After a long hiatus since Back from the Funeral, Mausoleum is back on the scene with Defiling the Decayed, an album that pays tribute to the roots of death metal. I had the chance to interview bassist Robert Yench to uncover what inspired this comeback and how they managed to capture the essence of horror in their music.
Serial Metalbums: You released Defiling the Decayed after a long break since Back from the Funeral in 2011. What inspired you to return now with this album? The album has a dark and sinister atmosphere, especially with tracks like Nine Eternities in Doom. How did you work on creating that horror vibe in your music?
Robert Yench: We felt that the time was right to return and deliver something truly gruesome and authentic. Over the years, we have continued to be inspired by our passion for death metal and our love for all things horror. "Defiling the Decayed" represents the culmination of years of ideas, experiences, and a hunger to create something that pays homage to the genre we love.
To create that dark and sinister atmosphere, especially on tracks like “Nine Eternities in Doom,” we focused heavily on atmosphere and the storytelling aspect of horror. We drew inspiration from classic horror films, literature, and our experiences to craft eerie melodies, unsettling riffs, and haunting lyrics. Our goal was to make the listener feel as if they were immersed in a living nightmare, and we made sure every instrument and vocal delivery contributed to that overarching sense of dread.
Robert Yench: Building transitions between fast, heavy sections and slower, more crushing moments is all about maintaining the song's overall tension and atmosphere. For tracks like "Clawing the Lid of the Coffin," our focus is on creating a journey for the listener, where each change in tempo feels like a natural progression in the story we're telling.
We start by structuring the song with riffs contrasting but complementing each other. The faster sections are designed to be intense and chaotic, while the slower moments allow the music to breathe, creating a sense of impending doom. We create a dynamic flow that feels unpredictable and cohesive by experimenting with time signatures, drum patterns, and layering different guitar tones. These transitions need to be seamless, so we spend a lot of time refining and rehearsing until each shift feels organic, ensuring the listener is kept on edge from start to finish.
Serial Metalbums: Defiling the Decayed feels like a return to the roots of old-school death metal. What were your goals in terms of sound and production for this album?
Robert Yench: With "Defiling the Decayed," we aimed to capture the raw, unfiltered essence of old-school death metal while still adding our unique touch. Our goal was to create an album that felt like a direct continuation of the classic death metal sound from the late '80s and early '90s—dark, heavy, and unapologetically brutal. We strived for a production style that wasn't overly polished, preserving the grit and atmosphere that makes this genre so impactful.
We chose to keep things more analog and less digital, avoiding over-compression and excessive editing to maintain authenticity and an organic feel. The recording process focused on capturing the natural tones of the instruments, allowing the riffs, drum patterns, and vocals to breathe. This approach helped us achieve that dense, suffocating atmosphere that characterizes the album, giving it a sense of timelessness while staying true to the roots of death metal.
Serial Metalbums: Your lyrics and overall sound seem deeply rooted in themes of horror and death. What are your main sources of inspiration for the topics in your music?
Robert Yench: Our primary sources of inspiration are classic horror literature, old-school horror films, and the eerie atmosphere found in real-life paranormal tales. Writers like H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe have significantly influenced us, as their ability to create unsettling, otherworldly narratives aligns perfectly with the mood we aim to convey in our music. We are also drawn to themes of existential dread, the occult, and the macabre aspects of history, which all add layers of darkness to our lyrics.
Musically, the atmosphere is equally important to us. We aim to capture the feeling of being in an old, haunted crypt or the tension of a horror movie’s most chilling scenes. By combining these literary influences with the raw, visceral energy of death metal, we strive to immerse listeners in a nightmarish world where they can feel the fear, dread, and intensity of the stories we tell.
Serial Metalbums: You use a mix of deep growls and high-pitched screams in your vocals. How do you balance this vocal approach to create such a terrifying atmosphere? The track Gravefucked stands out for its particularly intense vocal performance. How did you approach recording that song?
Robert Yench: Balancing deep growls and high-pitched screams is all about creating layers of intensity that match the atmosphere of each track. The deep growls serve as the foundation, conveying a sense of dread and heaviness, while the high-pitched screams add an element of madness and chaos, like the shrieks of the damned. By alternating between these vocal styles, we can heighten the tension and enhance the storytelling in our music, making the listener feel like they're being pulled into the darkest depths of our songs.
For "Gravefucked," the approach was all about channeling pure, unfiltered aggression. I wanted the vocals to sound as if they were coming from a place of raw, primal rage and desperation, so we pushed to the limit to capture that intensity. We did multiple takes, experimenting with different levels of distortion and emotion to ensure that every growl and scream sounded authentic and truly unhinged. It was a long process, but it helped us achieve that relentless, terrifying atmosphere that made the track stand out.
Robert Yench: Our sound has naturally evolved over the years as we've grown as musicians and individuals. In the beginning, we were focused on capturing a raw, unpolished, old-school death metal vibe—dirty, aggressive, and straight to the point. As we've progressed, we've started to incorporate more atmosphere and depth into our music, aiming to create an experience that's not just heavy but also immersive and haunting. This shift is particularly evident in "Defiling the Decayed," where we focus more on crafting an eerie, sinister atmosphere while still retaining the brutality that defines us.
Looking ahead, we’re interested in exploring new territories. We're inspired by the idea of delving deeper into more complex arrangements and perhaps experimenting with slower, doom-laden sections that evoke an even greater sense of dread. At the same time, we're committed to staying true to our roots in death metal, so any experimentation will still be grounded in that unmistakable, crushing intensity. It’s all about striking that perfect balance between the familiar and the unexpected, and we're excited to see where that journey takes us.
Serial Metalbums: As a band with over two decades of history, how have you seen the death metal scene evolve, and where do you think Mausoleum fits into this evolution?
Robert Yench: The death metal scene has certainly undergone significant changes over the past two decades. When we started, the genre was very much rooted in the underground, with a strong sense of community and a do-it-yourself ethos. Back then, it was all about tape trading, zines, and discovering bands through word of mouth or at local shows. It felt like a small, tight-knit world where everyone was genuinely passionate about the music.
As time has passed, the scene has grown and evolved, with the internet playing a huge role in how bands are discovered and how music is shared. This has made death metal more accessible and allowed the genre to reach a much wider audience, but it's also brought some challenges. There’s now a flood of new bands, which means it can be harder to stand out, and some of that old-school, underground spirit has been diluted.
For MAUSOLEUM, we've always tried to stay true to our roots, regardless of how the scene has changed. We’ve maintained that raw, old-school death metal sound while continuing to evolve in our way. Our goal has always been to create music that feels genuine to the genre's origins, but we’re also not afraid to incorporate new elements to keep things fresh. In this way, we see ourselves as a bridge between the old and the new—honoring the classic death metal traditions while still carving out our path in the modern scene. We hope to continue contributing to the evolution of death metal while staying true to what made it great in the first place.
