Mausoleum Gate has occupied an interesting space since their formation, capturing that period in the 70s/80s when the divide between hard rock and the newer heavy metal sound was harder to differentiate. Over time they’ve moved further into prog and some of the keyboard heavy exploration from those decades as well as the late 60s while keeping some of that familiar NWOBHM gallop and weight. Following a long period of inactivity, the group has emerged in 2025 with their third full length Space, Rituals & Magick alongside a revamped lineup. With writing that’s consistent from beginning to end and a sound that channels the best of hard rock and heavy metal while still having a style all its own, Mausoleum Gate’s return is one to not be missed.
2017’s Into a Dark Divinity significantly expanded on the progressive rock and keyboard driven rock side of the band, emphasizing lush melodies and plenty of acoustic sections while retaining the NWOBHM foundation. Space, Rituals & Magick continues this transformation, but there’s an even greater fusion of the rock and heavy metal sides. Opener “Vision Divine” showcases this perfectly, as there’s an extended keyboard and guitar driven into that has a spacey, psychedelic feel to it before the faster heavy metal instrumentation takes over. But while you do get dual guitar leads and some NWOBHM meets Thin Lizzy or Wishbone Ash passages initially, the way the keyboards intertwine takes things back in an atmospheric direction by the end. Songs like “Sacred Be Thy Throne” transform this approach further, moving from extremely mellow and introspective melodies into big, booming riffs that wouldn’t sound out of place on a number of heavy metal albums circa the early 80s. It’s a combination of styles that is reminiscent of a ton of different bands, but the way Mausoleum Gate pulls them together feels unique within the space. Sometimes this comes in somewhere between early Iron Maiden fused with Europe or Scorpions’ Fly To the Rainbow, while other sections come across like NWOBHM crossed with newer prog like Wobbler. Closer “Witches Circle” goes full progressive rock, capturing a lot of 60s and 70s influence in equal capacity with slow building and breezier instrumentation, while the title track is like a more heavy metal forward Hawkwind. The emphasis on driving tempos and the fluidity of the styles makes Space, Rituals & Magick more of an immediate album than its predecessor, and there are so many sections that have been stuck in my head since that first listen. You’ve still got some quirkiness, as there’s a keyboard part near the end of “Witches Circle” that sounds like the organ parts played at basketball and other sports arenas in the US, which is a bit odd to think of from a Finnish band, but for me some of these unexpected elements added to the charm. I do think the ending does fade out a bit too much and was hoping for just a bit higher energy to finish things off, but as a whole Mausoleum Gate really had me hooked.
On previous releases V-P Varpula had a very distinctive vocal style, coming in somewhere between the NWOBHM falsettos and some of the more theatrical doom metal singers. He would end up departing the band sometime after Into a Dark Divinity, and in a very smart move Mausoleum Gate used the two-song The Demon Age of Aquarius to act as a send-off to Varpula and an introduction to new singer Jarno Saarinen. If you were concerned about the type of seismic shift a vocalist change can have on a metal band, those should be alleviated when listening to Space, Rituals & Magick as Saarinen easily holds his own. The first pitch you hear upon pressing play is a higher pitched one that sounds very close to Ozzy at certain points, which is especially true on “Lucifer Shrine”, but there are additional pitches that pop up throughout the album. You get some much gruffer backing yells/gang vocals, and on the prog focused tracks the singing gets much softer and approaches Ashbury levels of mellowness. “Witches Circle” even goes for some ominous sounding spoken word that adds a lot of additional character to that particular track. Initially I thought things were going to sound close to early Black Sabbath or Ozzy’s solo work for most of the album, but the amount of variety really shakes things up and gives Mausoleum Gate its own flavor.
This is one of those bands that’s both highly nostalgic and fresh in equal capacity, and album number three continues to demonstrate all the different sides of hard rock and heavy metal that can be woven in. Mausoleum Gate has just as much progressive rock and hints of psychedelia as their proto and NWOBHM roots, but songs tend to incorporate both elements in ways that are exciting and the hooks are even stronger this time around. It can be concerning for existing fans when a group goes through significant lineup changes, but Mausoleum Gate has retuned with a stunning listen. Space, Rituals and Magick is available from Cruz del Sur Music.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg