For decades now, the very reputation of all things related to the world of heavy rock has reached a fever pitch the likes of which finds the style in a real golden era where any and every fan of the style has something just for them at any given moment. From the psychedelic to the immensely powerful that reaches into the world of doom, heavy rock has never been more dynamic whether it’s new bands seeking to show their strength or veteran names that continue to show us why they’re still top dogs in the style. Stoned Jesus has long been at the peak of what’s possible in the sound, yet the one-two punch of a global pandemic mixed with an invasion of their home country made for quite an impact upon the names that those of us around the world weren’t sure when we’d hear from them next. But, rest assured, the very spirit of Stoned Jesus cannot be stopped that easily with their newest album easily able to stand toe-to-toe with some of the band’s most acclaimed creations.

It has been a long and eventful five years since we last received a new full-length from Stoned Jesus, and the previously mentioned events that we have all either heard extensively or have suffered personally would be enough to make for any band’s activities to come grinding to a halt for many good reasons. Yet, much like many of their countrymen across much of music, that was not nearly enough to keep Stoned Jesus from jamming together yet again both in defiance of such madness and in fitting fashion for such true musicians that are outright masters of their craft.

A real sense of catharsis and liberation permeates the very soul of “Father Light” even as the six tracks here are only two-thirds of what Stoned Jesus originally planned to record before the second of their travesties fell upon them, yet that may provide a further sense of glory and wonder to be found within this album. Much like how we saw the war bring different flavors to the latest recordings from Ukranian acts like White Ward, it’s throughout the whole of “Father Light” that we see Stoned Jesus take on their well-established and honed-in sound with the fresh lens and sense of spiritual cleansing that only a pandemic and a war can bring about in such a pure form. The record comes together beautifully with its heavy riffage that’s combined magnificently with warm light that is more than capable of giving way to passages of calculated intensity the likes of which we’re more than familiar with from Stoned Jesus with these six tracks only furthering the glory that we’ve all known the band to be masters of.

Be it seeking ultimate escapism from the chaos around you, longing for real answers as you suffer, or simply getting what you deserve, “Father Light” is sure to stand as not just one of the more engaging records that heavy rock will throw our way this year but as an effort that will stand tall in Stoned Jesus’s already impressive catalog. This is material that can only come from true masters of the craft and Stoned Jesus has fit that bill for years now with this record only further driving that point home.

LISTEN to “Father Light” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Stoned Jesus on Facebook here.