The soil that has been cultivated by Without God for the past seven years since the phenomenal “Circus Of Freaks” gave a perfect harvest. The first crop has already been delivered in the form of the EP "Siberian Tunes: The Green Light", and now the second part has arrived in all its strength: the full-length album "Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds" performed in a hard, dark and aggressive way, without mercy and compassion to listeners, pushing one straight into hell at full speed. The limited edition coming as a noble 4-panel digipack addressed to the true fans best expresses the message by Without God.
Tracklist:
1. Bad Seeds
2. Escape
3. Celebration
4. Mask
5. Anxiety
6. Not A Care
7. Song Of The Stone
8. Winner
Artist:
Without God
Artist Country:
Russia
Album Year:
2021
Title:
Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds
Genre:
stoner doom metal
Format:
CD
Type:
CD Album
Package:
Digipak
Label:
Solitude Productions
Cat Num:
DMR 003
Release Year:
2021
Barcode:
4627080612013
Country Of Manufacture:
Russia
Review
Kaosguards
17/20
17.09.2021
Même s’il s’agit de mon premier contact avec ce groupe russe, on ne peut dire que WITHOUT GOD soit un groupe débutant. Formé en 2008, il a d’ores et déjà publié deux albums studio et un live, ainsi que des formats courts. Faisant suite au EP quatre titres « Siberian Tunes : The Green Light » (paru plus tôt en 2021), ce troisième album semble privilégier le versant identitaire Doom Metal, au détriment de l’étiquette Stoner souvent accolée au groupe.
Les sources d’inspirations semblent notamment issues des années 70, avec une palanquée de riffs qu’on croirait prêtés par Tony Iommi en personne ; idem pour les solos de guitare fuzzy, bluesy, alternant notes tenues et staccati nerveux. Par ailleurs, il règne sur certains passages des effluves psychédéliques de bon aloi, notamment dans le chant hanté dans des échos troubles et des intonations suintant d’un malaise palpable. Par contre, le traitement radical de ces ingrédients de base renvoie ostensiblement au Doom Metal tel qu’il s’est développé à partir des années 80. Je peux vous assurer que, quand WITHOUT GOD décide de se faire lourd, cela peut donner des monstres impressionnants comme le bien nommé « Song Of The Stone » qui écrase tout sur son passage, sept minutes durant, se permettant une splendide éclaircie mélodique à la fin. Car WITHOUT GOD affectionne les formats assez costauds (entre six et presque neuf minutes) afin de permettre le développement des ambiances et de donner toute leur place aux rythmiques épaisses.
Par ailleurs, ces rythmiques lourdes mais tordues, ces structures rampantes, ce chant habité et torturé, représentent autant d’éléments qui m’évoquent par moments les moments les plus intenses des formations Grunge les plus proches du Metal, à savoir ALICE IN CHAINS et SOUNDGARDEN, ce qui élargit quelque peu le spectre.
Même si, globalement, cet album ne va pas redéfinir le Doom, on se doit de saluer les efforts méritoires réalisés par le groupe pour proposer un répertoire, non seulement crédible, mais aussi suffisamment personnel.
Author: Alain Lavanne
Kaosguards
17/20
17.09.2021
Même s’il s’agit de mon premier contact avec ce groupe russe, on ne peut dire que WITHOUT GOD soit un groupe débutant. Formé en 2008, il a d’ores et déjà publié deux albums studio et un live, ainsi que des formats courts. Faisant suite au EP quatre titres « Siberian Tunes : The Green Light » (paru plus tôt en 2021), ce troisième album semble privilégier le versant identitaire Doom Metal, au détriment de l’étiquette Stoner souvent accolée au groupe.
Les sources d’inspirations semblent notamment issues des années 70, avec une palanquée de riffs qu’on croirait prêtés par Tony Iommi en personne ; idem pour les solos de guitare fuzzy, bluesy, alternant notes tenues et staccati nerveux. Par ailleurs, il règne sur certains passages des effluves psychédéliques de bon aloi, notamment dans le chant hanté dans des échos troubles et des intonations suintant d’un malaise palpable. Par contre, le traitement radical de ces ingrédients de base renvoie ostensiblement au Doom Metal tel qu’il s’est développé à partir des années 80. Je peux vous assurer que, quand WITHOUT GOD décide de se faire lourd, cela peut donner des monstres impressionnants comme le bien nommé « Song Of The Stone » qui écrase tout sur son passage, sept minutes durant, se permettant une splendide éclaircie mélodique à la fin. Car WITHOUT GOD affectionne les formats assez costauds (entre six et presque neuf minutes) afin de permettre le développement des ambiances et de donner toute leur place aux rythmiques épaisses.
