Review by Krys on May 20, 2019.

These days new bands are popping out like pimples on a teenager and today new mysterious creature called Scythe Lore presents debut EP, with ambitious title Through the Mausoleums of Man. As far as I know our German trio doesn't have any previous releases, no social media presence and members' identities are also a secret. What we do know is that we deal with new incarnation of '90s death metal or dark death metal as labeled by Iron Bonehead. 

First thing that stands out, before you even hear the opening notes is interesting, not your typical skulls, zombies and rotten intestines cover, not that there's anything wrong with that but original and thought-provoking imagery sets higher expectations and gets my juices flowing a little faster. After unexpected intro in 'Eschatology Speaks All Tongues' in which I found myself checking speaker cable connections and multiple times adjusting the volume I was hit with good old sound of Swedish death metal. Should there finally be a rule forbidding the use of HM pedals for new bands? No? OK, moving on... So, there I saw my expectations leaving through the office window but don't fear, it's not all lost because after typical fast, blast beat, fast first half of the song we suddenly slowed down to crawling levels of doom and got treated by very spacious and atmospheric guitar leads. Those gloomy and wretched sections are present in all tracks except 'Jhator' and 'Absonus' and introduce a welcome change to the typical old school pace and in my opinion are the strongest points of this EP. Even vocals have more interesting tone and depth when overlay majestic darkness of the middle section in 'Behind 7 Walls and 7 Gates'. 

I'm not sure what was the idea behind +/- 100 second songs 'Jhator' and 'Absonus'. I found them as the weakest moments of the record with pretty straight forward riffs and without crushing weight usually associated with short outburst of death metal energy. They felt like space fillers and those have no place in a debut recording. Reminding tracks show more maturity, better songwriting and even show hints of built up dread atmosphere. 

So, all in all Scythe Lore debut EP Through the Mausoleums of Man is a solid introduction to the metal world with hidden potentials that if carefully nurtured might provide a solid backbone for future full-length. 

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Krys on May 20, 2019.

These days new bands are popping out like pimples on a teenager and today new mysterious creature called Scythe Lore presents debut EP, with ambitious title Through the Mausoleums of Man. As far as I know our German trio doesn't have any previous releases, no social media presence and members' identities are also a secret. What we do know is that we deal with new incarnation of '90s death metal or dark death metal as labeled by Iron Bonehead. 

First thing that stands out, before you even hear the opening notes is interesting, not your typical skulls, zombies and rotten intestines cover, not that there's anything wrong with that but original and thought-provoking imagery sets higher expectations and gets my juices flowing a little faster. After unexpected intro in 'Eschatology Speaks All Tongues' in which I found myself checking speaker cable connections and multiple times adjusting the volume I was hit with good old sound of Swedish death metal. Should there finally be a rule forbidding the use of HM pedals for new bands? No? OK, moving on... So, there I saw my expectations leaving through the office window but don't fear, it's not all lost because after typical fast, blast beat, fast first half of the song we suddenly slowed down to crawling levels of doom and got treated by very spacious and atmospheric guitar leads. Those gloomy and wretched sections are present in all tracks except 'Jhator' and 'Absonus' and introduce a welcome change to the typical old school pace and in my opinion are the strongest points of this EP. Even vocals have more interesting tone and depth when overlay majestic darkness of the middle section in 'Behind 7 Walls and 7 Gates'. 

I'm not sure what was the idea behind +/- 100 second songs 'Jhator' and 'Absonus'. I found them as the weakest moments of the record with pretty straight forward riffs and without crushing weight usually associated with short outburst of death metal energy. They felt like space fillers and those have no place in a debut recording. Reminding tracks show more maturity, better songwriting and even show hints of built up dread atmosphere. 

So, all in all Scythe Lore debut EP Through the Mausoleums of Man is a solid introduction to the metal world with hidden potentials that if carefully nurtured might provide a solid backbone for future full-length. 

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Alex on April 30, 2019.

