Dolorian is a Finnish metal band with a unique style that borders on doom metal, black metal and ritual ambient. The combination of varied songs, structures and melodies, several vocal styles, long passages of psychedelia, and obscure spiritual lyrics sets the band apart from many others in the metal genre.

The band was founded in Oulu, Finland in mid-1997 as a duo consisting of Anti Ittna Haapapuro and Ari Kukkohovi. They recorded their first demos in autumn 1997 at Tico-Tico Studios with temporary keyboards player Heidi Riihinen. They were subsequently signed with Wounded Love Records. In April 1998 the group, along with the new keyboards player Jussi Ontero, recorded the debut album "When All the Laughter Has Gone". Released in 1999, this album is considered one of the earliest examples of black doom metal.

In the year 2000 the band recorded their second album. Simply titled simply "Dolorian", it was a continuation of the blackened doom sound of their debut, although with much quieter vocals, blurring the boundaries of clear classification by instilling a more psychedelic and dark ambient backdrop.

In 2002, Dolorian recorded songs for a split release with Shining, but record label problems delayed its release until 2004. In 2006, the band released their third album, "Voidwards", which demonstrated a further shift in their sound and included the usage of ritual ambient elements.

Their official website has been updated infrequently since 2006 and the band's current status is unknown. Anti Haapapuro and Ari Kukkohovi are also involved with many ritual ambient projects of the Finnish collective Helixes (such as Arktau Eos, Halo Manash and I.corax), which has likely shifted their concentration away from Dolorian.

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