Par ailleurs, ces rythmiques lourdes mais tordues, ces structures rampantes, ce chant habité et torturé, représentent autant d’éléments qui m’évoquent par moments les moments les plus intenses des formations Grunge les plus proches du Metal, à savoir ALICE IN CHAINS et SOUNDGARDEN, ce qui élargit quelque peu le spectre.
Même si, globalement, cet album ne va pas redéfinir le Doom, on se doit de saluer les efforts méritoires réalisés par le groupe pour proposer un répertoire, non seulement crédible, mais aussi suffisamment personnel.
Author: Alain Lavanne
Review
Cross Fire
8/10
Mit „Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds“ machen die russischen Edel Doomer da weiter wo sie bei „Siberian Tunes: The Green Light“ aufgehört haben. Wie auch das erste Werk 2021 ist der neueste Release ein klassisch inspiriertes Opus. Die Jungs die nur zwanzig Kilometer von Moskau entfernt in Korollar wohnen haben ihre Hausaufgaben gemacht wenn es um lupenreinen Stoner Doom geht. Hier sitzt jedes Black Sabbath Gedenk-Riff und jedes gekonnte Wehklagen von Anton, jeder Break von Ivan (Drums) und jede Bass Linie von Scott Simons (Bass). Wie schon bei dem Vorgänger (dessen Texte noch komplett auf Russisch waren) regiert hier eine gekonnte Mischung aus Siebziger Doom mit psychedelischen Versatzstücken gepaart mit Neunziger Jahre Stoner Rock der Marke Kyuss und Orange Goblin. Die Recken machen definitiv alles richtig und zelebrieren hier fantastisch melodischen Stoner Doom der mit herrlich atmosphärischen Kompositionen ins Ohr und nur äußerst ungern wieder heraus geht. Cleane Vocals ohne Sludge-artige Hektik oder unmelodisches Gebolze, genau so brauche ich meinen Stoner Doom oder doomigen Stoner Rock. Wer Bands wie Crowbar oder Paradise Lost liebt und nichts dagegen hat wenn es ohne Growls zugeht wird hier seinen Spaß haben.
Author: Dennis Eikenkötter
Cross Fire
8/10
Mit „Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds“ machen die russischen Edel Doomer da weiter wo sie bei „Siberian Tunes: The Green Light“ aufgehört haben. Wie auch das erste Werk 2021 ist der neueste Release ein klassisch inspiriertes Opus. Die Jungs die nur zwanzig Kilometer von Moskau entfernt in Korollar wohnen haben ihre Hausaufgaben gemacht wenn es um lupenreinen Stoner Doom geht. Hier sitzt jedes Black Sabbath Gedenk-Riff und jedes gekonnte Wehklagen von Anton, jeder Break von Ivan (Drums) und jede Bass Linie von Scott Simons (Bass). Wie schon bei dem Vorgänger (dessen Texte noch komplett auf Russisch waren) regiert hier eine gekonnte Mischung aus Siebziger Doom mit psychedelischen Versatzstücken gepaart mit Neunziger Jahre Stoner Rock der Marke Kyuss und Orange Goblin. Die Recken machen definitiv alles richtig und zelebrieren hier fantastisch melodischen Stoner Doom der mit herrlich atmosphärischen Kompositionen ins Ohr und nur äußerst ungern wieder heraus geht. Cleane Vocals ohne Sludge-artige Hektik oder unmelodisches Gebolze, genau so brauche ich meinen Stoner Doom oder doomigen Stoner Rock. Wer Bands wie Crowbar oder Paradise Lost liebt und nichts dagegen hat wenn es ohne Growls zugeht wird hier seinen Spaß haben.
Author: Dennis Eikenkötter
Review
Metal Temple
8/10
14.11.2021
WITHOUT GOD is a doom metal band from Russia, who formed in 2008. "Siberian Tunes - Purple Clouds," is their third full length album. They have also released two demos, three EPs and a live album. This release comes just a month after their "Siberian Tunes: The Green Light" EP. I'm not sure if there as any connecting story or theme between the two but I must hear the EP because I'm very impressed with "Purple Clouds."
Being doom, the band's sound is obviously heavy but this album features some truly thick and impenetrable riffage. Often times the guitar and bass just roll out of the songs in huge waves of concrete slabs. I love it. Stoner and psychedelic elements are also presence, mostly due to the guitar solos and vocals. Anton's vocal are loud and proud but can also be smoky and mysterious. His guitar playing, along with Alexander, goes from sludgy groove to Godzilla mega crunch all the way back to glacier slow riffs that are so heavy they are in danger of caving in the very air around them.
