Having lived five years in Ecuador, I had the chance to witness and photograph many concerts, including several heavy metal festivals. It felt almost like fate, that I encountered a band from Ecuador after moving to Germany; Total Death, a group from Quito, Ecuador.
They took the stage at Valhalla Metal Pub in Cologne, a venue that wears its reputation as a heavy metal dive bar proudly. While the stage lighting leaves photographers with a challenge — dim, moody, and uncompromising — it also sets exactly the right tone for a dark metal show. The stage itself is compact, squeezing the band into a tight space, but the sound mix carried surprisingly well, filling the room with just the right amount of grit and force.
From the first riff, Total Death played with precision and drive. Their sound was fluid and unrelenting, balancing atmosphere with enough raw energy to satisfy even the most demanding headbangers. Although death metal isn’t part of my everyday playlist, I could feel the intensity resonate — a performance that delivered both authenticity and force, and left the audience more than pleased.
