Interviews: Mausolent
0. Would you be interested in sharing the story behind your debut demo “Stench of Death” and the inspiration behind the artwork and overall concept for Breathing The Core Zine? We’d love to give readers a deeper look into the formation of Mausolent, your dedication to old-school Swedish death metal, and how you are bringing that classic underground spirit into a new generation.
Diego: Sure thing, mate. Thanks for your interest!
Mausolent remained dead and buried for a long time, but we never stopped being fans of '90s Swedish death metal. Back in 2023, I wrote one song (music only) inspired by "Spawn of Flesh" by Macabre End. When Mausolent rose from the grave in 2025, that song became "Stench of Death", and we decided to write three more tracks to complete a four-track demo.
The cover art for "Stench of Death" was inspired by the bizarre, twisted faces on Macabre End's 1991 release "Consumed by Darkness". I enjoy drawing from time to time, and I had an old sketch of a zombie face that I decided to use as the starting point. I drew two more horrifying faces and connected them with shreds of flesh, which became the final cover art.
The lavender color doesn't have any special meaning—I simply like it. I asked Tomas if he was okay with it, and he agreed.
1. For readers discovering Mausolent for the first time, how would you describe the band’s sound and identity?
Tomas: In Mausolent, we try to somehow evoke the 90s roots of Swedish Death Metal. We want our sound to be crushing but raw at the same time, paying a small tribute to the pioneers of the genre. Our songs deliver fast but simple riffs, d-beats, while the themes in our lyrics will take you to decay, death, and horror. We will take the HM-2 and distortion to the maximum. Pure underground sound.
2. What inspired the creation of Mausolent, and what was the original vision behind the project?
Diego: The main inspiration behind the incarnation of Mausolent was the HM-2 sound and the Swedish death metal demos of the early '90s. One demo that deeply marked me was "Unholy Prophecies" by Necrophobic. I was blown away by its rawness, but also by how good it sounded, and of course I absolutely loved its evil atmosphere.
We kept digging deeper into raw demos like "Incarnation of Morbidity" by Cemetary, "Obscurity" by Exhumed, "Obsequies..." by Gorement, and many other evil releases like those. Eventually, we discovered Macabre End, which inspired us to create our own demo.
3. The band’s roots go back to an idea formed in 2019 before taking shape years later. What kept that vision alive?
Tomas: Yes! We go all the way back to 2019. We really tried to make it work back then, but unfortunately, it didn't work. We stayed in touch, and between parties, drinks, and music, the idea never completely disappeared. For both of us, there was always this feeling that there was still unfinished business, along with the desire to create music in this style. That's when we decided to pick up where we had left off. Having our first rehearsal really motivated us, as everything immediately felt right and sounded pretty decent. From that point on, things started to fall into place.
4. What inspired the title “Stench of Death”, and what does this demo represent for the band?
Diego: The title "Stench of Death" was totally inspired by '80s zombie horror movies such as "Day of the Dead", "The Return of the Living Dead", "Re-Animator", and many others. That's what the lyrics of the title track are about.
Since all the tracks revolve around death, we felt that "Stench of Death" was a fitting title for the demo, as it encapsulates the theme of every song.
This demo is our tribute to the '90s Swedish death metal scene.
5. Mausolent embraces the classic Swedish death metal sound and the legendary HM-2 guitar tone. What draws you to that particular era and style of death metal?
Diego: Hehe, I have to say it again: first of all, the HM-2 buzzsaw sound. The demos, the cover art, and their unique sound! I really admire Nicke Andersson's artwork for the Nihilist, Entombed, and Dismember demos. That was one of the things that inspired me to create the artwork for our demo and our upcoming EP.
We also love Tomas Skogsberg's work. The robotic sound of the electronic drums used on many Swedish death metal albums and demos is awesome too.
We also love the dark atmosphere, the underground spirit of the scene, and the putrid lyrics.
6. Bands like Entombed, Dismember, Nihilist, God Macabre, and Macabre End are major influences. What elements from those bands inspire your songwriting?
Diego: Riffing Style and D-Beats.
The macabre tremolo-picked guitar riffs, especially the intros to "Drawn" by Entombed, "Sidereal Passing" by Cemetary, "The Symbols of Sin" by Evocation, and "Zephaniah Dwells" by Goddefied, are a major inspiration for our guitar style.
I'm really into the drumming style of Swedish death metal, especially how often D-beats are used.
Also, the slow, doom parts are just crushing. The thing that fascinates us about the Swedish death metal sound is how evil, macabre, and obscure it is.
7. How do you approach honoring the old-school death metal tradition while still creating music that feels like Mausolent?
Tomas: We want to stay true to the sound. Creating riffs, lyrics, and trying to keep the sound as it was is not an easy task. What we do is keep feeding our ears with as many riffs as we can, then take that and evoke something; we are not inventing anything; we just try our best to accommodate our influences, creating our own music.
8. The band ultimately decided to remain a duo instead of expanding the lineup. What made that the right choice for the music you wanted to create?