"Bad Seeds," combines everything I just mentioned in its opening moments. The atmosphere here is archaic and a little dangerous. Anton's howling vocals are the perfect sparing partner with these inescapable giant riffs. The rhythm section of Ivan's drums Scott's bass steer this ship through these dark, cold and muddy waters. I found myself doing a full body head bang dry heave during the guitar solo, those lead notes wrapping around me while the rest of the band pulls me down. I didn't have to say "please shove a sweet doom riff and psychedelic guitar lick into my ear drums" because the band does it for me on "Escape." Anton's wailing over the riffs hits the sweet spot between being pummeled and hallucinating and the foggy lead afterwards just pulls me in further into the haze. The rhythm section backing the second solo pushes forward, moving the very earth towards the song's end.
"Anxiety," sounds like the love child OF CANDLEMASS, DEEP PURPLE, SABBATH and PLACE OF SKULLS but somehow even more grimly and grueling in its desire to bring about mountainous doom. Anton's vocal rhythm in the song's first half are fire and work with the music—this is a fine example of musicians working together who are on the same page and each respect the other's abilities. This song is faster paced at times with sort biting rhythm work in between the bigger, wider riffs. This works pretty well and gives the song some energy that the drums run with.
What is it like when a bass guitar turns into a monstrous, living thing? I don't know either but the final track, "Winner," seems to know. This tack is dirty and abrasive—just pure filthy. The guitars and drums play off each other here so the song seems surprisingly chaotic in places. The last minute and a half is just stupid good doom metal: slow and grinding guitar with bass and drums that rattle speakers. "Siberian Tunes - Purple Clouds," has made me an instant fan of WITHOUT GOD. Russia is obviously a good inspiration for doom metal and this album is a wonderful creation born from the environment that is appropriately musically heavy cold and bleak as one could imagine.
Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 8
Production: 8
Author: Justin "Witty City" Wittenmeier
Metal Temple
8/10
14.11.2021
WITHOUT GOD is a doom metal band from Russia, who formed in 2008. "Siberian Tunes - Purple Clouds," is their third full length album. They have also released two demos, three EPs and a live album. This release comes just a month after their "Siberian Tunes: The Green Light" EP. I'm not sure if there as any connecting story or theme between the two but I must hear the EP because I'm very impressed with "Purple Clouds."
Being doom, the band's sound is obviously heavy but this album features some truly thick and impenetrable riffage. Often times the guitar and bass just roll out of the songs in huge waves of concrete slabs. I love it. Stoner and psychedelic elements are also presence, mostly due to the guitar solos and vocals. Anton's vocal are loud and proud but can also be smoky and mysterious. His guitar playing, along with Alexander, goes from sludgy groove to Godzilla mega crunch all the way back to glacier slow riffs that are so heavy they are in danger of caving in the very air around them.
"Bad Seeds," combines everything I just mentioned in its opening moments. The atmosphere here is archaic and a little dangerous. Anton's howling vocals are the perfect sparing partner with these inescapable giant riffs. The rhythm section of Ivan's drums Scott's bass steer this ship through these dark, cold and muddy waters. I found myself doing a full body head bang dry heave during the guitar solo, those lead notes wrapping around me while the rest of the band pulls me down. I didn't have to say "please shove a sweet doom riff and psychedelic guitar lick into my ear drums" because the band does it for me on "Escape." Anton's wailing over the riffs hits the sweet spot between being pummeled and hallucinating and the foggy lead afterwards just pulls me in further into the haze. The rhythm section backing the second solo pushes forward, moving the very earth towards the song's end.
"Anxiety," sounds like the love child OF CANDLEMASS, DEEP PURPLE, SABBATH and PLACE OF SKULLS but somehow even more grimly and grueling in its desire to bring about mountainous doom. Anton's vocal rhythm in the song's first half are fire and work with the music—this is a fine example of musicians working together who are on the same page and each respect the other's abilities. This song is faster paced at times with sort biting rhythm work in between the bigger, wider riffs. This works pretty well and gives the song some energy that the drums run with.
What is it like when a bass guitar turns into a monstrous, living thing? I don't know either but the final track, "Winner," seems to know. This tack is dirty and abrasive—just pure filthy. The guitars and drums play off each other here so the song seems surprisingly chaotic in places. The last minute and a half is just stupid good doom metal: slow and grinding guitar with bass and drums that rattle speakers. "Siberian Tunes - Purple Clouds," has made me an instant fan of WITHOUT GOD. Russia is obviously a good inspiration for doom metal and this album is a wonderful creation born from the environment that is appropriately musically heavy cold and bleak as one could imagine.
Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 8
Production: 8
Author: Justin "Witty City" Wittenmeier
Review
Rock Music Raider
7/10
21.09.2021
This year already whelped pretty sturdy and traditionally-minded Doom Metal records that we still fondly remember. But the real rush towards oldish tears and trepidation started in 2020 when old-style doomers boarded the massive RMR 100-gun flagship with a mighty roar. Since then, our lookouts never stopped searching for more slow ‘n’ heavy sorrowful pieces.
