at least not in a conventional way).

"Seven Thunders Roar" features a well sounding organic production, which suits the music well. The band also play with an organic touch, which means the music is performed with the right authenticity. Lead vocalist Igor Sidorenko has developed his vocals greatly since the debut, and while there is still a whiff of Ozzy here and there, the vocals are generally delivered in a relatively personal style. So upon conclusion "Seven Thunders Roar" is a step up from the otherwise pretty good debut album, and while there are still places where there are room for improvement, this is a good quality release and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "First Communion" is the debut full-length studio album by Ukranian stoner/doom metal act Stoned Jesus. The album was released through Solitude Productions in August 2010. Stoned Jesus was formed in 2009 and released a couple of demos before recording "First Communion". The lineup features (among others) singer/guitarist Igor Sidorenko who is also known for his work with Arlekin, Voida, Snakerider, and Krobak.

Stylistically the music on "First Communion" is Black Sabbath influenced stoner/doom metal. That style is of course nothing new and thousands of other artists play that type of music but Stoned Jesus do a pretty convincing job. The 4 tracks on the 40:15 minutes long album are for the most part pretty long (3 are 10 minutes long or more), with room for long guitar solos, extended heavy riff sections, and atmosphere building (with the exception of the 5 minutes long "Red Wine", which is a more tightly structured track). Sidorenko has a good voice for this type of music. There´s a slight Ozzy Osbourne tone to it.

The album is well produced, featuring a heavy organic sound, which suits the music perfectly. The band is also very well playing, and delivers their music with a charming organic touch. Again fully in the spirit of the music. All in all "First Communion" is a strong first effort by Stoned Jesus, and while the songwriting could have prospered from a slightly more unique approach, the band do what they do with a lot of passion and conviction, and fans of the style should have a blast with this one. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.