The epic melodic metal force HUMAN FORTRESS proudly announce the release of their highly anticipated new studio album, “Stronghold”, due out on October 17th, 2025 via Massacre Records. The album will be available as a 2-CD Digipak and as a limited edition vinyl LP.
To mark this occasion, the band also unleashes the brand-new single and video “The Abyss Of Our Souls” — a dark and dramatic tale about a sinister figure who sees his true self reflected in a magic mirror, and vows to free the world of his own evil. With its gripping narrative, powerful riffs, and soaring melodies, the song embodies the essence of epic heavy metal storytelling.
“Stronghold” marks the band’s 8th full-length album and represents a new chapter in HUMAN FORTRESS’s more than two-decade career. Produced by the band at Soundhoops Studio, with mixing and mastering handled by Alex Krull (Mastersound Studio), the record delivers a heavier, guitar-driven sound, intensified by Krull’s powerful production.
With the departure of long-time keyboardist Dirk Liehm, “Stronghold” is the first HUMAN FORTRESS album written largely without keyboards, resulting in a more guitar-heavy and aggressive sound. While some tracks explore more mainstream songwriting elements, the album remains firmly rooted in epic heavy metal, blending powerful riffs, soaring melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics.
Track listing:
Stronghold The End Of The World Pain Mesh Of Lies The Abyss Of Our Souls Under The Gun Silent Scream Death Calls My Name Road To Nowhere The Darkest Hour
CD 2 Obey Another Lord Pathfinder Lost With The Wind We Are Legion (Japan Bonus Track)
Over the years, HUMAN FORTRESS have shared stages with the likes of Orden Ogan, Axxis, Skyclad, Wizard, The Grailknights, Poverty’s No Crime, Gallowglass, Mercury Falling, and King Leoric, in addition to performing at festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Metal Inside Festival, and Dominion Festival.
With “Stronghold”, HUMAN FORTRESS reaffirm their place as one of Germany’s most respected epic metal institutions, delivering an album that is both timely and timeless.
HUMAN FORTRESS are Gus Monsanto – Vocals Todd Wolf – Guitars Volker Trost – Guitars Axel Herbst – Keys André Hort – Bass Apostolos Zaios – Drums
Hungarian alternative/groove metal force Nest of Plagues has dropped a brand new live album, ‘Live At Akvárium’, showcasing the raw energy and emotional depth that have made them one of the region’s most exciting underground acts. The release comes as the band gears up for their “Hell Is A Place On Earth” Tour, which will see them storm stages across Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Hungary this fall.
Following the release of their critically acclaimed 3rd album, Hellsolation, Nest of Plagues are taking their uncompromising sound and message across borders. Blending crushing riffs, groove-driven rhythms, and elements of alternative metal, the band reflects on modern social struggles such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness – while encouraging fans to face these challenges together, finding strength in community.
The band’s unique mix of heaviness and catharsis has earned them a reputation for powerful, eclectic live shows that bring a spark of joy and defiance to the darkest of themes.
Hell Is A Place On Earth Tour Dates: 🇷🇴 Oct 1 – Arad, Flex 🇷🇴 Oct 2 – Craiova, Arcade 🇧🇬 Oct 3 – Pleven, Japara Rock 🇧🇬 Oct 4 – Kazanluk, Hope 🇧🇬 Oct 5 – Varna, Smile 🇷🇴 Oct 6 – Constanța, Rock House 666 🇧🇬 Oct 7 – Plovdiv, Polinero 🇬🇷 Oct 9 – Trikala, Andromeda 🇬🇷 Oct 10 – Patra, Frida 🇬🇷 Oct 11 – Athens, Bums 🇬🇷 Oct 12 – Larisa, Skyland 🇲🇰 Oct 13 – Skopje, Dze Pub 🇩🇪 Oct 25 – Königsbrunn, Mammut Fest 🇭🇺 Nov 7 – Hajdúszoboszló, Rock Café 🇭🇺 Nov 8 – Kecskemét, Ápoló Klub 🇭🇺 Nov 14 – Kaposvár, Hang-Ár 🇭🇺 Nov 28 – Pécs, Várárok 🇭🇺 Nov 29 – Mezőkövesd, Dögkút 🇭🇺 Dec 19 – TBA
The Romanian and Bulgarian shows (Oct 1-7) will feature ClubMurder from Malta as special guests. Spewing twisted metal since 2005, the band has become notorious for hammering out groove-laden chaos with unrelenting force, sending audiences into frenzy with every performance.