One would typically go a-hunting on anglo-saxon shores for bands in that genre with – perhaps – a few injections from Western Europe. But sometimes the RMR radar will detect promising candidates from other spots on our vast globe. So, let’s head East for once.
The Russians of Without God with their newest album Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds definitely qualify. Here’s a band that one would easily place somewhere in the boonies of the American Mid-West. Their Doom Metal comes with a deliciously sludgy stoner itch. One that’s full of stellar slow-marching riffs and roaring solos to die for. And all of that comes on a foundation of good old Stoner Metal stuffed to the gills with fuzz and wah-wah.
In a way, you’ll find a swampy version of Khemmis going full-tilt Crypt Sermon. And sometimes I had these crazy visions of Siberian Tunes slam in the middle of Black Sabbath’s older discography, somewhere around the Paranoid era. Or just thereafter.
And this is one record that takes no prisoners. Albeit that I would have liked the typical clear voice vocals to hit a bit more front-center. Those kinda sit in the background of the mix when they should be in yer face. Also, the band sports a tendency to noodle about the soundscape with needlessly lengthy bouts of riffing and soloing. And that starts to disturb the peace somewhat in the second half where quality tunes become scarcer.
That said, let me stress again that this is mostly high-octane Stoner Doom that them Russian boys lobbed in our direction. Already Bad Seeds with its Dane-ish1) vocals and stellar solo leaves you with no doubt where this is going. Mask – for instance – is that one track with that juicy oomph, a slow-moving heap of doomy groove that roared out of our music machine way too many times. Makes me wanna break out that olde bag o’ weed every time I hear it.
The slightly grungy beat of Celebration harkens back to times when steamy music halls and teen spirits were all the rage. In a typical doom manner, mind you, but – boy – this one here got my internal wayback machine running overtime. And whoever said that Without God could not manage a bout of psychedelic speed, right?
Now, Song of a Stone comes in second on Siberian Tunes. Where the aforementioned Mask was something that Crypt Sermon never thought of, this track here made our day. The wah-wah filled solos, the stately riffs, and – wait for it – a bit of an excursion into prog’s delights had our minds wandering off.
Unfortunately, where there is light, you’ll find darkness. I often deplore the uncanny length of a record and this one is no different. It does unfortunately contain a few duds in a relatively short tracklist. Not a Care, for instance, would be one of those that could have easily been dismissed from the tracklist. Just sayin’.
Ultimately, however, Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds delivers Doom Metal just the way we crave it. And Without God turned out to be one of those rare bands fully worth its doomy salt. They indeed planted their stakes firmly where Doom Metal dwells and let everybody know about it. A juicy stream of well-balanced, sludgy, slightly psychedelic, stoner-infused sorrow.
Take heed, they will be going places.
Author: RockmusicRaider
Rock Music Raider
7/10
21.09.2021
This year already whelped pretty sturdy and traditionally-minded Doom Metal records that we still fondly remember. But the real rush towards oldish tears and trepidation started in 2020 when old-style doomers boarded the massive RMR 100-gun flagship with a mighty roar. Since then, our lookouts never stopped searching for more slow ‘n’ heavy sorrowful pieces.
One would typically go a-hunting on anglo-saxon shores for bands in that genre with – perhaps – a few injections from Western Europe. But sometimes the RMR radar will detect promising candidates from other spots on our vast globe. So, let’s head East for once.
The Russians of Without God with their newest album Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds definitely qualify. Here’s a band that one would easily place somewhere in the boonies of the American Mid-West. Their Doom Metal comes with a deliciously sludgy stoner itch. One that’s full of stellar slow-marching riffs and roaring solos to die for. And all of that comes on a foundation of good old Stoner Metal stuffed to the gills with fuzz and wah-wah.
In a way, you’ll find a swampy version of Khemmis going full-tilt Crypt Sermon. And sometimes I had these crazy visions of Siberian Tunes slam in the middle of Black Sabbath’s older discography, somewhere around the Paranoid era. Or just thereafter.
And this is one record that takes no prisoners. Albeit that I would have liked the typical clear voice vocals to hit a bit more front-center. Those kinda sit in the background of the mix when they should be in yer face. Also, the band sports a tendency to noodle about the soundscape with needlessly lengthy bouts of riffing and soloing. And that starts to disturb the peace somewhat in the second half where quality tunes become scarcer.
That said, let me stress again that this is mostly high-octane Stoner Doom that them Russian boys lobbed in our direction. Already Bad Seeds with its Dane-ish1) vocals and stellar solo leaves you with no doubt where this is going. Mask – for instance – is that one track with that juicy oomph, a slow-moving heap of doomy groove that roared out of our music machine way too many times. Makes me wanna break out that olde bag o’ weed every time I hear it.
The slightly grungy beat of Celebration harkens back to times when steamy music halls and teen spirits were all the rage. In a typical doom manner, mind you, but – boy – this one here got my internal wayback machine running overtime. And whoever said that Without God could not manage a bout of psychedelic speed, right?
