If you live in Finland, you surely already know about TURMION KÄTILÖT [Midwives of Doom], but if the name is new to you, it may be because they were announced as the opening band for NIGHTWISH during part of their upcoming world tour. Alas, the tour is likely postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but that will simply allow listeners more time to get familiar with the new album, sneakily titled “Global Warning,” once it is released on April 17th, 2020, via Nuclear Blast Records. Read our recent interview here.
The album opens with an intriguing industrial part to start “Naitu” [ravaged] that kicks into a fast disco-industrial beat fairly quickly as the dual vocalists immediately start trading off lines. It’s an upbeat and fun TK song without sounding stale, getting a bit of extra kick from the vocal layers, including the details in the background. It then moves into one of the singles, “Kyntövuohi” [plow goat], a deeper, thicker song with an occasional hip-hop beat.
“Sylkekää siihen” [spit into it] has a more laidback intro before the rhythm picks up. Did you think TURMION KÄTILÖT would let up so soon? If so, you are vastly mistaken! “Viha ja rakkaus” [hate and love] has pipe-like sounds at the beginning and a marching beat to kick things off, with rather creepy growls to begin the verses. “Turvasana” brings the energy back into dance party territory, singing about satan’s safeword, or “turvasana.”
“Kuoleman juuret” [death’s roots] brings the beat down into a groovier zone during the first verses but gives a big jolt of energy as it approaches the chorus and then keeps it in the party zone for the rest of its near-4-minute playtime. “Suvissa vesissä” [in deep waters] has a teasing intro before getting into a pure punching rhythm as the vocalists growl away.
The other single, “Sano kun riittää” [say when], has a whispered intro with a heavy build-up into a very chill yet funky and heavy track with a great, catchy chorus. “Jumalauta” [goddamn(it)] has a great choppy beat that keeps the listener on their toes, as do the lyrics about staking a pedophile pastor. “Revi minut auki” [tear me open] is a very lively song, easy to dance to at a summer festival (or other live show) with its strong, pounding beat.
“Syntisten laulu” has a bit of a creepy vibe to it, lurking around but never forgetting its disco roots as it comes in and out of a marching beat. “Ikävä” has synth that has a bit of a ’90s dance sound to it and the album closes with “Mosquito a la Carte (To Be Continued 5),” a strange and different song with a Spanish flare, which is a continuation of the “to be continued” series from the past several albums, starting with “To Be Continued Act 1” on “Teknodiktator” (2013), “To Be Continued Act 2” on “Diskovibrator” (2015), “To Be Continued Kohtaus 3” from “Dance Panique” (2017), and “To Be Continued 4 Je T’aime” from “Universal Satan” (2018). Presumably we will hear more of this on the next album?
One of my personal longstanding favorite things about TK is the way the dual vocalists trade off. The seamless flow of the voices creates a nice cadence to the music with no need to pause for breath. It’s also nice to hear two vocalists with very similar styles used in a way that still shows the minute differences in their unique sounds. Of course, the lyrics are full of metaphors and double meanings. In traditional TURMION KÄTILÖT style, songs like “Naitu” are deeply sexual, but references to orgasms, orgies, and the like can be found anywhere and everywhere.
Longstanding fans should find “Global Warning” to be a pleasant addition to TK‘s catalog and new listeners, who may perhaps be confused if they aren’t Finnish, should nevertheless find an energetic and catchy album to dance along to or blast when in need of some energy. Pushing their style further each time, these guys have a well-developed sound that continues to work time and time again.
Written by Bear Wiseman
Musicalypse, 2020
OV: 1353
OS: 8/10
Tracklist
- Naitu
- Kyntövuohi
- Sylkekää siihen
- Viha ja rakkaus
- Turvasana
- Kuoleman juuret
- Syvissä vesissä
- Sano kun riittää
- Jumalauta
- Revi minut auki
- Syntisten laulu
- Ikävä
- Mosquito a la Carte (to be continued 5)
Lineup
MC Raaka Pee – vocals
Shag-U – vocals
Bobby Undertaker – guitars
Master Bates – bass
DQ – drums
RunQ – synths
Label
Nuclear Blast Records
Links
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