For the Greek leg of the tour (Oct 9-12), Spitback will step on stage as local support. With roots dating back to 2003, the band brings a fierce Hardcore/Nu-Metal sound influenced by the US scene, delivering raw aggression and explosive energy that perfectly matches the tour’s atmosphere.
Joining the entire Balkan tour (Oct 1-12) is Chaos Engine Research from Poland, delivering their signature brand of death groove metal. With punishing riffs and intense stage presence, they add another layer of heaviness to the lineup, making each night a relentless experience.
About Nest Of Plagues:
With their lyrics, Nest of Plagues reflects on modern social diseases like social anxiety, depression, and the feeling of loneliness that people can collectively feel. Sharing this message, they encourage people to confront their mental health issues and connect, leveraging the power of the community. Bringing a fresh sound to the stage, they expanded from a metalcore sound into groove metal, incorporating elements of alternative metal while still adding a core edge to the mix. Due to their eclectic image and powerful live performances, they bring a little joy and fun where it seems there is only darkness.
There’s this rather old-fashioned proverb: “Good things come to those who wait.” It’s actually not 100% true in the case of Los Angeles, California’s IN VIRTUE – since they have been providing us with a constant output of new, highly-praised content over the last years. But it’s been a while now since the releases of their first two full-length albums “Embrace the Horror” (2012) and “Delusions of Grandeur” (2009). So in their case it’s more like: “Good things finally come to be another album.”
Well, the wait is finally over. The quartet of GEAR GODS Masterminds Trey Xavier (lead vocals, guitar, bass, orchestration, synthesizers, production) and Alex Nasla (The Mourning, ex-Witherfall; keyboards, vocals), Rami Khalaf (guitar), Jamie Hush (bass) – live drums being handled by Bruno Valverde of Angra – has just announced that their third album “Age of Legends” will be released on November 21, 2025.
So: What took them so long? Singer Trey Xavier explains: “We started tracking this album on January 2nd, 2019, and got most of the way done with it when the pandemic hit. That, coupled with a series of setbacks, postponed its completion until 2024. Some of the songs were ideas that were written over 10 years ago, so as you can imagine, we’re very excited for it to see the light of day.“ Three songs on the album have already been released in the meantime – “Purgatory” (2019), “Where The Edges Meet” (2020) and “SCREAM” (2023), proving the band’s variety and why it’s not easy (if not impossible) to put them into any kind of genre. If you want to call them progressive – that’s what they really are, combining elements of power metal, groove, progressive metal, pop and so much more on this album. When experiencing “Age of Legends” from front to back, it’s thrilling to feel how each song also stands on its own, as tiny microcosms of the overall concept of the album. Trey underlines: “It’s a concept album about someone who has made poor choices in the past and is on a journey of self-forgiveness. The character in the story is based on Sisyphus, who was a terrible tyrannical king who was deserving of punishment – but is there truly anything someone can do to deserve eternal punishment? In it, this Sisyphus character decides (with a little help from a character called The Catalyst) that after thousands of years of torment, he’s done his time and that he’s going to seek forgiveness from the most important person we all need it from – ourselves.” The obvious cathartic overall theme, the dynamics of every track are carefully curated to build to a huge and meaningful climax – “Age of Legends” is an album that has the potential to be one of those albums that lead you through not only a certain phase in life but rather define it. It’s an album more than worth waiting for.