Now, Song of a Stone comes in second on Siberian Tunes. Where the aforementioned Mask was something that Crypt Sermon never thought of, this track here made our day. The wah-wah filled solos, the stately riffs, and – wait for it – a bit of an excursion into prog’s delights had our minds wandering off.
Unfortunately, where there is light, you’ll find darkness. I often deplore the uncanny length of a record and this one is no different. It does unfortunately contain a few duds in a relatively short tracklist. Not a Care, for instance, would be one of those that could have easily been dismissed from the tracklist. Just sayin’.
Ultimately, however, Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds delivers Doom Metal just the way we crave it. And Without God turned out to be one of those rare bands fully worth its doomy salt. They indeed planted their stakes firmly where Doom Metal dwells and let everybody know about it. A juicy stream of well-balanced, sludgy, slightly psychedelic, stoner-infused sorrow.
Take heed, they will be going places.
Author: RockmusicRaider
Review
Angry Metal Guy
3.5/5
17.09.2021
It might sound strange, but I think the album that really sold doom metal to me was The Devil You Know from the Dio-led version of Black Sabbath briefly known as Heaven & Hell. I was a relatively new metal fan when that album came out in 2009, and I hadn’t yet tasted the depressing goodness of Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus. But I knew Sabbath, and I knew Dio, making Heaven & Hell a must-listen for me. Being more accustomed to the faster genres at the time, I was blown away at just how sinister slow heavy metal music could be, and I played that record over and over in the garbage truck I was driving back then. In fact, I even blew out one of the speakers in said truck when the first big Iommi chords dropped after the soft intro to “Bible Black.” All of that to say, while I often forget that I love this style, a couple of times a year, an album comes along to stoke the dormant flame of doom in my heart. This is one of those albums.
Hailing from Russia, Without God formed back in 2008 and have released a pair of full-lengths, the last coming out in 2014. Reemerging in 2021, the band have already released a nice little EP entitled Siberian Tunes: The Green Light and have made the interesting choice to immediately follow it with related LP Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds. Without God play a big, burly style of doom metal that manages to include a pretty large range of influences. Sabbath, Candlemass, Kyuss, Pentagram, Crowbar, Alice in Chains — I hear all of these among Purple Clouds‘ varied setlist, and the band have managed to blend it all into a cohesive sound.
The record kicks off with one of its most powerful tracks, “Bad Seeds.” The song’s main riff is monolithic goodness, and the verses drop into foreboding Candlemass territory. The tortured vocals of guitarist and frontman Anton hover above the music like Johan Längquist’s did on Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, and his solo near the end of the song is just pure stoner/doom goodness. “Escape” follows and dials things down to a sludgy crawl, and “Celebration” blasts into groovier and bluesier territory. The latter really reminds me — from the vocals, to the riffs and lead technique — of Victor Griffin’s (ex-Pentagram) work in his Place of Skulls project, and that’s always a good thing in my book. “Mask” is an absolute bulldozer of a track, its sludgy crawl not leaving an ounce of hope to be found in its wake. For the epic doom purists, “Song of the Stone” sounds like it could have come straight off of a Candlemass classic or off of Crypt Sermon‘s stellar debut.
There are a couple of issues, but they are minor. The band tends to lean into their influences pretty strongly, and sometimes I forgot I wasn’t actually listening to Alice in Chains (“Mask”) or Candlemass (“Song of the Stone”), etc. But when songs are as strong as these are, a bit of mimicry is easily forgivable. A couple of these tracks (“Mask” and “Not a Care”) could stand to be trimmed by a minute or so to tighten the record up, but once again, they’re strong enough to allow for a riff to be repeated a time or two too many. Anton wins VIP honors for his powerfully authentic vocals and guitar wizardry. His riffs are gargantuan, and his leads are packed with feeling — and both are helped in no small part by the record’s organic production. Each song has something great to offer, but “Bad Seeds,” “Celebration,” “Mask,” and “Song of the Stone” are particularly righteous.
Forget what you’ve heard about Russian erection interference because the grooving riffs on Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds have aroused my doommember and left me satisfied and smiling. Without God have pole-vaulted themselves onto my doom band watchlist, and I hope I don’t have to wait another seven years to hear what they do next.
Author: HOLDENEYE
Angry Metal Guy
3.5/5
17.09.2021
It might sound strange, but I think the album that really sold doom metal to me was The Devil You Know from the Dio-led version of Black Sabbath briefly known as Heaven & Hell. I was a relatively new metal fan when that album came out in 2009, and I hadn’t yet tasted the depressing goodness of Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus. But I knew Sabbath, and I knew Dio, making Heaven & Hell a must-listen for me. Being more accustomed to the faster genres at the time, I was blown away at just how sinister slow heavy metal music could be, and I played that record over and over in the garbage truck I was driving back then. In fact, I even blew out one of the speakers in said truck when the first big Iommi chords dropped after the soft intro to “Bible Black.” All of that to say, while I often forget that I love this style, a couple of times a year, an album comes along to stoke the dormant flame of doom in my heart. This is one of those albums.
