Total Annihilation enters its twentieth year with a new album.
For the release of Mountains of Madness, the band led by Daniel Altwegg (vocals), Nicolas Stelz (guitar), JxNothing (guitar), Michael Lautenschläger (drums), and Denge (bass) has signed with Testimony Records.
The Art of Torture immediately attacks with incisive riffs that exploit the best of Old School Death and Thrash for maximum aggression, quickly complemented by powerful vocals that contribute to the song’s jerky feel, making it even more vindictive. The leads develop a touch of melancholy before a death rattle, then they start again with a vengeance after a final wave of violence towards Mountains of Madness and its soothing introduction, which perfectly sets the stage for the majestic approach of the first part of the song, followed by a much rawer sound. There are also some strange, almost hypnotic passages, then Illusion tries its hand at Death/Grind with nine seconds of unexpected violence that serve as an interlude before Chokehold sets in with its heaviness and thick riffs. The track is solid and fairly consistent, delivering its rhythm at a good pace, then it’s with anxiety that the band composes the first moments of Choose the Day, which call for their own motivating riffs to make us bang our heads. The rhythm is more moderate at times, ensuring a unifying sound, but it eventually gets carried away before joining Age of Mental Suicide, which returns to a much more virulent base that doesn’t hesitate to go for more elaborate but dissonant patterns, unlike Nyctophobia, which starts off fairly simple but extremely catchy and remains so more or less when the tempo picks up. The touch of complexity is found in the shrill leads that accompany certain already lively passages before offering a semblance of respite on the introductory sample of Beneath the Cross, but the band quickly returns to the fray, resuming its vindictive approach, which nevertheless includes a moment of relaxation before transforming into more intoxicating tones. The violence obviously resurfaces in due course, but Invisible Conflagration offers us a new interlude on the piano, dark but soothing, to allow us to collect our thoughts before taking on the next wave, which is quite slow but oppressive and moves at its own pace towards the inevitable eruption that sweeps us away. The song however slows down before the end, offering us a crackling sound, then moves on to a few seconds of rage in Lost Forever before finally closing the album with Hate Remains, the last composition that brings together all the energy the musicians have to offer us a final handful of aggressive and catchy riffs that follow one another at full speed to ensure one last headbang.
Total Annihilation knows how to compose with violence as well as with more moderate tones, coupling its rage with interesting atmospheres. It’s obvious that these serve Mountains of Madness perfectly, revealing both power and mysterious touches.
80/100
