Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Dolorian - When All the Laughter has Gone (1999)

 Although you would easily guess the type of music and mood of this album, you won't be able to guess that easily the amount of darkness and despair that overflow through these 53 minutes. This is Dolorian's debut album, released in 1999. It is a combination of  synth-led black metal and slowed down doom heaviness. Of course, they're not the very first band to combine those two genres, but their approach is undoubtedly unique.
  Each track tends to progress in the same way, as they begin with mournful, slow-paced, lurking riffs (mostly on clean guitar or enhanced by echo) and then transform into a massive darkened cloud of sound which is about to unleash its storm of blackened light. There is so much sorrow present thoughout every song, in every single pattern, in each "movement" that by the end of your listening you'll be probably left hopeless and soaked in anguish. In some cases, things get more aggressive and fast, setting the record far from being boring, the doomy elements dominate every track though. Also, they did use some acoustics, not something that you might except from a blackened-doom release.
  Maybe the factor that adds on this album being unique and creative is the constant use of synths. They make the -already- dark approach even darker and grimmer with their cold as ice, yet gentle touch. The vocals are nothing but typical black metal rasps, solid performed but nothing special or innovative.
  In a nutshell, this album will have your mind changed about what blackness really means. Was I to describe the emotions  I get while listening to this masterpiece in colours, I'd need something blacker than the cover art's black, something close to the desolated colours described in the omonymous opener. Although it gets a bit monotonous after a couple of hearings, I recommend to let yourselves to be drown in its grimness and you won't regret it. " So silent, yet attractive.. "

Standout tracks: "Desolated Colours", "My wWeary Eyes", "A Part of Darkness", "Fields"

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