Hailing from Russia, Without God formed back in 2008 and have released a pair of full-lengths, the last coming out in 2014. Reemerging in 2021, the band have already released a nice little EP entitled Siberian Tunes: The Green Light and have made the interesting choice to immediately follow it with related LP Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds. Without God play a big, burly style of doom metal that manages to include a pretty large range of influences. Sabbath, Candlemass, Kyuss, Pentagram, Crowbar, Alice in Chains — I hear all of these among Purple Clouds‘ varied setlist, and the band have managed to blend it all into a cohesive sound.
The record kicks off with one of its most powerful tracks, “Bad Seeds.” The song’s main riff is monolithic goodness, and the verses drop into foreboding Candlemass territory. The tortured vocals of guitarist and frontman Anton hover above the music like Johan Längquist’s did on Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, and his solo near the end of the song is just pure stoner/doom goodness. “Escape” follows and dials things down to a sludgy crawl, and “Celebration” blasts into groovier and bluesier territory. The latter really reminds me — from the vocals, to the riffs and lead technique — of Victor Griffin’s (ex-Pentagram) work in his Place of Skulls project, and that’s always a good thing in my book. “Mask” is an absolute bulldozer of a track, its sludgy crawl not leaving an ounce of hope to be found in its wake. For the epic doom purists, “Song of the Stone” sounds like it could have come straight off of a Candlemass classic or off of Crypt Sermon‘s stellar debut.
There are a couple of issues, but they are minor. The band tends to lean into their influences pretty strongly, and sometimes I forgot I wasn’t actually listening to Alice in Chains (“Mask”) or Candlemass (“Song of the Stone”), etc. But when songs are as strong as these are, a bit of mimicry is easily forgivable. A couple of these tracks (“Mask” and “Not a Care”) could stand to be trimmed by a minute or so to tighten the record up, but once again, they’re strong enough to allow for a riff to be repeated a time or two too many. Anton wins VIP honors for his powerfully authentic vocals and guitar wizardry. His riffs are gargantuan, and his leads are packed with feeling — and both are helped in no small part by the record’s organic production. Each song has something great to offer, but “Bad Seeds,” “Celebration,” “Mask,” and “Song of the Stone” are particularly righteous.
Forget what you’ve heard about Russian erection interference because the grooving riffs on Siberian Tunes: Purple Clouds have aroused my doommember and left me satisfied and smiling. Without God have pole-vaulted themselves onto my doom band watchlist, and I hope I don’t have to wait another seven years to hear what they do next.
Author: HOLDENEYE
Review
Deathrattle Podcast
11.08.2021
I'm in the fortunate position where I receive lots of promotional material. Some are really nice surprises, others tend to be put on the back burner as they just don't suit the kind of music I feature on the Podcast. There are a few however that make the heart skip when you see the name of the band featured in the promo. The email I received featuring a new release from Without God made me break out into a sweat. I've followed these Russian guys for years and eagerly snapped up every album and EP they've produced and never been disappointed by any of them.
So, is 'Siberian Tunes: The Green Light' any different? That's a big no! It's excellent as always. Four tracks of psych tinged stoner doom, slightly more polished than what has gone before but no less heavy. Copious amounts of sludge is still apparent, however the added metallic crunch to the riffs add a potency that manages to tarnish the extra polish which is further scarred by the excellent, slightly acidic lead work that manifests itself throughout this album. One of the aspects of Russian metal I've noticed over the years is the propensity for the vocal delivery to be on the harsh side but this isn't the case with Without God, instead, vocals on 'Siberian Tunes: The Green Light' gel perfectly with the stoner undertones of this E.P.
Did I say EP? Damn, I want a full length to satisfy my craving for more music from Without God.
Deathrattle Podcast
11.08.2021
I'm in the fortunate position where I receive lots of promotional material. Some are really nice surprises, others tend to be put on the back burner as they just don't suit the kind of music I feature on the Podcast. There are a few however that make the heart skip when you see the name of the band featured in the promo. The email I received featuring a new release from Without God made me break out into a sweat. I've followed these Russian guys for years and eagerly snapped up every album and EP they've produced and never been disappointed by any of them.
So, is 'Siberian Tunes: The Green Light' any different? That's a big no! It's excellent as always. Four tracks of psych tinged stoner doom, slightly more polished than what has gone before but no less heavy. Copious amounts of sludge is still apparent, however the added metallic crunch to the riffs add a potency that manages to tarnish the extra polish which is further scarred by the excellent, slightly acidic lead work that manifests itself throughout this album. One of the aspects of Russian metal I've noticed over the years is the propensity for the vocal delivery to be on the harsh side but this isn't the case with Without God, instead, vocals on 'Siberian Tunes: The Green Light' gel perfectly with the stoner undertones of this E.P.
