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Finland's Mausoleum Gate looks not only to the old school for their inspiration but right past to the Heavy Rock of the 70s and even beyond. This all comes together on their self-titled debut. NWOBHM-inspired riffs and lyrics ("Mercenaries of Steel") sit side-by-side with trippy, Hawkwind-esque jams ("Lost Beyond the Sun"). Hammond organs and even flutes ("Mausoleum Gate") evoke the early 70s when bands like Deep Purple and Genesis ruled the rock world. This stuff is generally right up my alley since I grew up with a lot of it but Mausoleum Gate only does a passable job of brining it all together. Mausoleum Gate, the album, doesn't flow particularly well as time periods are slapped together without much apparent thought as to how it will sound. The vocalist is often off key and his vocal lines, especially on the choruses, are uninspired ("There Must Be Demons" is the worst offender).

I wanted to like this more especially since Luxi is so high on the album but its charms are lost on me. If I want NWOBHM in this vein, I'll go with Witch Cross or Pagan Altar. If I want Heavy Rock, it'll be Deep Purple or Hawkwind. Mausoleum Gate has some work to do.