Mausoleum

Mausoleum formed in the early 1990s somewhere in Europe, though details about their origins are sparse. Their debut album 'Nocturnal Rites' came out in 1995, introducing a sound that mixed doom and black metal with atmospheric touches. The band's vocalist went by the name Shadow, and the lineup otherwise stayed mostly unknown.

Their 1997 album 'Beltane' became a touchstone for their style, with songs like 'Funeral Dusk (And The Cold Dawn)' and 'Bestial Massacre' showing their approach to heavy, melancholic metal. They kept releasing records through the late '90s and early 2000s, including 'Requiem' in 1999 and 'Lamentations' in 2002.

Mausoleum cultivated a reclusive image, rarely giving interviews or revealing much about themselves. This, along with lyrical themes that touched on occult and dark subjects, fed into their mysterious reputation. They continued working quietly, putting out 'Ashes' in 2005 and other material like 'Rituais Profanos Ao Reino Pagão' and 'Irmandade Obscura' that stayed within their established sound.