Dolorian - Voidwards

Dolorian’s Voidwards was one of my top 10 metal albums last year. Every time I hear the record, it bowls me over with its depth, sophistication, and listenability. Frankly, I don’t understand why it wasn’t in more top 10’s. Lack of distribution must be part of the reason; it’s hardly available in the US. Your best bet, aside from Amazon outside the US, is Avantgarde’s webshop, sound-cave.com.

Stylistically, Dolorian would be considered doom metal. However, this Finnish band distinguishes itself with heavy reliance on clean tones. These are some of the best clean tones I’ve ever heard, up there with Anathema’s The Silent Enigma or Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks soundtrack. Imagine drops of water splashing into a pool, causing circular ripples in slow motion. These clean tones are like that.

When dirty tones kick in, then, they mean something. This is a change from the heavy-handed Sabbath-isms common in doom metal. As the band’s website shows, it’s all about depth, to the point of mysticism (the lyrics recall the late, great Yob). The vocals often come in a whisper, adding to the esoteric feeling. With its dark, spacious reverbs, this album is like exploring caves in one’s mind.

Voidwards has some of the deepest sounds I’ve ever heard. If you’re into mysterious, hypnotic head spaces, by all means track down this disc. It comes in a gorgeous digipak with elegant, abstract artwork.