As the next foretaste of the forthcoming “Age of Legends”, IN VIRTUE treats us with is the postapocalyptic “Gunslingers of the New American Desert”:
The heaviest song from the upcoming album – and the slowest song in the entire IN VIRTUE catalog so far – musically and lyrically combines a Wild West theme of lawlessness and survival conflict with crushing riffs, electronic sounds and soaring orchestration. The band explains: “‘Gunslingers of the New American Desert’ explores a world where order is replaced by the will of the powerful, where suffering is imposed every day by tyrants who forget that the pain they inflict on others is a betrayal of their own humanity.”
“Age of Legends” features guest appearances by vocalists Charlotte Wessels (ex-DELAIN) and Chaney Crabb (ENTHEOS), as well as guitars by Dave Davidson (REVOCATION) and the already released singles “Purgatory”, “Where The Edges Meet” and “SCREAM”. The album will be released on November 21 and is available for pre-save now via: https://orcd.co/agofle
ABOUT IN VIRTUE Los Angeles, California’s IN VIRTUE is a band forging a new path, abandoning outdated conceptions of what heavy music is to redefine metal for a new era. Although IN VIRTUE was initially formed in 2004 in California’s Bay Area, the band’s rebirth in 2015 is where the real story begins. That’s when founding guitarist Trey Xavier made the difficult decision to take over lead vocals, move south to LA, and start the band over with a new lineup. This was the catalyst they needed, and the band’s final form took shape. Adding keyboardist Alex Nasla (The Mourning, ex-Witherfall), guitarist Rami Khalaf, and bassist Jamie Hush, their new sound was freed.
“I was tired of other people singing what I was writing,” says Trey (who you may know from his popular YouTube channel, formerly known as GEAR GODS). “We had some pretty good singers, but it always felt like a compromise. It was pretty scary – I was 28 and I had never seriously sung before. But all the work I put in paid off, because now I can create my music as I envision it.”
And what a vision it has become – the band’s forthcoming album “Age of Legends”, due out in 2025, tells a haunting tale of Sisyphean struggle and redemption through a modern lens. This new era of IN VIRTUE brought their first new music, 2019’s single “Purgatory”, which gave the world a brand new sound. Combining elements of power metal, groove, progressive metal, and pop, but somehow sounding like none of the above, “Purgatory” defined the sonic future of the band. The singles “Where The Edges Meet” and “SCREAM” followed soon after to expand on the story, each moving the story forward and bringing new life to the characters and their pain. With way more to come on “Age of Legends” (release: November 21, 2025), IN VIRTUE is looking forward to the next chapter and bringing their story to the world.
With their brand-new single “In The Eyes Of The Enemy”, the unstoppable GRAILKNIGHTS raise their banners once more and deliver a track forged in fire and glory! The accompanying video continues the epic tale where their last single “Forever” left off — a direct lead-up to the forthcoming album of the same title “Forever”, set for release on October 17 via PERCEPTION.
After recent singles stormed into the band’s Top 10 on Spotify and amassed more than 150,000 streams within just a few weeks, GRAILKNIGHTS prove again that their hymns strike like battle cries across the globe. “In The Eyes Of The Enemy” rises as a power-ballad of steel: soaring vocals featuring Chiara Tricarico, thundering choirs, and melodies carved into eternity — destined to become a soundtrack for both inner battles and triumphant victories.
The knights themselves proclaim:
“We are thrilled by the singles’ performances so far and by the growing crowds at our live shows. We have no ‘enemies’, just friends worldwide. Grailknights Battlechoir!”
The band’s new album “Forever” will be featuring twelve new hymns that build the seventh chapter of GRAILKNIGHTS’ glorious history (incl. previously-released singles ‘Necronomicon,’ ‘Grail Gym,’ ‘Forever’ plus a bold ‘Super Trouper’ cover version). Secure your copy (excl. ticket & merch bundles etc.) & pre-save “Forever” now at: https://grailknights.rpm.link/foreverPR
Crafted at Sascha Paeth’s Pathway Studios, their sidekick Sebastian Khayat delivered maximally heroic cover artwork for GRAILKNIGHTS’ new record, which fans can finally hold their hands on at the beginning of the quintet’s forthcoming “Battle Of Metal” co-headline tour with ALL FOR METAL.