Tomas: We never wanted it to be a duo; initially, that was not the idea, at least. Back in 2019, there were some other friends we considered. However, since we didn't continue at that time and the project fell apart, that initial (possible) lineup never materialized.
Later, when we had our first practice, we started talking about having some other friends help us out. We contacted them and did some work together, but once again, things never really clicked. That's when we decided that if we really wanted to record the demo, we would have to do it ourselves and see how it ended up. We would have loved to have recorded our demo with an actual drummer, but the urge to have the recording ready won. We still look forward to having someone else join us. We will see how that ends up.
9. Can you walk us through the writing and recording process for “Stench of Death”?
Diego: Sure! I wrote the music for the title track, "Stench of Death," in 2023, inspired by "Spawn of Flesh" by Macabre End. I got in touch with Tomas in 2024, and we decided to bring Mausolent back from the dead. We rehearsed the song a couple of times at Tomas's place, and that encouraged us to write three more songs.
I can play acoustic drums a little, but we don't have a drum kit at the moment, so I programmed some drum parts to help shape the riffs I was coming up with. Then Tomas added his bass lines.
We rehearsed all four tracks at Tomas's place. While I was recording the guitars, I also wrote the lyrics for "Stench of Death." At that point, it was the only track with lyrics. Later, Tomas wrote the lyrics for "Sepulchral Land" and "Afterlife Hallucinations," and I made a few adjustments to make them fit the music. Finally, I wrote the lyrics for "Curse of Death."
We recorded the guitars first, followed by Tomas's bass lines, and finally the vocals. We recorded everything using the same microphone since we don't have professional recording equipment.
10. What challenges and advantages come with creating extreme metal as a two-person project?
Tomas: The biggest advantage is that it's much easier to coordinate schedules and make band decisions. When there are only two people involved, things tend to move faster, and there are fewer chances of getting stuck discussing every little detail.
On the other hand, there are some limitations; let's say, for example, that we received an offer to play live, but at this point, we don't have a complete lineup to bring Mausolent to the stage. That sucks! Promotion can also be challenging, since there are only two of us handling everything and trying to spread the word. Still, we manage at our own pace.
11. How did the partnership with CDN Records come together, and what does joining the label roster mean for Mausolent?
Tomas: The partnership with CDN came together naturally. Alfred “Cannibalcam” got in touch not much after we launched our demo (digitally). He had some questions, and after some conversations and seeing genuine interest in our band, we decided to move forward. Now, we are working on getting the “Stench of Death” demo + an EP out with CDN Records, and we cannot wait to see the results. Having the support of a label with experience in the underground metal scene means a lot. It gives us a chance to reach a wider audience and puts Mausolent alongside other bands that share a similar dedication to extreme metal.
12. What can fans expect from the upcoming EP and physical releases through CDN Records?
Tomas: People can expect a raw and crushing sound, fast riffing, D-Beats, and our own version of Swedish Death Metal. This release will be available in CD format, and as we previously mentioned, it will also contain our demo “Stench of Death.” Expect nothing but true classic sound, expect some distortions and death. You might smell it now!
13. The underground death metal scene has always thrived on passion and dedication. What keeps you motivated to continue creating this style of music?
Diego: Definitely the fascination with its raw sound. We also appreciate the underground community. It's driven by passion rather than commercial success, and that makes creating this music much more meaningful.
14. What are some of your favorite classic death metal releases that helped shape your musical journey?
Diego: I could make a huge list, hehe, but let's keep it simple... "Calls from Beyond" by Megaslaughter, "The Winterlong..." by God Macabre, "Like an Ever Flowing Stream" by Dismember, "Left Hand Path" by Entombed, "Splenium for Nyktophobia" by Uncanny (Kenneth's drumming is outstanding on that album), "Passage of Life" by Excruciate, "An Evil Shade of Grey" by Cemetary, "Dark Recollections" by Carnage, "The Ending Quest" by Gorement... and many others.
Tomas: Out there are many classic releases that have influenced both of us; you cannot deny that Entombed, Carnage, Nihilist, and Dismember are among these. There are also bands like Authorize with their Source of Dominion, Necrophobic with The Nocturnal Silence, or the demos of bands like Exhumed, Crematory, and more. If you dig, there will be plenty, and that's exciting- so many great bands and materials.
15. If someone is hearing Mausolent for the first time, what track or release would you recommend they start with?
Tomas: If you are listening to Mausolent for the first time, go ahead and check out our full demo, Stench of Death only lasts 15 minutes, so you can easily go through it in one seat and then you pick your favorite track after that.
16. What do you hope listeners take away from “Stench of Death”?
Tomas: Hopefully people will hear the passion behind it. If it takes them back to that era of death metal, we've done our job. This is our vision, and hopefully they'll enjoy it.
17. Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers of Breathing The Core Zine?
Diego: I'd like to thank you, Zach, Breathing The Core Zine, Cam Alfred, CDN, all the readers, and everyone who's listened to our music. We truly appreciate your support. Keep rotting!
Tomas: We are very grateful to you, Zach and Breathing The Core Zine, to Cannibalcam and everyone at CDN Records, and to the readers and every person who has gone through our music.
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