Interview by HERR MORBID

 

Greetings Antti. Since the beginning DOLORIAN has been a misterious band... Do you want to tell us if you or the others guys were part of another band before DOLORIAN? Are you coming from a Black Metal experience?
The uniformity of all the members in Dolorian is that we have all played Death and Black Metal in few bands quite a long time ago before Dolorian.. Nowadays I for example compose lot's of dark ambient, death industrial and 'neo-Folk' kind of music.. and all the other guys from Dolorian have also few other music projects going on..from which I don't know nothing.. I think that the dissimilarity between the musical taste of us has helped us to create the unique sound of Dolorian.


About the new astonishing album, the first thing that hits the eye is the absolutely grey and disheartening artwork... Would you share with us its meaning ? It resembles something as a deserted factory, or an abandoned port... Once more the booklet is really minimal, is it something intentional?

Well, the artwork usually gives the first impression of the band (or the album) to people so of course it shoud be somehow related to music also. I think that the artwork of 'Dolorian' describes the music of 'Dolorian' better than any other thing (even all the words are quite clumsy comparing to the artwork itself). I think that through artwork we also give our listeners more help to find out something about the emotions - world of ideas - behind our music.


Listening to the music, the first thing I noticed is the predominance of clean guitars... Compared to "When all the laughter has gone", "Dolorian" shows a sound really more thoughtful and discouraged. Also the vocals are something impalpable, as a whisper... It seems that you was definitively without strenght to scream... Is it a right impression?
I would say that vocals are always one instrument among other instruments.. without them the music itself would be incomplete.. When we entered in the studio I didn't have a clear idea how I would 'perform' the vocals.. but when it came time to record vocals I just released the inner-self and allowed my voice to wander free with the music.. I would say that for me the music and the vocals have been both always equally important when i'm trying to express my emotions, visions - my world in general. The reason why there are no screams in 'Dolorian' is quite simple - they don't belong behind the idea of the music itself at this time.. Things that differ according to the creative process of 'Dolorian' and 'When all the laughter has gone' would be that during the recodings of 'Dolorian' we used a little more improvisation than in the early times.. we were not so 'tied' in the usual way of recording instruments and vocals...nothing else has really changed... well of course the emotions changes with the people during times.. and all those changes immediately effects our music and lyrics - the soundscale in general..


The new songs are conducted by some worrying and ambient-oriented interludes. They resemble to me some experimental works of the seventies, something as Tangerine Dream or the first and more psychedelic Pink Floyd... What do you think about this impression? And generally, do you like the psychedelic and acid music of the '60' s/'70 's ? And the Ambient-Dark-Industrial music? Tell us your musical likes...

I would say that the musical act of 'Dolorian' is like a cold and soul-reaping journey, effecting spiritual cramps for you after (and while) listening it.. ..the challenge for you is, can / will you be able to climb over the transparent wall and realize what 'Dolorian' is really about.. after you have got so far there's no return.. I don't listen much bands from the '60's or the '70's.. though I have some Tangerine Dream albums..I have been listening quite much dark ambient, death industrial and neo-folk lately.. acts like: Yen Pox, Blood Box, Lustmord, Maeror Tri, Troum, Archon Satani, Turbund Sturmwerk, Deutsch Nepal, Brighter Death Now, Coil, Death In June etc.. too many to type them all down.. The other guys of Dolorian don't listen so much the kind of music I listen to..I think.. I don't know so well what kind of music they nowadays listen.. I have see e.g. Kukkohovi 3 times during the past nine months..


Your music is slow and doomy. Do you feel influenced by all those old and classic Doom bands of the '70' s such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Pentagram and others?

No. The emotions that dominate Dolorian's music are pure reflections from our own lives.. It's now up to you how you want to comprehend those emotions that we had during the composition process... our music is not just based upon the personal tragedies, and the sad moments.. it's based upon all the feelings what we have had.. they all are the influence for our music and lyrics.. I would say that the end result, the final-form of Dolorian's music is a summary of all that we have went through. It's even quite hard to start thinking that it's full, for example, of sadness, because I'm quite sure that all people will understand the meanings that we are trying find / say via our music quite differently than I..


The lyrics show a deep hate towards entire humanity and towards life itself... It seems that you' re all really introverse and solitary people. You give vent to these emotions through your music, but what do you do in everyday' s life? Do you work, you study or something else? Do you find difficult to relate with the other "normal" people?
The inspiration for our lyrics comes from our daily lives. They are the feelings that we feel all the time and of course during the composition process... We have never done lyrics, for example, about Finlands weather, history or battles etc. ...Our lyrics have always been more personal...they are created through "self-exploring sessions" and it's for sure that they are full of personal emotions. Self-knowledge is quite important for us and through that we do the most of our lyrics.. It's even quite hard to start telling you what they are about.. because ( as I mentioned above ) you wouldn't necessarily understand the "inner-meaning" of them as I do. For me music has to be 'pure' always.. ..When music lost it's purity it becomes a shell which doesn't have an inner-meaning.. and nothing else is worse than becoming a shell. And when it comes to our own personal lives I don't want to start telling you more about it.. Dolorian itself is already filled with the ideas and emotions of it.. but I'm quite sure that most of the mass-, and pseudo-people would find 'my way of living quite oppressive'...who knows.. your pain might just be my pleasure.. and vice versa. I myself go to work right now.. but I'm planning to try to get in the university to read archeology and quit working.. working is now only a 'method' for me to earn some money for living.. And when it comes to how I deal with the 'normal' people.. When I'm in contact with them I just usually 'ignore' their ideas and them all in general.. mostly I just use all my 'freetime' (which means the time that I have after and before the work) alone. I would say that I'm not a 'social-one'.