20 – 25.09.2025 DE Kiel – Full Metal Cruise XII (Part I) SOLD OUT 25 – 30.09.2025 DE Kiel – Full Metal Cruise XII (Part II) SOLD OUT
“Battle Of Metal” Co-Headline Tour 2025 GRAILKNIGHTS & ALL FOR METAL w/ special guests Presented by Rock It!, musix, metal.de, Tasmanian Devil Agency, RPM & PERCEPTION
16.10.2025 DE Hanover – MusikZentrum 17.10.2025 DE Leipzig – Hellraiser 18.10.2025 DE Berlin – Lido 19.10.2025 DE Hamburg – Markthalle 21.10.2025 DE Aschaffenburg – Colos-Saal 22.10.2025 CH Pratteln – Konzertfabrik Z7 23.10.2025 DE Bochum – Matrix 24.10.2025 DE Munich – Backstage (Werk) 25.10.2025 DE Schirnding – Gemeindehalle 26.10.2025 CZ Zlín – Masters of Rock Café 27.10.2025 HU Budapest – Analog Music Hall 29.10.2025 AT Vienna – Viper Room 30.10.2025 DE Stuttgart – Im Wizemann (Club) 31.10.2025 DE Cologne – Club Volta 02.11.2025 FR Paris – Nouveau Casino 03.11.2025 ES Bilbao – Sala Groove 04.11.2025 ES Madrid – Revi Live 05.11.2025 ES Salamanca – Sala B Caem 06.11.2025 FR Lyon – Rock n’ Eat 07.11.2025 BE Kortrijk – DVG Club 08.11.2025 DE Löffingen – Rocknacht
If it’s on their 2004 debut album “Across The Galaxy,” its follow-ups “Return To Castle Grailskull” and “Alliance” or their tales of the past 15 years (“Calling The Choir,”“Knightfall” & “Muscle Bound For Glory”), GRAILKNIGHTS’ goal has remained the same – the Holy Grail must be returned to Grailham City! Their mission also led their flight path to stages around the globe, which they boldly dominated as headlining act and shared with acts such as SABATON, FEUERSCHWANZ, BROTHERS OF METAL and TWILIGHT FORCE among others, always supported by their brave fan base aka the Battlechoir.
During the years, some of these equally brave musicians have also lent their additional vocal support to the Hanover, Germany based squad: Tracks like ‘Turbo Boost [feat. FEUERSCHWANZ]’ but especially ‘Pumping Iron Power,’ which was graced by SABATON’s Joakim Brodén, crafted additional intergalactic bondings between the band and metalheads worldwide, and saw GRAILKNIGHTS’ success numbers go through the roof with ‘Pumping Iron Power’ recently hitting 15 million Spotify streams only.
Highly experienced in both studio and live battles, the superheroic metal group have faced and overcome several evil powers over time, and now they are set to oppose Dr. Skull in full length once again with their 7th adventure, followed by yet another journey across Europe. Joining forces with label family members ALL FOR METAL in autumn 2025, the “Battle Of Metal” can actually only end in another victory against all evil.
GRAILKNIGHTS are: Sir Optimus Prime | vocals Sovereign Storm | guitars, vocals Count Cranium | guitars, vocals Duncan MacLoud | bass, vocals Lord Drumcules | drums
Canada’s SCORCHING TOMB continue their path of unrelenting savagery with the release of their new single “Diminished to Ashes”, taken from the band’s upcoming debut album “Ossuary”, out October 24th, 2025 via Time To Kill Records.
The track distills the essence of SCORCHING TOMB’s sound into 4 minutes of sheer hostility, where crushing riffs, suffocating grooves and a hardcore-infused death metal assault collide with total abandon.
