Artist: Totengott
Origin: Asturias, Spanien
Genre: Death Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Extrem Metal
Label: Hammerheart Records
Link: https://www.facebook.com/bandtotengott
Band members:
Guitars, Vocals – José Enrique (Chou) Saavedra
Bass, Backing Vocals– Nacho Bernaldo
Drums, Backing Vocals – Jose Mora
In the summer, I had the pleasure of reviewing (here) the Spanish Totengott album Beyond The Veil. I was so impressed by the album that I wrote to the band and I asked them to send me the two previous albums as well. The idea of interviewing Totengott developed.
Now the time has finally come for the interview that I’ve done with drummer Jose Mora. If you’re interested, you can find out more about Totengott here!
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
Hello, thank you very much for allowing me to do an interview with you. From what I read, your band name is based on the last song by Celtic Frost. Tellingly, you initially chose the path as a Celtic Frost tribute band. How did you come up with the idea?
Totengott / Jose Mora
Hello, Jose Mora here! The idea of performing a setlist of Celtic Frost covers live started almost as a joke. We loved Tom Warrior’s music since we were kids, so we began doing this purely for fun, with no expectations beyond playing a few shows. But things got a bit more serious over time. We decided to keep the name Totengott from our cover days because the concept of a „god of the dead“ fits perfectly with our sound. It’s a powerful, universal figure that appears across many cultures, adding depth to our identity.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
Was it difficult being a tribute band to such an institution as Celtic Frost? What was the reaction during this time?
Totengott / Jose Mora
For us, choosing to cover Celtic Frost was easy; we loved the band and had been listening to them since we were kids. We already knew most of the songs by heart, so learning them was more about double-checking the right notes than figuring out the song structures or arrangements. We were incredibly familiar with them. As for the audience’s reaction, it was mixed. Some people understood exactly what we were doing and why, and they loved the few shows we performed with that setlist. Others weren’t fans of Celtic Frost at all. So, naturally, they weren’t very interested in us either.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
Have you ever met Tom G. Warrior himself, does he know you? I last met him at the Prophecy Fest two weeks ago in the Cave Of Balve with his other band Triptykon. With Triumph Of Death he now has some kind of a Celtic Frost tribute band, although you can’t really say that since he was the head of Celtic Frost himself.
Totengott / Jose Mora
I had the chance to talk to him briefly at Roadburn 2019, just a few hours before Triptykon performed Requiem with an orchestra. He was nice and polite, but I didn’t want to press him about Totengott, so we didn’t discuss it. Still, he probably knows we exist – hopefully, he understands our origins.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
When did you come up with the idea of leaving the tribute band behind you and making your own songs? Who’s your songwriter, or are all band members involved?
Totengott / Jose Mora
It all happened pretty quickly. We performed the Celtic Frost setlist for about a year, doing a few shows mostly in our local area. Before long, we were ready to start writing our own music. The band sounded great, and we had a strong personal connection, so it felt like the obvious next step. As for the writing process, most of the material comes from home demos created by Chou, which we share and discuss online. Eventually, the three of us come together in our rehearsal space to arrange and finalize each piece.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
In 2017 you released your debut album Doppelgänger, which was followed two years later by The Abyss. Five agonizing and epidemic-filled years later, you’ve released your third album, Beyond The Veil. So you achieved the status of an independent band a long time ago. However, you can’t deny the influences that Celtic Frost has left on you, which I don’t find bad at all. However, is this a point that some fans or critics might accuse you of?
Totengott / Jose Mora
Most of the feedback and reviews we receive are positive or very positive, which is fantastic. Of course, some people don’t like our sound or feel we’re too similar to our primary influences. I don’t necessarily agree, but everyone’s opinion is valid, and we’re happy to hear them all. As you mentioned, we can’t deny the influence of Celtic Frost, considering how the band was formed. But if you ask me, I think our sound is shaped by many other influences: Bathory, Voivod, Dead Can Dance, Obituary, Conan – even Pink Floyd, Penderecki, and Sisters of Mercy! If you listen closely, you’ll hear references to all these great artists. We’re very eclectic music listeners, and I believe that comes through in our music.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
What you do is Extreme Metal, of course. This genre designation is very popular when you can’t necessarily classify the music into a specific genre. How would you describe your music?
