Mausoleum Defiling The Decayed CD Review

Death Metal isn’t something I go out of my way to listen to these days – most of the time I run from it and pretend it isn’t there unless it’s Six Feet Under, The Crown or Obituary. The current scene of the genre has gotten stale to me or at least I thought it had…. Enter Mausoleum! I can’t lie, I’ve never heard of this band, but from what I’m reading the band has two albums under their belt and they hang their hats on playing Zombiecult Metal. Again, not something I know a great deal about, I’m sure that’s something the band has put together to describe themselves.
 
Here's what I do know, the majority of all Death Metal is seeded in Horror and that’s something that I know a great deal about. The other thing I think is the genre has become less than due to the digital trickery that's utilized in the studios when recording. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of bands that can recreate it live, but there are as many that simply can't and that's a big turn off to me.

It's a rarity to hear newer bands waving the flag of oldschool Death Metal. Mausoleum have stepped up to the plate and they wear their influences proudly on their latest release – Defiling the Decayed. I hear a ton of Massacre influences as well as Mortician vibes without the dreaded drum machine. There’s also an Obituary feel similar to the Slowly We Rot album that I can’t shake. This is oldschool analog Death Metal much like it was intended to be. Blistering lead breaks like classic Slayer & Morbid Angel and pummeling drumbeats that would make Pete Sandoval proud. I can’t necessarily comment on the lyrical content, I can’t understand a great deal of it. I do know that track titles such as “Gravefucked”, “Torn Apart” and “Clawing the lid of the Coffin” leave little to the imagination.
 
Again, Death Metal isn’t something I follow a lot due to reasons already mentioned, but this album is really something to be celebrated. It’s a breath of DECAY and it ROTS in every way possible. Oldschool fans of the Death Metal genre will feel right at home, and you get bonus points if you can pick up on how many Horror movies are referenced in the album. I’ll certainly be picking up the vinyl release of this one. I strongly suggest you do the same if you’re looking for something that’s a throwback to the origin of the genre. 100% fun from beginning to end!

~Black Angel