The dark and frozen weather of Finland is a great source of inspiration for a lot of bands. Is it the same for DOLORIAN? Do you believe that nature and the atmospheric events can influence the mood of humans in some strange way?

I really think that weather etc. doesn't matter so much..I think that our music would be quite same if we were living in some hot country.. I basically believe that the music itself comes always from the person itself.. The predisposition to the dark, long and cold winters should not effect people’s way of thinking/acting etc. .. if for example weather effects people’ s own way of behaviour I would say that he/she is really a spineless creature! But I would say that the colours are quite important for me when I compose.. Sometimes I can sit hours in a room which is completely dark or dark blue.. ..I have sat behind a window and enjoyed the rays of the morning sun.. I have wrote lyrics during long walks in the woods, beside rivers etc. during days and during nights.. It's really much up from the moment itself..


A strange question: what do you think about love?

..Love is everything and yet it's nothing at all..


Have you ever thought about commiting suicide? Through all this life of filth, what is your reason to wake up every day? Don' t you think sometimes we are only too coward to kill ourselves definitively? Do you believe in an Afterlife?

I have thought this matter quite a lot. . . I don't even want to talk about this matter here, because there are things that I want to keep for myself. I can only say that it depends much about the person, I mean that I think that if some weak, pseudo, mass-person commits a suicide, it's only a service for a better and stronger mankind. . . But I also think that if it's done for the 'right' purposes it will also be a great evidence of one’s braveness. . . quite complicated matter to explain here. I think that self-knowledge is an important part of people’ s 'being'.. and through that you can reach your ultimate goal, whatever it is. ..The world is like an onion, it has many skins. The world we know is but one of them. Sometimes, we cross boundaries and enter into another skin: another world, very much like this one, but not the same..


Is for you to compose music a method to exorcise and to give a sound to your anguish, or is it a way to escape definitively from the horror of reality? Have you ever thought that all is a waste of time, an hobby waiting for something that now or later will come to take you away forever?
... My main goal in music has always been a challenge to create a music (and also lyrics) which 'animates' the feelings that I have once felt. I would say that Dolorian's music is much more realistic/real than for example the music and lyrics of some mass-pseudo-bands in the 'scene'.. Entirety of 'Dolorian' gives a lots of information about our lives and about the emotions and ideas which have (and will in future too) occupied our minds during the composition process. ..as I have wrote earlier of course it depends a lot from a listener how he/she comprehends our music and lyrics. Some of the people are automatically in the same 'frequency' with our music, some have to use some time to 'open' that 'frequency' by listening our album over and over again and some will never even get close to it.. I think that 99,9% of the people are nowadays wasting all their time in the things that don't really affect their own lives at all.. they are those mass,-and pseudo-people.. they think that they are doing something very important, but in reality they are just 'struggling' with the worthless problems.. I have myself tried not to waste my time 'handling' with those problems.. there's no time to waste in this world for the things that are worthless..


Do you consider yourself as a depressed person or only a discouraged person? What do you think about using anti-depressive medicines as Xanax, Prozac or shit like that? For me they give only a weak illusion of happiness to our minds, and for you?

I don't think myself depressed or discouraged.. but i'm quite sure that many of the people out there would find my way of living quite 'hard'.. Those people are just too 'tied' to even start thinking the other way of living.. they are too attached for the 'rational-way' of living in this world! They have just listened too much all the 'teachings' how to live a good life and how to comprehent all in a very strict rational way! I basically just think that it would be only a waste of time to start even thinking that i'm living depressed life etc.. I think that one should reduce to a minimum all that is unnecessary in one's life. I have never used those anti-depressive medicines.. I don't even like to use painkillers.. so I don't really know nothing about those ones.. ..If you want to survive you must be crystal clear and deadly sure of yourself..


A technical question: the DOLORIAN' s guitar parts are really discordant and cold, what tuning do you use usually? Do you make use of any particular guitar effect?

Our guitars are tuned down one step and after that we also tune the lowest D string to C... and when it comes to effects, we use now boss's gt3, some digitech effects and also some of the zoom-effects..


"Am i here to walk alone"... Is it a consequence or a choice for you?
..I have decided to walk the path which leads to self-excellence..it involves real danger, real challenges and requires real courage. ..It involves taking your body to and beyond its physical limits of endurance. It involves real action, alone: without the support of friends, comrades, lovers, relations or anyone. It involves accepting challenges - physical, psychic, intellectual and triumphing solely by one's own efforts. It involves the triumph of pure, individual will and desire...


What do you think about self-mutilation? Don' t you think sometimes it is the only way to temporary ease the inner pain? To lose the "human- filth poisoned blood" ?

.. I think that it's one method among the other methods to 'test' yourself.. I think that sometimes it can be used to explore the `hidden and overt' aspects of one’s consciousness...


Thanks for answering my painful questions. The last "words of wisdom" are for you...

...there are even too many words now...
A. Haapapuro