Mausoleum
Tunes From An Old Funeral (CD Demo) 2003 None
A short intro track exploiting organs to their fullest extent leads into Tunes From An Old Funeral, the first release from the first doom-metal band from the middle east. This intro is so good that I have often stuck it on repeat as it is only a quick 2 minutes... ...but then I remember the amazing and despondent doom-metal lying within the other two tracks. ‘Funeral Dusk (And The Cold Dawn)’ at first reminds me a lot of Hierophant and Catacombs. In fact, the entire album reminds me of a faster paced version of the aforementioned. This complemented with the organs on places, makes for an excellent release sounding like a faster blend of Skepticism, Thergothon and Hierophant with perhaps more than a little disembowelment influence. Which is obviously a good thing. This album sounds best when played extremely loud; it is then that the power behind the music really comes to the fore. Every note sears through you, ever beat pounds into your skull. The vocals, more like an extra instrument than anything else, are a distant, indecipherable rumbling. The tidal wave of misery only recedes for short bursts of organs every now and then before the next wave rolls in. The disc doesn't let up; it just keeps crashing down, over and over, hypnotically even. I can't even imagine how painfully good this release would be if it was an hour or more long. Do whatever you can to listen to this awesome music that will instantly appeal to fans of extreme doom in general. I personally cannot wait for the next release, hopefully a full-length pressing of anguish and suffering.	1. Intro 2. Funeral Dusk (And The Cold Dawn) 3. The Serene Demise Approx. 55 minutes
Reviewed by: Scott Wickens