A new German curse lingers over the heads of mankind, this time in what seems to be a body of unholy death metal, Scythe Lore ascends to reap the harvest with Through the Mausoleums of Man. Cavernous growls own the platform on this one. Yes, the riffs are here, the drumming is too, but unholy hell, the vocals sound like one hungry and angry tyrant. From the instance I saw this was an Iron Bonehead release I immediately knew that it was going to be nothing, but gut-tearing mayhem and I was right. From the first to final track, prepare for a terrifying touch of commotion. This German unholy order brings the noise in blazing, mid-temped and doomy passages. Just a taste of what I’m optimistic is to come in the near future should Scythe Lore decide to play into the hands of gold. 

From the opening snap of “Eschatology Speaks All Tongues” to the grotesquely themed “Within Our Rotten Flesh”, Scythe Lore unceremoniously rains down a storm of cavernous vocals aided by the momentum shifting drumming and wound salting guitars. Utilizing various tempos, Scythe Lore manage to craft a short offering that reeks of apocalyptic barbarity sonically with significant musical detail and effort being put into the quality of Through the Mausoleums of Man. Some bands release a short record that displays cursory attributes that in turn tell of their deficient dedication to the art if any at all; however, with Scythe Lore, it’s easy to see that there is musical mindfulness inculcated on Through the Mausoleums of Man. As someone who enjoys the cavernous vocal delivery, hearing it swirl around in so much atmosphere ushered in by the guitars was indeed a testament to an understanding of the craft. To many Through the Mausoleums of Man is a headache (good!), to me it’s a mark of musical beauty and more importantly, conscientiousness. Spanning only 19 minutes, yet it feels like a complete piece of work in a sense of telling one particular section of a tale; not many bands can accomplish such. 

The performance of Scythe Lore on Through the Mausoleums of Man is nothing short of electrifying; by means of dispersing multiple tones as heard throughout the record particularly on “Behind 7 Walls and 7 Gates”, “Established Death” and “Within Our Rotting Flesh,” a feeling of perpetual creation and destruction is conjured and delivered in a powerbomb of soundscapes. Both melody and mayhem play roles in the building of this towering display of aggression and disintegration; as the vocals sit triumphantly in governing the truculence with aid from the drumming; the guitars usher in the many atmospheric inflections that are then washed by more waves of vocal pugnacity. The music is all together commendable, no restrictions are placed on the ferocity of the blaring yet moody guitars (at times), and though the drumming has its moments, it’s still the vocals that instill the berserking nature of Through the Mausoleums of Man. They are delivered in such an overwhelmingly loud manner that the listener/s attention is apprehended with force that is sustained and maintained for the record’s entirety. Everything about Through the Mausoleums of Man encompasses death metal gold, from the evil artwork to the overwhelmingly hostile yet capricious (at times) temperament, one can only imagine the impact Scythe Lore will have once the record sets foot in the underground.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Alex on April 30, 2019.

A new German curse lingers over the heads of mankind, this time in what seems to be a body of unholy death metal, Scythe Lore ascends to reap the harvest with Through the Mausoleums of Man. Cavernous growls own the platform on this one. Yes, the riffs are here, the drumming is too, but unholy hell, the vocals sound like one hungry and angry tyrant. From the instance I saw this was an Iron Bonehead release I immediately knew that it was going to be nothing, but gut-tearing mayhem and I was right. From the first to final track, prepare for a terrifying touch of commotion. This German unholy order brings the noise in blazing, mid-temped and doomy passages. Just a taste of what I’m optimistic is to come in the near future should Scythe Lore decide to play into the hands of gold. 

From the opening snap of “Eschatology Speaks All Tongues” to the grotesquely themed “Within Our Rotten Flesh”, Scythe Lore unceremoniously rains down a storm of cavernous vocals aided by the momentum shifting drumming and wound salting guitars. Utilizing various tempos, Scythe Lore manage to craft a short offering that reeks of apocalyptic barbarity sonically with significant musical detail and effort being put into the quality of Through the Mausoleums of Man. Some bands release a short record that displays cursory attributes that in turn tell of their deficient dedication to the art if any at all; however, with Scythe Lore, it’s easy to see that there is musical mindfulness inculcated on Through the Mausoleums of Man. As someone who enjoys the cavernous vocal delivery, hearing it swirl around in so much atmosphere ushered in by the guitars was indeed a testament to an understanding of the craft. To many Through the Mausoleums of Man is a headache (good!), to me it’s a mark of musical beauty and more importantly, conscientiousness. Spanning only 19 minutes, yet it feels like a complete piece of work in a sense of telling one particular section of a tale; not many bands can accomplish such. 

