Spain’s Totengott returns with their third album, Beyond the Veil, and first for Hammerheart Records.  I have enjoyed their prior two albums, Doppelgänger and The Abyss quite a lot.  The band originally started as a Celtic Frost cover band and their primary influence falls in line with the monstrous Monotheist reformation album as well as Triptykon, Tom Warrior’s band after Celtic Frost.

Therefore, over Totengott’s three albums, there are heavy doses of doom, gothic atmosphere and plenty of galloping old-school nods to Celtic Frost.  The band enjoys crafting exceedingly long songs, with their prior albums, however on the new album, the band extends the number of songs, and their length is clipped.  The one really long song is the last song, at over 13 minutes – “The Golden Crest (The Ritual, the Curse, the Path, the Light)”.  I like the fact we get more songs on this album, because I always felt their prior albums with only 3 or 4 songs could have had some of those longer songs broken up into a few tracks.  All in all these 7 songs at 44 minutes, contain roughly the same amount of music as their prior 2 albums and the band members,  José Enrique Saavedra      – Guitars, Vocals (lead), Nacho Bernaldo Bass, Vocals (backing) and Jose Mora – Drums, Vocals (backing) have been on this musical journey together for all the albums.

“Inner Flame” starts things off after some atmospheric types of Bathory-inspired noises, until the 45-second part erupts with an amazing isolated Celtic Frost type of riff and Saavedra’s vocals really are the perfect homage to Tom Warrior and this galloping beat is something out of To Mega Therion, by Celtic Frost.  This is pure classic amazing madness and if you would have stamped the Celtic Frost logo on this, many would wonder if Frost had reformed.  The slow down at the 3.26 section has an excellent rhythm headbanging section with outstanding vocals.  We even get a cool little guitar solo at the end, that is rooted in traditional heavy metal which is a nice element.  What an opening song – damn!!!!!!!!! especially with the killer double bass at the end.

“Sons of the Serpent” is up next creating that depressive, gloomy atmosphere see on the Monotheist album from Celtic Frost.  So doomy, yet excruciating in its heaviness.  Some of those goth inspired vocals are also from the Triptykon influence and they merge perfectly with the slow plodding doomy and depressive moments.  If you loved “Sorrows of the Moon” from Frost’s classic and avant garde album – Into the Pandemonium, this song will resonate with you, as it does for me.

“The Architect” opens with some noises, straight from the mouth of hell and this song has only a small amount of lyrics, but with the atmosphere and plodding doom/death, there are nods to funeral doom as well.  The atmospheric thick fog of heaviness plods and plods and plods, but never boring.  The slow dense heaviness may be the heaviest piece of music Totengott has crafted up until now.  It’s oppressive!!  “Beyond the Veil Beyond the Veil Part II: Necromancer” gallops and thrashes at a Frost-like speed in terrific fashion.  It feels like 1985 all over again and that guitar tone is a thing of beauty.  Such a killer song.  “Beyond the Veil Part I: Mirrors of Doom” is a 3-minute atmospheric instrumental, which adds to the ambiance of this album and something the band has been doing since their debut, it’s cool and all, however, you all know me as a reviewer who is also not the biggest fan of these types of numbers.  “The Golden Crest (The Ritual, the Curse, the Path, the Light”) is the long number and plods, dooms you to death with a deliberate rhythm section that is scorchingly heavy.  This is one evil song.

Beyond the Veil is a great album by Totengott and is my favorite from them.  I enjoy the fact there are not multiple long songs and the production is true organic heaviness.  This album cover is also their best one where everything going on is recognizable.  I have listened to this album non-stop since its release, and while we no longer have Celtic Frost, Totengott is the next best thing!

 

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments