CoC : Dolorian - When All the Laughter Has Gone : Review

Dolorian - _When All the Laughter Has Gone_
(Wounded Love, 1999)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)

Often sounding like a combination of some of the fundamental characteristics of their countrymates Unholy and Thy Serpent, this new Finnish doom band, Dolorian, at the very least manage to sound different enough from the norm. Slow and melancholic in a harsher way than usual, driven by the anguished vocals, devoid of many melodic embellishments or musical flourishes, yet able to build powerful moments -- this is what _When All the Laughter Has Gone_ sounds like at its best. With generally long songs that never seem to really aim at building a specific kind of structure and a somewhat psychotic feel most of the time, Dolorian have released a doom album that shows plenty of very interesting ideas. There are also some annoying sequences, though; the occasional keyboard enhancements are often of that annoying kind and some of the songs are a bit too long for their own good. The nearly hypnotic nature of most of the music tends to make the album somewhat repetitive as well. Nevertheless, the remarkable moments that Dolorian do achieve throughout _When All the Laughter Has Gone_ and the spirit that they show on most of the album confirm that they are quite a promising band for the future -- and _When All the Laughter Has Gone_, despite some flaws, is certainly very good overall already.

(article published 15/6/1999)

ALBUMS
7/20/2006	P Azevedo	8	Dolorian - Voidwards
9/1/2002	P Azevedo	9	Dolorian - Dolorian