After 15 years of trailblazing across doom metal, grunge, psychedelic and art rock, no height is too steep a climb for Stoned Jesus. The heavy progressive rockers are reaching a new creative peak with their forthcoming album trilogy. Its opening chapter, “Songs to Sun”, rose atop best of 2025 lists at Doom Charts, Rock Hard, The Obelisk and other critical institutions. Now, frontman Igor Sydorenko and his two band mates are cycling into the darkest, most daring and deeply moving territory of their career with “Songs to Moon”, out on on October 16th 2026, a seven-track record and the second installment of “The Songs” trilogy.
Today, the band releases “Velvet”, the first single from “Songs to Moon”, alongside a ‘90s-style music video.
Watch the official video for “Velvet” below.
“Velvet” hits hard with one of the band’s biggest hooks, its doomgaze catchiness pulling the listener into an uncertain freefall. The existential shroud that hung over “Songs to Sun” continues to weigh on Sydorenko: “Still I’m falling down / From high above”, he sings with cool remove. Mini-prog-opera “Jackal” features the band at their most theatrical. Smack in the middle of the tracklist, and falling precisely halfway through the entire trilogy, the melancholic “Syzygy” configures one melody from each Songs to… album into the band’s first-ever instrumental track. Following in the steps of Led Zeppelin “III”, Opeth’s “Damnation” or Alice In Chain’s “Jar of Flies”, during its final lap “Songs to Moon” strips down to acoustic guitar and Sydorenko’s hushed vocals: “And when the sun goes down / It brightens up my mood”. As the dreamy desperation of “Window in My Room” fades beneath the stark reminder of closer “One More Empty Day”, Stoned Jesus return to earth weary but wise beyond their years and ready to explore the next frontier.
The doomgaze of “Velvet” floats endlessly amidst uncertainty, hitting hard with one of the band’s biggest hooks. “This song answers the question: What if Nirvana was shoegaze?”, Sydorenko teases. “Songs to Moon” will be available on CD Digipack and four vinyl variants.
Stoned Jesus states:
“We started ‘The Songs’ trilogy last year with ‘Songs to Sun’, which is a loud and heavy album that’s big on choruses and meaty riffs. While still heavy and catchy, ‘Songs to Moon’ follows a similar trajectory to Led Zeppelin ‘III’, Opeth’s ‘Damnation’ or ‘Jar of Flies’ by Alice In Chains. The songs are recognizably Stoned Jesus, but they are bolder, more haunting and introspective than anything we’ve done before”.
Pre-order & pre-save “Song to Moon” here.
Tracklist:
1. Under the Skin (5:29)
2. Velvet (5:11)
3. ZYX (5:30)
4. Syzgy (4:50)
5. Jackal (6:48)
6. Window in My Room (8:22)
7. One More Empty Day (4:41)
European Festival Dates 2026:
August 8 – Rome, Italy @ Roma Stone Fest
August 20 – La Maroutière, France @ V and B Fest
August 29 – Teramo, Italy @ Suburbiae Festival
October 30 – Vallet, France @ WeStill Fest
“Songs to Sun” arrived in 2025 as 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 nodded to Seven Thunders Roar and The Harvest along the way. But by merging metal’s fiery intensity with mind-melting grooves, nods to vintage prog and their catchiest choruses yet, they brought the many distinct phases of Stoned Jesus to a bright, burning head. The album was named one of the best of the year by Doom Charts, Rock Hard, The Obelisk, Weedian, Metal Lair and other outlets.
Now, just one year later, following a European co-headline tour with Finnish proggers Wheel and a triumphant return to Hellfest, Stoned Jesus are taking a giant leap into the darkest, most daring and deeply moving territory of their career with “Songs to Moon”.
“Under the Skin” opens in the large shadows of its predecessor with a loud and heavy slab of post-metal that plunges into darkness like the setting sun. The existential shroud that hung over “Songs to Sun” continues to weigh on Sydorenko. “Still I’m falling down / From high above”, he sings with cool remove amidst the catchy doomgaze that’s expertly weaved into lead single “Velvet”. Mini-prog-opera “Jackal” features the band at their most theatrical. Smack in the middle of the tracklist (and falling precisely halfway through the entire trilogy), the melancholic “Syzgy” configures one melody from each Songs to…album into their first-ever instrumental track. But even on their darkest and moodiest record, Stoned Jesus can’t be confined to just one shade of blue.
Following in the steps of Led Zeppelin “III”, Opeth’s “Damnation” or Alice In Chain’s “Jar of Flies”, during its final lap, Songs to Moon strips down to acoustic guitar and Sydorenko’s hushed vocals. “And when the sun goes down / It brightens up my mood”. As the dreamy desperation of “Window in My Room” fades beneath the stark reminder of closer “One More Empty Day”, Stoned Jesus return to earth weary but wise beyond their years and ready to explore the next frontier.
Recording Line-up:
Igor Sydorenko — Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
Andrew Rodin — Bass, Backing Vocals
Yurii Ciel — Drums, Backing Vocals
Live Line-up:
Igor Sydorenko — Vocals, Guitar
Andrew Rodin — Bass, Backing Vocals
Ihor Biriuchenko — Drums, Percussion
Production Credits:
Producer — Igor Sydorenko
Sound Engineer — Andy Rosczyk
Mixing and Mastering Engineer — Karl Daniel Lidén
Recording Studio:
Goblin Sound Studio in Cologne, Germany
Mixing and Mastering Studio:
Studio Tri-Lamb, Sweden
Cover Art:
Vadym “Karaska” Karasiov