The performance of Scythe Lore on Through the Mausoleums of Man is nothing short of electrifying; by means of dispersing multiple tones as heard throughout the record particularly on “Behind 7 Walls and 7 Gates”, “Established Death” and “Within Our Rotting Flesh,” a feeling of perpetual creation and destruction is conjured and delivered in a powerbomb of soundscapes. Both melody and mayhem play roles in the building of this towering display of aggression and disintegration; as the vocals sit triumphantly in governing the truculence with aid from the drumming; the guitars usher in the many atmospheric inflections that are then washed by more waves of vocal pugnacity. The music is all together commendable, no restrictions are placed on the ferocity of the blaring yet moody guitars (at times), and though the drumming has its moments, it’s still the vocals that instill the berserking nature of Through the Mausoleums of Man. They are delivered in such an overwhelmingly loud manner that the listener/s attention is apprehended with force that is sustained and maintained for the record’s entirety. Everything about Through the Mausoleums of Man encompasses death metal gold, from the evil artwork to the overwhelmingly hostile yet capricious (at times) temperament, one can only imagine the impact Scythe Lore will have once the record sets foot in the underground.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Krys on May 20, 2019.

These days new bands are popping out like pimples on a teenager and today new mysterious creature called Scythe Lore presents debut EP, with ambitious title Through the Mausoleums of Man. As far as I know our German trio doesn't have any previous releases, no social media presence and members' identities are also a secret. What we do know is that we deal with new incarnation of '90s death metal or dark death metal as labeled by Iron Bonehead. 

First thing that stands out, before you even hear the opening notes is interesting, not your typical skulls, zombies and rotten intestines cover, not that there's anything wrong with that but original and thought-provoking imagery sets higher expectations and gets my juices flowing a little faster. After unexpected intro in 'Eschatology Speaks All Tongues' in which I found myself checking speaker cable connections and multiple times adjusting the volume I was hit with good old sound of Swedish death metal. Should there finally be a rule forbidding the use of HM pedals for new bands? No? OK, moving on... So, there I saw my expectations leaving through the office window but don't fear, it's not all lost because after typical fast, blast beat, fast first half of the song we suddenly slowed down to crawling levels of doom and got treated by very spacious and atmospheric guitar leads. Those gloomy and wretched sections are present in all tracks except 'Jhator' and 'Absonus' and introduce a welcome change to the typical old school pace and in my opinion are the strongest points of this EP. Even vocals have more interesting tone and depth when overlay majestic darkness of the middle section in 'Behind 7 Walls and 7 Gates'. 

I'm not sure what was the idea behind +/- 100 second songs 'Jhator' and 'Absonus'. I found them as the weakest moments of the record with pretty straight forward riffs and without crushing weight usually associated with short outburst of death metal energy. They felt like space fillers and those have no place in a debut recording. Reminding tracks show more maturity, better songwriting and even show hints of built up dread atmosphere. 

So, all in all Scythe Lore debut EP Through the Mausoleums of Man is a solid introduction to the metal world with hidden potentials that if carefully nurtured might provide a solid backbone for future full-length. 

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Alex on April 30, 2019.

A new German curse lingers over the heads of mankind, this time in what seems to be a body of unholy death metal, Scythe Lore ascends to reap the harvest with Through the Mausoleums of Man. Cavernous growls own the platform on this one. Yes, the riffs are here, the drumming is too, but unholy hell, the vocals sound like one hungry and angry tyrant. From the instance I saw this was an Iron Bonehead release I immediately knew that it was going to be nothing, but gut-tearing mayhem and I was right. From the first to final track, prepare for a terrifying touch of commotion. This German unholy order brings the noise in blazing, mid-temped and doomy passages. Just a taste of what I’m optimistic is to come in the near future should Scythe Lore decide to play into the hands of gold. 

