STONED JESUS — Seven Thunders Roar (review)

STONED JESUS — Seven Thunders Roar album cover Album · 2012 · Stoner Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
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.
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