DOOMED & STONED IN RUSSIA:
An Introduction To The Scene

By Anton Bryukov

With prevalent cold weather and a rich history from per-christian folklore to the existentialism of Russian literature and the avant garde art movement of the 1920s Russia has a solid cultural background from which new forms of post-modernist art began to grow. Rock music in general began to shape itself in Russia in the late 1970s. But doom metal came into the country's counter-culture in the very late 1980s.

The first few bands at that time played slow Sabbath-sounding heavy metal and epic doom, were not popular yet, but were on a way of becoming a foundation for the early doom-cult. When the '90s began russian doom-death and Gothic doom appeared. The scene was populated by the bands and projects inspired by the gloomy sounds of the european doom-death mainly linked to the Peaceville Trio sound. It was in the later half of the 2000s, when the more traditional sabbath-influenced sounds of stoner and sludge became part of the scene.

In present times the scene is still divided into the more doom-death sounding bands, and also the Sabbath worshiping zealots of true doom, and everything in between — from Gothic doom's mournful vigils to the dirges of the funeral doom bands.

The compilation our team had put together for the grand Billy Goate's Doomed & Stoned series is a documentation of the Russian doom scene in all its glory past-present and future. Some bands on this compilation are the veterans of the doom metal movement dating back as early as the late 80's, and some bands formed a few years ago.

The diversity and the honest energy of this music is present in both the more melancholic tracks and the raw doom blues of the traditional doom bands. Russian doom is many things – Gothic, psychedelic, cold and energetic. The existential themes present in Russian culture carried across to the lyrics of many of the songs.

The compilation would not be possible without the outstanding cover art by Alexey Sivitsky (IG: godlikeikons), depicting the Gamayun bird (a mythic creature of Russian folklore), sitting on a skull. The cover perfectly fits the atmosphere of the compilation, which includes bands from all over Russia from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Yaroslavl to the cold lands of Siberia and other regions.

We hope that this compilation will introduce the audience to great new music.

-Anton Bryukov-
Project Member & Curator
Doomed & Stoned in Russia