To constantly work to improve your craft through one form or another is to find yourself before a challenge that can feel downright insurmountable if one is not ready. It’s something that takes time, dedication, and discipline in order to attack properly. It oftentimes takes years, and that’s usually the best course to take such that your metamorphosis can be given the time and breadth that it deserves such that when it does finalize, listeners can bask in its completed glory for all that it is. Stoned Jesus has been growing in power since its beginning, yet it’s with this new opus that something fascinating has taken place, as this is but the first of what’s to come.

The legacy and reputation of Stoned Jesus is something that should absolutely speak for itself after the band has been defining its own corner of the stoner rock mastery since the band came about over fifteen years ago. It was only two years ago that Stoned Jesus came before us with their last album, “Father Light”, and in itself was a tremendous step forward for the band. It’s the push and pull between evocative euphoria and the calculated heaviness that has always allowed Stoned Jesus to flourish without impediment, and it’s virtually every aspect of the first effort in an alleged new trilogy, “Songs to Sun”, that Stoned Jesus has reached a peak the like of which is just fascinating to behold. With the backdrop of a mist-laden forest where the call of thunder beckons us deeper into the labyrinthine passages of the self, there is a particularly deep understanding of the genre at play here. What Stoned Jesus has crafted here entices your ears right out of the gate with riffs smooth and ripping, yet it’s as “Songs to Sun” progresses that our minds are opened to witness the splendor of this album that brilliantly waves back and forth between melancholy, hope, and rage in a way that feels all too relatable. This is a trip that is indicative of the name Stoned Jesus has made for itself with certain elements feeling like callbacks to what’s been accomplished before, but there’s no way to deny that “Songs to Sun” is an excellent new step forward in a direction that’s engaging, dynamic, and a clear identifier of how far Stoned Jesus has come as well as how far it still has to go.

It’s always tempting to say that a rising name has put forth their best material ever with each new offering when we’re dealing with a band that has unmistakable talent like what we have here with Stoned Jesus. What has been accomplished throughout the entirety of “Songs to Sun” is nothing short of brilliant from top to bottom, but to dub this as a staple offering in the growing legend that Stoned Jesus has to boast? I believe there’s an argument to be had, but I will not say for certain for I cannot say anything but the simple truth for what it is: Stoned Jesus is back in full force without so much as breaking a sweat.

“Songs to Sun” releases on September 19th via Season of Mist!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Songs to Sun” on Bandcamp here.

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