UMUR "Back from the Funeral" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US death metal act Mausoleum. The album was released through Razorback Recordings in October 2011. Allthough the band was formed in 2001 and they released their debut full-length studio album "Cadaveric Displays of Ghoulish Ghastliness" as early as 2003, it´s taken them 8 years to write, record and release "Back from the Funeral". A couple of issues stalled the release though. The major one being the death of guitarist Phil Newbaker in March 2009. Phil Newbaker´s guitar parts were recorded before his death though and are featured on the album.

On "Back from the Funeral", Mausoleum play a filthy, old school US influenced death metal. Acts like Autopsy, Deceased, Necrophagia and early Death come to mind. I´d mention early Pestilence and Asphyx too, but that´s because lead vocalist/drummer Rick "Slim" Boast shares some vocal similarities with Martin Van Drunen. They both have that kinda desperate howling to their growls that sets them apart from most other growling type vocalists. Rick "Slim" Boast employ a more deeper growling style too though.

"Back from the Funeral" absolutely reeks old school US death metal aestethics like filthy lo-fi sound production, horror/zombie lyrics and imagery and an organic and somewhat purposedly sloppy playing style. If you enjoy the style, songtitles like "Brains (I Must Eat Your Fucking Brains!)", "Raped Within the Casket" and "Consumed by the Deceased", are also sure to bring a smile to your face.

"Back from the Funeral" is overall a worthy purchase even though I personally think the raw and lo-fi sound production is slightly too lo-fi and muddy and sometimes work against the music. It´s purely a matter of taste though and if you can accept a murky and filthy sound production that sounds like it´s recorded in a basement next door you´ll have a blast with this one. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.