Dolorian - When All the Laughter Has Gone (1999)

Finland may not be a doom forge equal to that which, say, the UK has birthed, but it has always had a small, diverse and impressive share of such bands (Shape of Despair, Umbra Nihil, Tyranny, etc). But Dolorian has to be my favorite. A bleak and unforgettable sound incorporating the sparse use of lumbering, frightening riffs, black vocal snarls and subtle keyboards over churning, clashing chords and atmospheric acoustics laden in chorus effects.

The band has evolved through its career into something more 'artful' and even tranquil, but their debut When All the Laughter Has Gone remains my favorite. It simultaneously immerses you in its starving grace while destroying you with its poisoned black spit. "Desolated Colours" inaugurates the funeral with horrific chiming ambience before the riffs slowly creep forward. Like most of the album, this song conjures to mind a struggling individual, left alone in a desert on black and white film, ever lurching forward in a hopeless quest for sustenance where none will be found. "My Weary Eyes" is a grooving volley of minor notes and chords which devolves into a black abyss with its jangling clean tones and minimal chiming atmosphere. "A Part of Darkness" contains an idyllic medieval atmosphere due to its bouncing, playful synth-line, which is quickly destroyed by a very basic stream of repeated chords, as the song transforms into its gloomy core. The title track again uses effected clean notes and almost ironically happy synth lines to paint a tireless scene of agony, like a corpse riding a ghostly carousel at the local carnival where everything is unplugged yet still operating. "Collapsed" does not deviate, if anything it's complete cohesion with the concepts of the previous songs, just blacker and potentially more devastation. "Fields" crafts one of the best weaving melodies of the album over whispers and torn throat diatribe, and features a fine acoustic bridge. Album closer "With Scorn - Perish" is my favorite track with a truly evocative, haunting melody of bells and acoustics that breaks down into a grueling, hopeless pit of black doom.

I must note here: When All the Laughter Has Gone is another of those albums to listen straight through. The songs aren't super catchy as individual pieces, but the work as a whole is quite devastating. It's under an hour in length, but this is an hour you'll want to commit if you enjoy the bleaker aspects of doom. I'm not sure if this qualifies as 'funeral' doom but it's certainly an album which would appeal to fans of that. If you enjoy this you'll also want to check out their self-titled follow-up, another act of frightening if tranquil decimation.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10] (there's no need for consolation)

http://www.helixes.org/dolorian/