Did I say EP? Damn, I want a full length to satisfy my craving for more music from Without God.
Review
Powermetal.de
7.10
01.09.2021
Gewöhnungsbedürftiger, dafür aber unverwechselbarer Gesang
Das Format scheint dieser Band aus dem Großraum Moskau ans Herz gewachsen zu sein. Mit "Siberian Tunes: The Green Light" offeriert die Truppe nämlich bereits zum dritten Mal eine EP. Zusammen mit zwei Studio-Longplayern, einem Live-Langeisen sowie diversen Demos und Split-Veröffentlichungen ergibt das eine überaus reichhaltige Diskographie, auch wenn WITHOUT GOD bislang in erster Linie als Live-Band hat auf sich aufmerksam machen können.
Die Energie ihrer Konzerte hat das Quartett für seine aktuelle EP aber offenbar ganz gut konservieren und im Studio umlegen können. Die insgesamt vier Songs erweisen sich nämlich als durchweg druckvoll und lassen auch die entsprechende Heftigkeit nicht vermissen.
Das ist zwar bei den verhältnismäßig hurtig vorgetragenen Tracks 'Праздник' (Urlaub) und 'The Green Light' weniger verwunderlich, sehr wohl aber beim doch eher schwerfällig intonierten Opener 'Нет Сил' (Keine Kraft), der auf simplen Stoner/Doom-Riffs basiert. Auch das ein wenig sperrig geratene Finale 'Не Беда' (Kein Problem) hat ausreichend Wucht zu bieten und kommt zudem mit einer hypnotisch wirkenden Psychedelic-Schlagseite aus den Boxen. Live sicher ein Killer!
Dennoch eher die Ausnahme, denn die Formation fühlt sich vorwiegend im Doom Metal und dem Stoner Rock wohl und überlässt dem Zuhörer eine genauere Genre-Zuordnung. Elemente aus beiden sind auf jeden Fall in allen Nummern auszumachen. Als etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber definitiv sehr originell und unverwechselbar, erweist sich die Tatsache, dass der Gesang mit Ausnahme des Titelsongs in der Muttersprache vorgetragen wird.
Nicht zuletzt durch die hart und grimmig wirkende Aussprache klingen die langsam vorgetragenen Passagen besonders emotionsreich und der bereits erwähnte Eröffnungstrack besonders intensiv. Wer in den genannten Genres generell sein Glück findet, wird wohl auch WITHOUT GOD zu schätzen wissen. Vorausgesetzt natürlich, man ist nicht zwingend auf englischsprachigen Gesang eingeschworen.
Author: Walter Scheurer
Powermetal.de
7.10
01.09.2021
Gewöhnungsbedürftiger, dafür aber unverwechselbarer Gesang
Das Format scheint dieser Band aus dem Großraum Moskau ans Herz gewachsen zu sein. Mit "Siberian Tunes: The Green Light" offeriert die Truppe nämlich bereits zum dritten Mal eine EP. Zusammen mit zwei Studio-Longplayern, einem Live-Langeisen sowie diversen Demos und Split-Veröffentlichungen ergibt das eine überaus reichhaltige Diskographie, auch wenn WITHOUT GOD bislang in erster Linie als Live-Band hat auf sich aufmerksam machen können.
Die Energie ihrer Konzerte hat das Quartett für seine aktuelle EP aber offenbar ganz gut konservieren und im Studio umlegen können. Die insgesamt vier Songs erweisen sich nämlich als durchweg druckvoll und lassen auch die entsprechende Heftigkeit nicht vermissen.
Das ist zwar bei den verhältnismäßig hurtig vorgetragenen Tracks 'Праздник' (Urlaub) und 'The Green Light' weniger verwunderlich, sehr wohl aber beim doch eher schwerfällig intonierten Opener 'Нет Сил' (Keine Kraft), der auf simplen Stoner/Doom-Riffs basiert. Auch das ein wenig sperrig geratene Finale 'Не Беда' (Kein Problem) hat ausreichend Wucht zu bieten und kommt zudem mit einer hypnotisch wirkenden Psychedelic-Schlagseite aus den Boxen. Live sicher ein Killer!
Dennoch eher die Ausnahme, denn die Formation fühlt sich vorwiegend im Doom Metal und dem Stoner Rock wohl und überlässt dem Zuhörer eine genauere Genre-Zuordnung. Elemente aus beiden sind auf jeden Fall in allen Nummern auszumachen. Als etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber definitiv sehr originell und unverwechselbar, erweist sich die Tatsache, dass der Gesang mit Ausnahme des Titelsongs in der Muttersprache vorgetragen wird.
