One of the most impressive aspects of Stoned Jesus‘ third is how comfortable the outfit seems in switching tone emotionally, as even the jump between the first two tracks, “Here Come the Robots” and “Wound” showcases. Musically, they’re both uptempo heavy rockers, and though there are changes in melody, even their runtimes are similar at 3:18 and 3:14, respectively. Where they’re really more distinct is in the lyrics. The opener takes an almost defiant tone. The line “I’m getting away” features in the verse and sums up the attitude of the song nicely, while with “Wound,” the idea is just the opposite. Its chorus, “All these words unspoken/Leave another wound,” doesn’t want to run away. It wants to talk it out.
Both those songs deal with relationships - the first seemingly a personal one, the second, which talks about the downtime between shows, seems more about the band itself - and make for a raucous opening duo to what feels like an intended side A, but there’s an outward-looking sensibility to The Harvest too, as institutionally-minded songs like “Rituals of the Sun” and “Black Church” make use of religious themes and side A closer “YFS” - an acronym for “Youth for Sale” - speaks pointedly about the military conflict in the Ukraine between Russian-backed separatist rebels and the state. Sidorenko isn’t quoting news reports or anything, but lines like, “Poison is boiling in brainwashed minds/But eye for an eye makes the world go blind/Carry your cross, don’t forget the nails/All I see now is youth for sale,” get the point across nonetheless. There is sonic diversity to match, as the seven-minute “Rituals of the Sun” pulls back on pace from “Here Come the Robots” and “Wound” and delves into more severe chugging in its central riff before spending much of its second half in an instrumental exploration, keys and guitar intertwining over the bass and drums only to be interrupted twice by a gang-shouted chorus. “YFS” is funkier all around, bringing to mind Living Colour‘s progressive blend, and the more extended “Silkworm Confessions” (9:11) and “Black Church” (14:45) only branch out further on an immersive side B, the chorus for the former an almost Mastodonic shout and the latter gradually fading into a pummeling, militant snare march and doomed vibe early and breaking off after 10 minutes in to organ-laced, brooding cult rock. What unites the closing duo (which make up more than half the runtime between them) is a sense of drama in the vocal delivery, Stoned Jesus toying with these various performance elements and their audience alike. Much to their credit, they make it work.
- theobelisk.net
