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MAUSOLEUM GATE “Space, Rituals and Magick”
MAUSOLEUM GATE “Space, Rituals and Magick”
By Colonel Angus
I can’t believe that it has been eight years since MAUSOLEUM GATE have released a record – not that I follow the band on a daily basis. I always enjoyed their URIAH HEEP-ish sound that brings together some NWOBHM elements to give it less of a dated 70’s sound. Since they unleashed “Into a Dark Divinity” in 2017, the biggest change has been new vocalist Jarno Saarinen who brings in a more OZZY style vocal performance. In fact, much of the material sounds eerily like an OZZY fronted URIAH HEEP which, in my book, is one cool mash-up.
With only six tracks, MAUSOLEUM GATE need to make a statement with each track and they waste no time with opener “Vision Divine”. Starting off as a spacey song, after about a minute, it launches into a fast rocker that has hints of early NWOBHM. Saarinen puts in that OZZY vocal to the point that I thought this could be an unreleased OZZYtune from the early 80s. Based on the songs that followed, this is the perfect track to open the record; a fast rocker that wastes no time in grabbing the listener’s attention. Pivoting a bit, “Lucifer Shrine” has this awesome 80s sounding pomp rock/metal feel. That being said, they still have that great organ sound interweaving throughout the whole track giving it a slightly older vibe but with a great, crisp production.
As we move forward through the tracklist, “Sacred Be Thy Throne” falls back to more of a hard rock 70s sound but during the slower sections, Saarinen sounds more unique and less like the Prince of Darkness which gives additional depth to the whole disk. Speaking of giving depth to this record, “Shine the Night” donates the first minute to some ambient sounds before it kicks in to a cool 80s sounding keyboard pattern that reminds me of 80s soundtrack music. That lasts only for a brief time before the track really starts and we get more of what the band does best; weaving guitars and keyboards to create something that is both familiar and unique.
The title track harkens back to the way the record started with a fast rocker that takes elements from the other songs and rolls them all up into one tidy tune. There is some great, catchy riffing courtesy Count L.F (LaFey) and Jari Kourunen that really elevates this from your standard rock fare to something special. Ending the album with the longest piece, “Witches Circle” is a more subdued affair that brings in some JETHRO TULL elements. While being mostly subdued, the song does build towards the end and brings in some nice bombastic parts that ultimately give way to a mellow ending.
If you are a fan of MAUSOLEUM GATE, musically, you’re going to find the band sticking close to the sound but the vocals bring it up quite a few notches. While Saarinen sounds eerily like OZZY in many places, his vocal performance matches the music better than previous singer Varpula. Along with the singer change, there seems to be a more tightness and confidence in the tracks themselves. It warms my heart that there are newer-ish bands that have adopted the hard rock sounds of the 70s and 80s and updated it to fit these modern times.
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