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Hello, could you introduce yourself to the readers?
- Hey we’re Stoned Jesus from Ukraine, still alive at the moment of answering this interview. I’m Igor, the vocals-guitar-songwriting-everything else guy.
Could you describe your musical journey?
- From a one-man band concerned with creating a good stoner doom album back in 2009 to the eclectic and confident heavy prog trio now – quite a trip!
How would you describe your sound?
- It’s something we’re constantly working on actually, and I can’t really say we’re there yet. Which really makes this journey even more exciting. I’d say a Stoned Jesus song is rather heavy yet melodic, groovy yet structurally interesting, dark yet never boring.
What can you tell me about your previous four records, and how they have shaped your sound now?
- I see them as this logical progression from the genre standards towards something of our own… I’d say either The Harvest (2015) or Pilgrims (2018) is my favourite, give them a spin or two if you haven’t yet!
How did you come up with the band name ‘Stoned Jesus’?
- Well, it’s not like a genius name, is it? Or do you want me to tell you how the mushroom wizard on the giant bong took me to the desert and the name appeared written in stars in the sky, ahah.
You recently signed to Season of Mist, which is a huge signing. How did it come about?
- Thanks! I was in touch with Michael from SoM before, we’re both in love with some obscure prog artists nobody else seems to care about. So, I mentioned to him we left the previous label and would like to work with somebody who understands the artsy side of the rock/metal world… and who does this better than SoM honestly? So here we are, heh.
What hopes and aspirations do you think Stoned Jesus will get from the deal?
- Reaching out to more people who are genuinely interested in some new and original rock/metal music has always been our goal since forever. So, I truly hope SoM will help us on our way to excellence!
Do you feel it is difficult for bands to get such deals with record labels?
- These days yes, absolutely. I have a few other music projects, one of which is called Arlekin recorded a new album last year. I was terrified at the idea that as an artist you gotta find a label – and a good one, preferably! I ended up releasing it independently so give it a spin if you care – it’s available at arlekin.streamlink.to/LP2021
You have a new single out called ‘Porcelain’, what can you tell me about the song?
- It was one of the rare songs that the guys in my band (Sergii – bass, Dmytro – drums) loved instantly when I brought it, so it became our favourite quickly. It’s an obvious choice for the first single because it perfectly shows all the best sides of Stoned Jesus – it’s dark yet catchy, weird yet groovy, heavy yet melodic. I’m loving it!
Do you have plans for a new album? What is next for Stoned Jesus in 2022?
- We’ve recorded it last summer actually, but due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine AND the vinyl crisis in the music industry had to push it back to early 2023. “Porcelain” is on it, as well as a few other tracks which we’ll try to release during 2022. This is the plan for now – to survive basically and to release new tracks amidst all of that. If you want to help us with this – donate to comebackalive.in.ua! Thanks
Interview by Anselm Anderson
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