Nicht zuletzt durch die hart und grimmig wirkende Aussprache klingen die langsam vorgetragenen Passagen besonders emotionsreich und der bereits erwähnte Eröffnungstrack besonders intensiv. Wer in den genannten Genres generell sein Glück findet, wird wohl auch WITHOUT GOD zu schätzen wissen. Vorausgesetzt natürlich, man ist nicht zwingend auf englischsprachigen Gesang eingeschworen.
Author: Walter Scheurer
Review
Musika
8.5/10
01.09.2021
Without God: een Russisch gezelschap dat wij in onze toch reeds vrij lange muzikale omzwervingen nog niet eerder waren tegen gekomen ondanks het feit dat deze band reeds actief is sinds 2008. Stoner metal en doom zijn de ingrediënten waarmee ze hun muzikale ideeën vorm geven. Daar komt ook wat psychedelica bij kijken en, last but not least, de meeste van hun teksten worden in het Russisch gebracht wat er toch wel voor zorgt dat Without God, voor ons dan toch, een beetje een buitenbeentje is. Openen doen ze hier met ‘Нет Сил’ dat een loodzwaar slepend begin kent. Voeg daar diepe vocalen aan toe, brommende basslijnen, stevige en zware drumpatronen en krachtig gitaarwerk met de nodige distortion en je verkrijgt een boeiend geheel getekend Without God. Opvolger ‘Праздник’ doet het een stuk vlotter, al mag je je natuurlijk niet aan een snelheidsduivel verwachten. Ook nu zijn er de zware drumpatronen, de brommende basslijnen en de best wel slepende gitaarriffs die worden afgewisseld met mooie accenten. Vraag ons niet waar de heren het op tekstueel vlak kunnen hebben, maar het vocale gedeelte sluit wel mooi aan met het het muzikale gedeelte. Het tempo wordt weer wat gedrukt voor het zware en brommende ‘The Green Light’ waar we warempel de Engelse taal horen, zij het met een zwaar accent. Het zorgt, naar onze smaak, toch voor iets extra’s. Nog trager en meer slepend gaat dan ‘е Беда’ van start. Je voelt de brommende diepe lijnen tot diep in je eigen ik doordringen. Spijtig, of misschien wel gelukkig, begrijpen we andermaal niets van de vocalen. Het toch wel prachtige gitaarwerk verdient een pak pluspunten. Toch willen we heel duidelijk stellen dat je niets van de teksten hoeft te begrijpen om het werk van dit Without God te waarderen. Liefhebbers van doom en stoner metal zullen hier immers een tijdlang zoet mee zijn.
Author: Luc Ghyselen
Musika
8.5/10
01.09.2021
Without God: een Russisch gezelschap dat wij in onze toch reeds vrij lange muzikale omzwervingen nog niet eerder waren tegen gekomen ondanks het feit dat deze band reeds actief is sinds 2008. Stoner metal en doom zijn de ingrediënten waarmee ze hun muzikale ideeën vorm geven. Daar komt ook wat psychedelica bij kijken en, last but not least, de meeste van hun teksten worden in het Russisch gebracht wat er toch wel voor zorgt dat Without God, voor ons dan toch, een beetje een buitenbeentje is. Openen doen ze hier met ‘Нет Сил’ dat een loodzwaar slepend begin kent. Voeg daar diepe vocalen aan toe, brommende basslijnen, stevige en zware drumpatronen en krachtig gitaarwerk met de nodige distortion en je verkrijgt een boeiend geheel getekend Without God. Opvolger ‘Праздник’ doet het een stuk vlotter, al mag je je natuurlijk niet aan een snelheidsduivel verwachten. Ook nu zijn er de zware drumpatronen, de brommende basslijnen en de best wel slepende gitaarriffs die worden afgewisseld met mooie accenten. Vraag ons niet waar de heren het op tekstueel vlak kunnen hebben, maar het vocale gedeelte sluit wel mooi aan met het het muzikale gedeelte. Het tempo wordt weer wat gedrukt voor het zware en brommende ‘The Green Light’ waar we warempel de Engelse taal horen, zij het met een zwaar accent. Het zorgt, naar onze smaak, toch voor iets extra’s. Nog trager en meer slepend gaat dan ‘е Беда’ van start. Je voelt de brommende diepe lijnen tot diep in je eigen ik doordringen. Spijtig, of misschien wel gelukkig, begrijpen we andermaal niets van de vocalen. Het toch wel prachtige gitaarwerk verdient een pak pluspunten. Toch willen we heel duidelijk stellen dat je niets van de teksten hoeft te begrijpen om het werk van dit Without God te waarderen. Liefhebbers van doom en stoner metal zullen hier immers een tijdlang zoet mee zijn.
Author: Luc Ghyselen
