TURMION KÄTILÖT are a Finnish industrial metal band that were formed in 2003. Recently they released their third full album, “U.S.C.H.,” which was available for free download on the website of their record company, Raha Records. Although the band sings mostly in Finnish, they also have a few songs in English in their discography, mostly on the latest album. One of my favorites is the cover of DEEP PURPLE’s “Stormbringer” made in collaboration with misters Marco Hietala and Tommi “Tuple” Salmela of TAROT, which can be found on an EP released by the band in 2005 called “Niuva 20.” On “U.S.C.H.,” the band also did an English cover of Kikka’s “Sukkula Veenukseen” (Shuttle to Venus), which turned out to be quite a blast.
Many people compare their sound to RAMMSTEIN, however, they seem to be a lot more bombastic and definitely more flamboyant than the famous Germans. You can’t stand still to TK’s music – you just have to obey and move your body. On the other hand, their theme is on a darker note than that of RAMMSTEIN. They make you feel curious and naughty.
On the 2nd of May, 2009, these guys played an explosive gig at Helsinki’s Virgin Oil Co. Despite some disappointment with the lightning technician’s work, the show was rather impressive. Whenever you go to a TURMION KÄTILÖT gig, you can never be sure of what you are going to see on stage, as it will always be a shocking surprise. Every show has something different in it, like Spellgoth’s outrageous outfits or various acts during the songs, like whipping, freak shows, and other pleasant things for your delight. You might also take it as a warning, if you are a sensitive person and get shocked easily, think twice before going there. But then again, TURMION KÄTILÖT’s shows are not for wimps.
This show, as well as some of their previous ones, TK made together with the freakshow circus, Circus Mundus Absurdus. As I understood, their lineup varies depending on the show. This time, TURMION KÄTILÖT were joined by Saviours (Jussi and Lassi) and a girl dressed as a nun who came out rubbing a cross between her legs. CMA’s performances usually consist of some blood here and there, a lot of body piercing things, fire breathing, some nudity, and a bunch of tricks that you wouldn’t want to try at home. You might like it or get disgusted by it, but you won’t be able to take your eyes off it.
What we saw on stage was an excellent spine-chilling spectacle that made a blood-freezing combination with the music being played. The “demonic clown” looks of the CMA guys and visualization of the music in their tricks perfectly painted TK’s performance.
However, I think it was a bit of an overdose. TURMION KÄTILÖT are a group of very bright people who attract all of your attention, but when you add some more, like CMA with their tricks, it gets really hard to be able not to miss something interesting while watching one of them. The stage at Virgin Oil is too small for something so huge and entertaining. At some point it started to look like this was the CMA’s show and TURMION KÄTILÖT are there only for some background music.
The audience knew their part in this performance. They didn’t stop headbanging and shaking their fists in the air for a single moment. It was simply impossible to stop. TK have a solid fanbase who know all of their lyrics and give out a lot of energy to support their favorite band. You could feel it almost ringing in the air. The band played songs from “U.S.C.H.,” as well as some of their older ones like “Verta ja lihaa” (Blood and Flesh) and “Teurastaja” (Butcher).
Spellgoth and MC Raaka Pee (vocals) ruled the night. The duo absolutely made people rock out of their minds. I’m sure if they wanted to, they could make the dead rise up and dance, shouting TURMION KÄTILÖT’s songs. They made the impression of a huge ball lightning, rolling around, fizzing with power and energy. Meanwhile, the guys from Circus Mundus Absurdus were doing their job, having the girl raised above the stage hanging on two hooks pierced in her ribcage. It gives you certain mental images, doesn’t it? I would say this was one of the least disturbing tricks, but it was worth watching simply to check how easily you can get shocked. A few times I had to close my eyes, shuddering from what I saw, because that must have hurt a lot. Closer to the end of the show, one of the guys was also raised above the stage on hooks and kept on swinging from one side to another, flying over the audience.
At some point the curtain had to go down, as happens at the end of any performance. The band left the stage and us with a lot of material to bother our imagination for the upcoming weeks.
I have been listening to TURMION KÄTILÖT for a long time now and I went to that show having my hopes high. I have heard people saying that it wasn’t their best show and they can do a lot better, but I got all 220 volts from this concert and I am looking forward to getting more in the future.
TURMION KÄTILÖT will enliven your daily routine, letting the evil in you out to play for a while. But, if you are too cautious and scared of seeing what human body and mind is capable of, then you can sit safely at home and listen to their music from their albums.
Setlist:
1. Lepositeet
2. U.S.C.H!
3. Paha musta veri
4. Pakanamaan kartta
5. Sika!
6. Million Dollar Business
7. Shuttle to Venus
8. Pirun nyrkki
9. Tirehtööri
10. Verta ja lihaa
Encore:
11. Teurastaja
12. Minä määrään
13. Kärsi
Written by Tanja Caciur
Musicalypse, 2009
OV: 7376
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