“‘Diminished to Ashes’ is a fast paced, face ripping banger with all the destructive elements that made death metal what it is today. Crippling vocals, punishing drums, reckless riffs crowned with death-imbued lyrics. This song will burn you to dust.”
After carving a name for themselves with a string of well-received EPs and a crushing split, the band is now poised to make their boldest statement yet. “Ossuary” captures their feral fusion of raw death metal and metallic hardcore at its most hostile, stripped of any modern gloss and delivered with total disdain for compromise.
With its filthy riffs, suffocating grooves and relentless aggression, the record is set to resonate with fans of Skinless, Fulci, Internal Bleeding, Xibalba and Terminal Nation, marking SCORCHING TOMB as one of the most uncompromising new forces in today’s extreme underground.
Tracklist:
1. Stalagmite Impalement 2. Skullcrush (feat. Devin Swank of Sanguisugabogg) 3. Diminished to Ashes 4. Sanctum of Bones (Ossuary) 5. Sentenced to Rot 6. Feel the Blade feat. Primal Horde 7. Bloodlust Sacrifice 8. Expired Existence
SCORCHING TOMB emerged from the sewers of Montreal in 2018 with one clear mission: to fuse old-school death metal with modern hardcore in a city ruled by technical death metal. It didn’t take long for the band to make a name for themselves in the underground. Their blend of blistering old-school riffs, crushing mosh parts, and explosive live energy quickly caught the attention of the hardcore scene in particular.
Originally formed by tattoo artist Vincent P.L. (vocals) and guitarist Philippe Leblanc, SCORCHING TOMB has since solidified its most formidable lineup yet with the addition of Miguel Lepage (ex–Blind Witness, ex–Obey the Brave) on bass and Émile Savard (Profane Order, ex–Malebranche) on drums. With this new blood, the band has evolved from a local standout into a fully weaponized force.
Now, the time has come to follow in the footsteps of Cryptopsy, Quo Vadis, and Despised Icon, proving once again that Montreal remains a relentless, unyielding powerhouse in the world of death metal.
Line-up:
Vincent Patrick Lajeunesse – Vocals Philippe Leblanc – Guitars, Backing vocals Miguel Lepage – Bass Émile Savard – Drums
While they’ve blazed beyond the hot box of stoner metal, after 16 years, Stoned Jesus are still expanding their horizons. This week, the heavy progressive rockers are officially embarking on a three-album journey that will take them all the way to the sun, moon and back. Though created during a dark period of instability, the trilogy’s stunning opener, Songs to Sun, is guided by a burning passion for innovation that frontman Igor Sydorenko shares with his new bandmates.
“The melodies, the hooks, the progressive side coming together with the sheer joy of a band riding grooves”, The Obelisk writes of Songs to Sun in an early review. “…it’s a next-level, AOTY-contender-type outing”.
“This is an outstanding record from a band who are simply at THE TOP OF THEIR GAME and who deserve all the plaudits fully coming their way”, salutes Outlaws of the Sun.
Songs to Sun was released on September 19 on Season of Mist, and you can hear all six mind-melting tracks by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel:
“It’s time for Songs to Sun to arrive”, Sydorenko says. “The first part of The Songs Trilogy is one of our heaviest and intense yet eclectic and intricate collection of tracks to date. I’m extremely proud of presenting it to you all to enjoy. Can’t wait to play this material live, too. See you on the road!”
Stoned Jesus are true trailblazers. Though often associated with the stoner crowd, frontman Igor Sydorenko has experimented with folk, prog, pop and alternative rock amidst familiar doses of doom. But after hitting the road hard in celebration of the band’s 15th anniversary, Sydorenko and his new mates set off for higher creative peaks.
“Each album in our upcoming trilogy highlights a different phase to Stoned Jesus”, Sydorenko says. “Songs to Sun shows off our heavier, more aggressive side”.