Totengott / Jose Mora
We don’t believe in labels or sticking to specific styles. As you mentioned, we’re not trying to fit into a single genre – we enjoy a wide variety of music, and we aim to make music we genuinely like. People have called us Doom, Death Doom, Thrash, Black Doom, Gothic, Dark Metal … but I don’t worry much about it. I liked how Hammerheart described our music as “genre-defying darkness.” For us, it’s all about the music itself, and music can be great without overthinking labels.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
I became aware of you quite late. It wasn’t until the third album Beyond The Veil, that I was allowed to do a review. Beyond The Veil impressed me straight away, and I had to order the other two albums on vinyl from you immediately. Thank you very much for making it work so well. Do you see any differences or developments in Beyond The Veil compared to its predecessors or would you say that you are following a predetermined path?
Totengott / Jose Mora
First, thank you so much for your support! We’ve seen many people doing exactly what you did, discovering us through Beyond The Veil and then checking out our earlier work, and we couldn’t be more grateful to all of you. To answer your question, yes, I think Beyond The Veil marks a clear evolution in our sound. The songs are generally shorter and more direct, with added atmosphere, clean vocals, orchestral arrangements, and even some industrial influences here and there – all without abandoning our classic metal roots. We feel it’s a diverse collection of songs that anyone interested in dark, extreme music will appreciate.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
In my review of Beyond The Abyss I described the last song The Golden Crest with the parts The Ritual, The Curse, The Path and The Light as Opus Maximus. A song, that really moves me. The song is 13:33 minutes long. Is the duration of the song a coincidence, or is there something occult behind it? Do you have a “favorite song” on the album?
Totengott / Jose Mora
The duration of The Golden Crest is purely coincidental – there’s nothing obscure or hidden about it. We do have our favorites, of course, and The Golden Crest is one of them. It showcases our signature low-end, orchestral-epic sound with a long-form structure that really builds. It’s definitely one of the peak moments on the album. I also really enjoy the atmosphere in The Architect and the thrashing intensity of Necromancer. The great thing about the album’s diversity is that different listeners each have their favorites.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
Beyond The Abyss is very, very high on my list of the year. Otherwise, how has it been received by critics and fans? Overall, are you happy with the album and how it’s received?
Totengott / Jose Mora
Yes, we’re very happy with how things are going with the new album. Most of the reviews have been very positive, and thanks to Hammerheart Records‘ efforts, we’re reaching more new listeners than ever and seeing great sales. We’re also extremely satisfied with the artistic side of things – from the sound and artwork to the overall concept. It’s our best album to date.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
Can fans hope for a live performance or have you already played these songs at concerts?
Totengott / Jose Mora
We will be playing a lot of material from the new album at our upcoming shows. Most of the set will be based on these new songs, although we will also play some tracks from our first two albums. Even before the album was released, we performed The Architect and Marrow Of The Soul live during our tour with Master at the end of 2023.
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
Can fans outside of Spain hope to see you live in the near future? If you are in Germany, you have to contact me!
Totengott / Jose Mora
That’s our plan! We have a show in Portugal that will be announced soon, and we’re also working on some European dates for 2025. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to perform in your area!
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
That just occurred to me: Support for Triptykon or Triumph Of Death would definitely be awesome, right?
Totengott / Jose Mora
That would be fantastic! Supporting bigger acts allows us to perform for audiences that might be interested in our music and could potentially become new fans. Naturally, audiences of Triptykon or Triumph Of Death would likely understand what we do and hopefully enjoy it. Here’s hoping a promoter considers arranging this for the future!
Time For Metal / Juergen Simon
In my review I also wrote: “May the Totengott be with the spanish trio.” With that in mind, I wish you all the best and hope to see you live soon. Finally, you have the opportunity to say something that hasn’t been discussed yet. Of course, you can say hello to grandpa and grandma, or tell me and the fans something mystical about Beyond The Veil. Thank you very much for taking the time for the interview.
Totengott / Jose Mora
Thank you so much for your interest in the band, your support, and for spreading the word. It means a lot to us! We hope to see all of you on the road sometime in the future. Keep up the great work!
