Turmion Katilot: Technodiktator Review

Hey guys & gals!

Today’s post mark the 3rd of February, and 11 days later is the well loved/hated holiday that is Valentine’s Day. Last year I had a blast with my friend Amanda, where we decided to raise our middle finger to the whole lovey-dovey vibe by watching the 5th Die Hard movie, and this year won’t be any different (We’re more than likely gonna watch the Lego Movie....yes we’re excited!!).

As for the album that’s getting reviewed in this post, we’ve got something special. The album for today is hard, brutal, fast, and incredibly energetic. The music will get you pumped, and get you onto the dance floor. So, let’s get a little smooth, put on our best dancing clothes, and examine Turmion Katilot’s most recent album, Technodiktator. Let’s dance!!

(For the purpose of this review, I’ll be focusing mainly on the instrumentation of the songs. While I know a little bit of German, I know far less of the Finnish language! Sorry to anyone who wanted me to talk about this.)

Background
Coming onto the metal scene in 2003, Turmion Katilot (Midwives of Perdition or Midwives of Destruction, depending on the translation) was formed by Petja Turunen (Better known as MC Raaka Pee) & DJ Vastapallo (Who later left the band). The live lineup includes Spellgoth (Who also work in the bands Trollheim's Grott & Horna), Master Bates, Janne Tolsa (Also known as RunQ, who work with the bands Tarot & Eternal Tears of Sorrow), and DQ. Since their forming, the band has released 5 ass-kicking albums, the latest of which is Technodiktator, which was released on September 27, 2013. The band stated that this album is dedicated to the dance music pioneers of the 90s, as evident by the overall feel of the songs.

Songs
Silmät Sumeat (Eyes Blurry)(“***”): We begin the regime of the Technodiktator with this number, a song that’s infused to the core with the techno/industrial sound that we’ve all come to recognize from Turmion Katilot. Silmät Sumeat is a incredibly fast-paced song, as it has an intensity that practically refuses to slow down (Even when the song slows down just a tiny bit, you can tell that it just wants to jump right back onto the fast track). A great want to start off the album!

Antaa Palaa (Lets Go Back To)(“***”): Talk about some whiplash! Antaa Palaa still has that intensity that was first provided by Silmät Sumeat, but it decides to slow down a little bit. Because of this, you can feel a little more emotion from this song. Antaa Palaa also has more of an even mix between the instrumentation & techno/keyboarding, where as the previous song felt imbalanced (But not necessarily in a bad way) in this regard. If I had any complaint, it would be the usage of what I believed was Saxophone. I’m not complaining about the usage of it, because I found that it added something. I’m only complaining about the fact that they hardly used it at all. It only comes in near the end of the song, then it’s just gone!

Nimi Kivesaa (Name Of The Stone)(“***”): Taking a cue from the previous song, Nimi Kivesaa is another song that decides to go along a little more slowly. This time around, the song relies much more on it’s instrumentation, with the techno/keyboarding taking on more of a support role. This is really evident in the incredibly heavy drumming and guitar playing, as it borderlines on overwhelming. Given what Turmion Katilot is known for, I’m not surprised.

Pyha Maa (Holy Land)(“***”): Despite being the 2nd single to have been released before the Technodiktator came to power, Pyha Maa was the first song I liked off of this album. A rather even mix between heavy instrumentation & futuristic techno/keyboarding, it also knows how to be both slow and fast at the same time. It’s also knows when to be either just fast or slow, as evident by certain moments in the song. Again, my favorite song off of this album!

Jalopiina (Precious Lida)(“***”): This was the first single off of Technodiktator, and it is a rather strange one. Turmion Katilot decided to go for a western theme with Jalopiina, which is very evident by certain sounds used, as well as the way the guitars & drums were used as well. I’m quite surprised that the band hasn’t made a music video with this song yet, as I suspect that Turmion Katilot would have a field day with the western theme. Maybe a shoot out, maybe playing cards in the saloon, or even riding off into the sunset with a geisha beside them (There’s a point or two in the song where there’s a hint of Asian influence. That’s the only reason why I brought up the geisha thing).

Elävä Koneeksi (Living A Machine)(“***”): When Turmion Katilot set out to make an album that gave tribute to dance musicians of the 90s, Elävä Koneeksi is a perfect representation of that mission. Fast, unrelenting, intense, and a brutal usage of instruments & sounds, your body will suddenly be swept up by the beat, and onto the dance floor faster than the blink of an eye!

Rehtori (Principal)(“***”): A very bizarre & creepy piece of propaganda in the Technodiktator’s arsenal. I say bizarre, because Rehtori changes it’s speed at the drop of a hat. It could go from fast to slow at the snap of someone’s fingers, and at other times it seems to be both fast & slow simultaneously. Most of the time it works fine, but it seems that the song hiccups once or twice when it changes speeds. As for the reason why I think Rehtori is creepy.....let’s just say that songs named after a leader such as a principle (I’m assuming the band is singing about a school principle) aren’t always the most flattering.

Beibe (???)(“***”): Another song that sounds absolutely appropriate on the dance floor, Beibe is also another tune that matches up with Turmion Katilot’s goals with this album. There’s a heavy usage of techno & sound effects, although there isn’t a lack of instrumentation at all. The two sides complement each other nicely (As they did in Pyha Maa), and neither one of them tries to overshadow the other. A great song overall!

To Be Continued Act 1 (“***”): And now we come to the final song on this album, and boy or boy it’s a doozy. For starters, it reminds me of something that Metallica would do (Look up The Unforgiven II/III). It’s a rather goofy name, and one that I think doesn’t suit this song. Secondly, it is the longest tune on Technodiktator. Clocking in at 8 minutes & 28 seconds, none of the other songs can compare to it. Not only that, but with the way it presents the instrumentation & singing, it feels like it’s much longer than it’s actual running time. With that said, there are some positive aspects to this tune. For starters, it’s got a really great pace. The instrumentation & keyboarding are played slowly for the most part, with an occasional break for something that’s faster than the rest. Not only that, the overall quality of the instrumentation, techno/keyboarding, and singing is nice. This isn’t my favorite song off of Technodiktator, but it’s not a massively ugly song.

Overall Impression & Rating
Technodiktator is about as close to a perfect album as you can get. Although there’s just one song on here I don’t like (Even then, I thought it was okay), it doesn’t diminish the rest of the music. It’s albums like this that make me wonder why Turmion Katilot isn’t popular over in the States, or even the rest of the world for that matter. If you want an album that gets your blood pumping, gets you in the mood, or gets you to dance, join the Technodiktator and his musical regime!

Technodiktator gets a 9 out of 10

See you all next time, when we’ll look at something a little untouchable. Until then, stay Otaku!