As if climbing above a mountain in the desert, massive opener “New Dawn” slowly appears on the horizon before bursting into flame behind a heavy psychedelic groove. More nods to Seven Thunders Roar and The Harvest appear like a rippling heat wave throughout Songs to Sun. Lead single “Shadowland” slides into Sydorenko’s catchiest riff since “Here Come the Robots”, though he and his new mates outrun their demons with a gothic spell of keys before breaking toward the light with a high-powered fusion of pop melodies and headbanging prog.
An existential shadow hangs over Songs to Sun. The album reflects the unstable ground that Sydorenko navigated once the band’s previous lineup dissolved. “There’s a constant sense of instability that seeps through the lyrics of Songs to Sun“, he says. “Lost in the Rain” dwells on a break-up amidst a shimmering ballad that finds the sweet spot between Pink Floyd and King Crimson. Even the rubber-burning “See You on the Road” puts the pedal to the metal despite the grind of life on tour.
But even though Songs to Sun provides plenty of headbanging moments, it’s the love for experimenting with their music that continues to give the members of Stoned Jesus a rock-solid foundation. “This is probably the happiest I’ve been creatively in Stoned Jesus”, Sydorenko says. “With both Andrew and Yuri now in the band, we can experiment as deep as we can”. “Low” breaks away from people-pleasing tendencies by doing something the band has never done before. Andrew Rodin holds down the low end with a climbing bass line and punishing backing vocals, only for Yurii Ciel to blow the song wide open with a torrential rush of blast beats.
“I’m tired of ideals, they’re fragile and unreal”, Sydorenko bristles as Songs to Sun begins to set. While the only time when the amps aren’t cranked to 11, “Quicksand” is not only the longest but also the album’s heaviest song. Written many years ago, but deemed too personal to share until now, its prickly acoustics strip away any and all pre-conceptions as Stoned Jesus prepare for the dark next phase of this epic journey.
“Songs to Sun merges the groovy intensity of stoner metal with the profound intricacies of vintage prog, while keeping the riffs and the choruses as catchy as ever” Sydorenko says. “One will hear a lot of new twists and turns. Being able to experiment is the only way to progress for me and the boys in the band”.
On Songs to Sun, Stoned Jesus set their heavy progressive rock to stun.
Tracklist 1. New Dawn (8:53) 2. Shadowland (4:38) [WATCH] 3. Lost in the Rain (7:49) 4. Low (4:09) [WATCH] 5. See You on the Road (5:45) 6. Quicksand (9:52)
Hear Stoned Jesus perform “Low”, “Shadowland” and other new songs off Songs to Sun during their upcoming European festival appearances and tours of Australia and Latin America.
2025 European Festivals November 8 – Bochum, DE @ Tombstoned Fest November 14 – Magny-Les-Hameaux, FR @ Foud Rock November 15 – Eindhoven, NL @ Helldorado
2025 XV & Debut Australian Tour September 28 – Perth @ The Rosemount October 1 – Canberra @ The Baso October 2 – Sydney @ The Underground October 3 – Brisbane @ Soapbox Beer October 4 – Melbourne @ The Leadbeater October 5 – Adelaide @ The Crown & Anchor
2025 Latin American Tour October 21 – Rio De Janeiro, Brazil @ Rock Experience October 22 – Porto Alegre, Brazil @ Gravador October 23 – Florianopolis, Brazil @ Desgosto October 24 – Curitiba, Brazil @ Beveldere October 25 – Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Jai Club October 26 – Belo Horizonte, Brazil @ Caverna October 28 – Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Uniclub October 29 – Santiago, Chile @ Club Ambar October 31 – Mexico City @ Sangriento [FIRST-EVER SHOW IN MEXICO]
Since 2009, Stoned Jesus has served as one of Europe’s leading forces in heavy rock. Igor Sydorenko, a veteran of the Ukrainian underground music scene, started it as a solo project after stumbling upon some heavy and angry riffs that would become the song “Occult.” He fed off his Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin influences and was soon turned onto Electric Wizard and Sleep, two bands who mastered the art of bold, lurching heaviness, thus creating a sonic template to abide by.
