The Re-Stoned is a stoner rock and psychedelic rock group from Moscow, Russia, and was formed around 2008. From what I can tell based on a quick search of the internet, it seems as though the band is completely instrumental. I think I added this album to my queue from the same suggestions from Apple Music as when I added the Naxatras album that I listened to recently, II (2016), to my queue, and Naxatras didn’t feature many vocals and was also in that sort of hard rock/stoner rock category that I’ve been digging lately. This album, Stories of the Astral Lizard (2018), is the group’s eleventh studio album according to the band’s Discogs page. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Fractal Panorama” starts out with some really sweet tremelo electric guitar that harkens back to the psychedelic styles of the west coast in the 1960s. There’s some interesting percussion that sounds like raindrops combined with shells clattering. Holy smokes, a tabla soon comes in and brings the soundscape to shamanic territory in a manner reminiscent of TOOL. Oh wow, the tune sounds like it’s continually building up and mellowing out at the same time with the addition of a second electric guitar part that hits some really sweet high notes that melt into the soundscape. Oh wow, I’m really digging this track. Holy smokes, the track has somehow launched into an increasingly psychedelic movement that seems to build on a certain darkness that feels like some strange combination of The Doors and TOOL.
The music in this song is a really groovy combination of mellow, darkness, and psychedelia that’s presented as something that could possibly serve as the soundtrack to a movie set in the 1960s about the bursting psychedelic scene of the era. Wow, this is great. This is something I could put on and feel like I could get a lot of work done as it gently coaxes me towards accomplishing a task. Holy smokes, the tune is still evolving on itself at this point. I’m also vaguely reminded of Akron/Family with the shamanic and psychedelic nature of the music. Holy smokes, one of the guitars picks up a wah effect and starts absolutely dripping into the soundscape even more than it already was. I’m really digging the mellow percussion in this track, which gently eases the track along. Oh wow, the very end of the song is just guitar for a moment that reminds me “India”, a song by a jazz guitarist, Joe Diorio. Oh wow, I’m really digging this song. Wow, great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Mental Print for Free” begins with some really interesting acoustic guitar that has a sound reminiscent of Bert Jansch and other guitarists from the late 1960s British folk revival, which is subtly infused with some psychedelia. Holy smokes, the electric guitar has some really groovy spacey and cosmic vibes that continually evolve as the raga-inflected drums coax the jams further along. Holy smokes, another acoustic guitar comes in and takes the place of the electric guitar, which brings this track into a really groovy, spacey, psychedelic folk territory. Wow, great track.
“A Companion from the Outside” begins with some very melty electric guitar and some somewhat ominous effects that remind me of Adam Jones and TOOL. Holy smokes, the spacey synth/keyboard sound effects remind me a lot of Fifty Foot Hose and even Gong to some degree. Holy smokes, I’m really digging the combination of the distorted, meandering electric guitar set to the shamanic, raga-inflected drums played on what sounds to be a tabla. Oh wow, I just noticed the bass line in this track, which subtly grooves along to the beat in a style that reminds me of Justin Chancellor of TOOL. Wow, I sort of spaced out while listening to this song. Great track.
“Two Astral Projections” gets started with a really groovy mixture of cosmic sounds and effects from guitars and keyboards, which, for a moment, sound like the Grateful Dead going from their space section into “Dark Star” during a live show. Oh wow, the guitar starts to take form amidst the other cosmic sounds, while seemingly still melting and dripping into the soundscape with each note. Holy smokes, some acoustic guitar comes in, and suddenly the track has become some sort of spacey psychedelic folk. Holy smokes, a big raga-inflected beat and some big, low grooves from the bass both come in shortly after the acoustic guitar, which somehow give the song even more structure while venturing further into space. Holy smokes, the electric guitar plays a chord with a tremelo effect and some distortion that feels like it was pulled out of a psychedelic rock track recorded near Venice Beach circa 1967.
Wow, this track is still evolving on itself. I’m vaguely reminded a bit of the instrumentation in “Sea Green Symphony” by Joy, which was a psychedelic prog rock group from the early 1970s that I wrote about recently. Oh wow, the soundscape has ventured into a sort of psychedelic space whale song that immediately makes me think of Gong, and even a bit of Hawkwind. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar comes back in after the psychedelic space whale section, which seems to formulate some sort of structure for the song to build on, as the raga-inflected drums and low, mellow bass line soon join in again as well. Oh wow, I’m really digging this movement as the electric guitar plays with what sounds to be a combination of distortion and wah in a manner similar to Adam Jones. Holy smokes, this electric guitar part has evolved into a really groovy, far out section reminiscent of the psychedelic rock from southern California around 1967, and is set to some really interesting, spacey, and shamanic sounds. The whole song feels very shamanic on multiple levels; folk, rock, space, metal, and raga elements are all combined in a psychedelic setting that has me continually listening closer and closer. Wow, great track.
“The Heather Carnival” starts out with a really flavorful folksy acoustic guitar chord, and is shortly followed some sweet flute and the continuation of the chord progression from the acoustic guitar, which combine to sound as though you’ve just discovered a welcoming yet forgotten meadow in the deep expanse of space. Oh wow, the raga percussion comes in and seems to coax you towards this forgotten meadow. Another acoustic guitar comes in from the other side of the soundscape and seems to also guide you towards the meadow. Oh wow, the raining shell sounds that have appeared at a few different moments comes into the soundscape are back with a very calming presence. Wow, great track, and a great way to finish this listening experience.
Holy smokes, this album is great. I’m excited to know how many more albums The Re-Stoned has recorded, because this was a listening experienced that I very much enjoyed. The sound throughout was a sort of mellow and shamanic, as the different grooves from the band eased you through the listening experience through a combination of different folk, rock, and cosmic sounds that were presented in a far out, psychedelic style. It reminded me a bit of The Doors meets TOOL meets Akron/Family. If you’re into far out, spacey, raga-inflected, psychedelic rock instrumentals, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A