From the opening snap of “Eschatology Speaks All Tongues” to the grotesquely themed “Within Our Rotten Flesh”, Scythe Lore unceremoniously rains down a storm of cavernous vocals aided by the momentum shifting drumming and wound salting guitars. Utilizing various tempos, Scythe Lore manage to craft a short offering that reeks of apocalyptic barbarity sonically with significant musical detail and effort being put into the quality of Through the Mausoleums of Man. Some bands release a short record that displays cursory attributes that in turn tell of their deficient dedication to the art if any at all; however, with Scythe Lore, it’s easy to see that there is musical mindfulness inculcated on Through the Mausoleums of Man. As someone who enjoys the cavernous vocal delivery, hearing it swirl around in so much atmosphere ushered in by the guitars was indeed a testament to an understanding of the craft. To many Through the Mausoleums of Man is a headache (good!), to me it’s a mark of musical beauty and more importantly, conscientiousness. Spanning only 19 minutes, yet it feels like a complete piece of work in a sense of telling one particular section of a tale; not many bands can accomplish such. 

The performance of Scythe Lore on Through the Mausoleums of Man is nothing short of electrifying; by means of dispersing multiple tones as heard throughout the record particularly on “Behind 7 Walls and 7 Gates”, “Established Death” and “Within Our Rotting Flesh,” a feeling of perpetual creation and destruction is conjured and delivered in a powerbomb of soundscapes. Both melody and mayhem play roles in the building of this towering display of aggression and disintegration; as the vocals sit triumphantly in governing the truculence with aid from the drumming; the guitars usher in the many atmospheric inflections that are then washed by more waves of vocal pugnacity. The music is all together commendable, no restrictions are placed on the ferocity of the blaring yet moody guitars (at times), and though the drumming has its moments, it’s still the vocals that instill the berserking nature of Through the Mausoleums of Man. They are delivered in such an overwhelmingly loud manner that the listener/s attention is apprehended with force that is sustained and maintained for the record’s entirety. Everything about Through the Mausoleums of Man encompasses death metal gold, from the evil artwork to the overwhelmingly hostile yet capricious (at times) temperament, one can only imagine the impact Scythe Lore will have once the record sets foot in the underground.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Emma on June 23, 2010.

Trudging, epic, heavy…Heavy Doom from Dartmoor, England. The Wounded Kings present their second full-length "The Shadow Over Atlantis".

Foreboding guitars take the listener through the cosmos to the murky realm of Atlantis. George Birch’s (one of two founding members) ominous vocal style rides the coattails of Messiah Marcolin, but do not taking center stage in the same way. There’s a balance throughout this album between the vocals and the instruments in taking the main stage, helping prevent The Wounded Kings from falling face-first into the muddy tracks of their influences. Their gimpy-turtle tempo also falls out of pattern with earlier doom acts; really The Wounded Kings are picking up the scepter of funereal heaviness that Reverend Bizarre put down. Sounds outside of guitar, bass and drums are kept at the bare minimum, including only Steve Mills (the other founder) on piano. Besides cosmic or psychedelic I would also use the word stonerrrific to describe some of what’s going on with "The Shadow Over Atlantis" particularly with the second track ‘Baptism Of Atlantis,’ which I thought would be more funeral doomy in sound based on the subject, because we all know how that turned out, but it just so happens to be one of the less-depressing tracks of the album.

The ‘sales information’ from the label describes "The Shadow Over Atlantis" as being a warning cry to folks today to not repeat what the citizens of Atlantis did by abandoning their spiritual lives. I need not tell the story of what happened to them for you to get The Wounded King’s point. I can’t say I read that idea specifically from the music or the lyrics, but certainly the image of a bent man on a soapbox came to my mind once the vocals let loose. So they’re getting there but I’d suggest a Blakean manifesto to get beyond the purely narrative impression. So two ideas to walk away with here: 1.) Doomsters-go buy this album 2.) We’re all Doomed.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Originality: 8
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.5 out of 10