The Kyiv-based project was initially dubbed “Stoned Jesus from the Outer Space” but shortened to the much crisper Stoned Jesus. The name was trimmed down out of necessity — Sydorenko wanted to legitimize the band immediately. “I realized that this may cause some problems,” he told Psychedelic Baby in 2010. “Some people wouldn’t take our music seriously, then. I don’t mind jokes and having fun, but music is always the most serious thing for me.”
Two demos ensued before Stoned Jesus’s debut LP, 2010’s First Communion. Recorded with the first line-up in two hours, First Communion was a promising offering that dove headlong into the world of heavy stoner rock, with three songs going over the 10-minute mark for hypnotic effect. The album eventually saw a proper reissue in 2020, introducing it to a new group of fans. The first change of rhythm section brought Seven Thunders Roar in 2012, which included “I’m the Mountain,” a 13-minute epic that has since become a live staple. The album also introduced a bevy of acoustic guitar and softer vocal approaches from Sydorenko.
The Harvest came next in 2015 with a new drummer, deftly transitioning Stoned Jesus into the new terrain, with more alternative and progressive rock leanings. This is a credit to Sydorenko’s evolving songwriting style and desire to never allow Stoned Jesus to repeat itself. “It works brilliantly for the likes of Motörhead or AC/DC, but we’re not that legendary yet,” he told Outlaws of the Sun in 2015. “So, let’s experiment, shall we? Let’s play with the genres, the sound, the song structures, the melodies, the time signatures — yes, my favorite trick!”
With another change of the drummer, the fourth LP, Pilgrims, arrived in 2018. A bold and experimental record, it showed the growing maturity of both musical and lyrical sides of Igor’s ever-progressing songwriting. After a year-long The Pilgrimage Tour and yet another year on the road celebrating the band’s 10th anniversary with the greatest hits setlist, Stoned Jesus’ original plans were to record its follow-up in 2020. That, of course, was sidelined by the pandemic. The band then entered Spivaki Records in Kharkiv in July 2021 to record nine songs at 75 minutes. Two-thirds of the material was mixed and mastered before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, leaving the final run-time of six songs at 43 minutes.
The result was Father Light, the band’s first for Season of Mist, which caught Stoned Jesus in full bloom. The foundational elements of Stoned Jesus’s sound remained (fuzzed-out rock, driving bass lines and maximum groove), once again augmented by the combination of Sydorenko’s gentle clean vocals and hook-laden chorus choices, along with an array of ornamental guitar melodies. And, in true Stoned Jesus fashion, the journey is often the reward. The cuts on Father Light expand and shift — all the while, the band’s trademark heaviness serves as the guide.
Mother Dark, the gloomier introspective twin of Father Light, while partially recorded was shelved due to Igor’s dissatisfaction with the working dynamics of the latest Stoned Jesus line-up. Dissolving said line-up was a difficult decision to make, but Igor’s relocation to Europe brought a surprising reunion with his old friend Yurii, a talented drummer Igor had known even before writing the first Stoned Jesus song. Adding bassist-vocalist Andrew Rodin to this new line-up solidified its reliability, and now, after the whole year of relentless 25th Anniversary Tour schedule, the reinvigorated Stoned Jesus is more than ready for their next chapter.
Songs to Sun is the first album in a forthcoming trilogy that once complete, will stand as the pinnacle of what’s been a decades-long trip for Stoned Jesus. While picking up where Father Light left off, Sydorenko and his new mates still nod to Seven Thunders Roar and The Harvest along the way. But by merging metal’s fiery intensity with mind-melting grooves, vintage prog and their catchiest choruses yet, they bring the many distinct phases of Stoned Jesus to a bright, burning head.
Lineup Igor Sydorenko – Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards Andrew Rodin – Bass, Backing Vocals Yurii Ciel – Drums, Backing Vocals Production Credits Produced by Igor Sydorenko Recorded by Ignancy Gruzecki Mixed and Mastered by Karl Daniel Lidén at Studio Tri-Lamb, Sweden
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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