5 Albums I Want To Be Buried With #36: Mosara!

Guitarist and vocalist Tony Gallegos from Phoenix, Arizona based Sludge infused Doom Metal collective Mosara took some time out from his busy schedule to do five albums would take with him to the afterlife and believe us when we say its quite the collection. Variety is the spice of life and there are no borders or boundaries to music so with the bands ability to create bleak atmospheric sounds that are heavy, hypnotic and emotionally devastating you know that this list is going to be intriguing…

The premise is simple: “Back in ancient Egypt they believed that the items their Kings were buried with would travel with them into the afterlife and so part of the burial ritual would see the mummified bodies surrounded by chariots, gold and more. Fast forward to now. If there were five albums that you’d want buried in the coffin with you to take to the afterlife, what would you choose?”

“Dark Side of the Moon” – Pink Floyd

“This one is a no-brainer for me and anyone that knows me. DSotM is quite possibly the most perfect album ever produced, recorded and mixed. Top to bottom, everything about this album is sheer perfection. The tones of every instrument, the ambience, the quality and magnificence, the arrangement, especially when you think of the technology available at the time. Yet, they had the best of the best for that time. It’s an album that you can listen to from start and finish with headphones and it can put you in such a trance. I actually try to listen to this album a couple, maybe three times a month. Each time there’s always something new. And I’ve been listening to this album for the last 35 years!”

“Unknown Pleasures” – Joy Division

“I can honestly say that there will never be another soul like Ian Curtis. I’ve been in love with Ian since I was 15 years old. Obviously, by that time, he had been dead by about 5 years. Closer was the first album that I had ever heard by Joy Division, and it just struck such a chord with me. His deadpan vocals, the near synth post-punk sound, the often off arrangement of the verses and chorus. It was almost like the songs weren’t wholly complete, but they were recorded as is within a limited time frame with no opportunity to go back and arrange the songs better. However, they were perfect. When I listened to Unknown Pleasures, though, it made full sense to me. Closer was their experimentation, Unknown Pleasures was their mark upon the world! To me, Unknown Pleasures was just a beautifully written post-punk album before such a tag was a thing. It’s essentially a great rock record that has stood the test of time.”

“Closer” – Joy Division

“Their experimental post-punk album. This album is so convoluted with themes of despair and an air of dreariness that the obvious was there when Ian died. It’s such a sad and broken album. What can I say? Ian and Joy Division have had such an impact in my life that I cannot go too long without listening to them. I’ve paid homage to them in so many songs with verses that take from either titles of songs to maybe a word or two from a verse. Our song The Permanence of Isolation is comprised of a couple Joy Division songs. “So this is permanent…” from Twenty-Four Hours and the second track, Isolation. I cannot, nor will I ever, deny the influence that Joy Division and Ian Curtis have had on my life, personally and musically.”

“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” – Iron Butterfly

“This is a personal choice as it was the first rock album I had ever listened to as a child. My dad is a Vietnam vet and he would play this song loudly whenever it came on the radio or when he would throw on the record. “Mijo! Here come the elephants!” Years later I would learn to appreciate the entire album and everything about the 60’s. It fast-tracked me into acid/psychedelic rock. It was my foray into discovering obscure bands like Banshee, Jody Grind, The Damnation of Adam Blessing, Black Widow, Message and just about any other one-off band that put out a psychedelic rock album. When I hear people talk about stoner rock, I remind them that it all came from the 60’s. I have to add that the solo in In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is quite tasty and I know some guitar aficionados and snobs that will shit on it, but to a kid growing up, it was the greatest!”

“The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady” – Charles Mingus

“And no coffin would be fully complete without a jazz album included. I wrestled with adding Kind of Blue (Miles Davis) to my list, but since I usually turn to this album more often, it made sense to include it rather than KoB. This album, although jazz, was written as a ballet. From the beginning to end, this is an album that needs to be listened to and studied without interruption. When I listen to this album, I can see the dancers and hear them moving their feet in rhythm with the music. The mind’s creativity flows and ebbs in step within each movement and it can take you to incredible heights. The arrangements and composition of each song is near perfection. And what else would you expect from Charles Mingus, the angry man of jazz?”

“Rumour of a Funeral” by Mosara is out 11th July 2025 and is available over at bandcamp