TOTAL ANNIHILATION-Interview with Daniel Altwegg

Somewhere between SODOM and OBITUARY lies the Swiss group, TOTAL ANNIHILATION. The group have a new album titled “Mountains of Madness,” an ode to the grandfather of horror, H.P. Lovecraft. Frontman, Daniel Altwegg was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding the band and this terrific, forthcoming album. Read the following interview and click links to hear the group.

Tell me your name and what you do in the band?

Hi Darren, this is Daniel. I’m the singer of TOTAL ANNIHILATION, a Thrash Death Metal Band from Switzerland, formed back in 2006.

How did the band start?

Back in 2006 we were a bunch of friends who wanted to play Heavy Music and have a good time together. We loved bands like METALLICA, SLAYER, KREATOR and wanted to play like them. In our circle of friends, the Pagan/Viking Metal was very popular, but we wanted to be more traditional.

Have you changed since your inception?

There were of course a lot of changes in the past 20 years. We not only got better at our instruments, but also our approach to how we wanted the band to sound has changed. Every one of us has changed and improved in some ways in their personal life. It’s great to see the difference between where we started and where we are now.

Give us a short history of your band, releases line-up changes, etc.?

We formed the band in 2006, and a year later we released our very first material. It was just one song recorded in a studio plus some live songs we took from a videocam. In 2008 we did our first proper recording session for a demo release later that year. In 2010 we released our first full-length album “84” and shortly after that a second guitarist joined the band. One year later our former bass player decided to leave TOTAL ANNIHILATION to join another local band. With a new bass player, we entered the studio to record the second album “Extinction” set to be released in 2012. Until 2020 we then released 2 Splits and a Live Album and had a few line-up changes. In 2020 we joined forces with Czar of Crickets Production to release the “…On Chains of Doom” album. Now, 6 years later we released the new album “Mountains of Madness” under Testimony Records from Germany. Unfortunately, shortly before the release our bass and guitar players decided to leave the band to focus more on their personal life.

How do you feel about the new album?

We’re absolutely happy how the album turned out. The reviews and feedback so far are fantastic. It’s great to see what we have achieved in the songwriting and recording sessions. We took a lot of time and effort to bring the new material to the maximum.

Who are some of your influences?

For me personally that would be ASPHYX, OBITUARY, or some old KREATOR/SODOM stufff. But overall, I’m not restricting myself to only Death and Thrash Metal when it comes to influences.

Your style is Death/Thrash. Are you a fan of DEMOLITION HAMMER?

Absolutely! I’m a big fan of DEMOLITION HAMMER. Our Drummer and I always have a fight over which album of them is the best. Haha. He likes “Epidemic of Violence” more and I’m more into “Tortured Existence.” .”44 Caliber Brain Surgery» all the way Baby!

Talk about the melodies on the album, particularly “Mountains of Madness”

The melodies of the album were written by our former guitarist so I’m not able to tell you much about them. But they absolutely match the album’s energy and give the songs a lot more depth than just brutal sounding music. In our opinion it’s a perfect mix of aggressive brutality and harmonies.

Is this based on the HP Lovecraft story?

The title track and the album cover are based on the story of H.P. Lovecraft, yes. I really enjoyed the eerie scenery and the mysterious landscape he created.

Please talk about lyrics. Is there a common theme on “Mountains of Madness.”

No, there is no common theme. I took inspiration from different topics for the lyrics on “Mountains of Madness.” If you look over all the lyrics in the group there is always rejection of unjust institutions who want to exploit humans. Most common example would be religion. I deeply detest it. It makes me angry that there are still people today who don’t want to think for themselves and blindly follow what their faith dictates.

Talk about the first song “The Art of Torture.”

This song is a fast-ripping lethal piece of brutality! That’s why we chose it as the first song on the new album. It takes no prisoners, unleashes a Thrash/Death metal thunderstorm, and leaves only scorched earth behind. It’s also very fun to play this song live.

Have you played any high-profile shows?

We played a lot of shows in the last 20 years. Some of them were bigger shows like at the Metaldays Open Air in Slovenia, or at the Metalheadz Open Air in Germany. We also shared the stage with Bands like ASPHYX, TANKARD, LEGION OF THE DAMNED, MESSIAH, and POLTERGEIST.

When’s your next show/tour?

We have a few shows coming up to promote the new album. We also plan to do a small tour later this year to celebrate our 20^th year anniversary.