Absolute rarity. hard to find first album of the band from Yakutia (North-East Siberia). superb blend of prog rock, shamanistic rituals and funky pagan chants

"Cholbon" - is a rock group from the village of Upper Namtsy in region of Yakutia (North-East Siberia). "The Damned Stone" - is its first album. Like the rest of the Yakut rock, "Cholbon" is unexpected and unique phenomenon. Totally remote from the hip friends of both London and Leningrad, but similar in spirit to their national culture and mythology, the musicians of "Cholbon" have created a unique style. "Cholbon" has been called "Pink Floyd" of the Tundra because of its weird blend of progressive rock sound, hypnotic rhythm of shamanistic rituals and funky pagan chants. All the songs, the whole philosophy of the band are deeply rooted in the culture and mythology of their native land. In fact, for themselves and their yakut followers rock - or whatever you call the stuff they play - is not a pop/showbiz type of thing, but a true spiritual music.In a way, the attitude of yakut rock may be compared to the one of bob Marley's reggae music.Artemy Troitsky, Dec. 1992