1) Sateenkaaren pää; 2) Kappaleina; 3) Taistele; 4) Auringon kultainen kaupunki; 5) Kuoleman kulkumies; 6) Iäti; 7) Totenmann; 8) Manisola; 9) Kättenpäällepanijat; 10) Linnunrata; 11) Laulu todellisuuden luonteesta
Simplification and less pretension are fine goals on their own, but the opposites were always part of CMX's charm and somewhere along the line it's gotten a bit too... bland.
The aim of Iäti was to simplify. CMX’s discography is roughly speaking a series of reactions and counterpoints, so when it came time to follow up on the space opera prog rock epoch Talvikuningas, the band’s first instinct was to strip away the pretensions. In a typically CMX-like fashion, it couldn’t just end there. A set of dogma-esque rules were written, to be followed throughout the sessions. No heavy, no prog, no compression, no needless layers, no keyboards unless all other options had been thoroughly exhausted, no cryptic lyrics full of arcane theological references, and so forth. Direct and straightforward rock music. Uncomplicated.
Unsurprising. The self-imposed rule set is audible but not really in the way you’d think. You would expect something more rough and raw but that’s not the case, as Iäti sounds like any other later period CMX album through and through with enough production shine that any dogmatic lack of layers and additional instruments isn’t really all that apparent. It’s in fact the structure and style of the songs that’s affected the most. The “no prog, no heavy” thing doesn’t jump out when you read the list but it’s most clearly present, in the sense of the band avoiding any stylistic extremes. That means Iäti is a string of songs that comfortably course somewhere in the middle, rock a little but not too hard, aren’t keen on twists and turns and are always racing for the next chorus. The band have always included a token “easy” radio single like this on their albums but this time it’s an album full of them, and rather than making Iäti a compact and direct streak of hits, it’s instead made the band sound like any (Finnish) mainstream rock band. Iäti sounds predictable, in lieu of a better word, and is settled down and content with it.
It doesn’t help that for major parts of the album the band seem to be coasting along through the motions, and the typically efficient production style that’s worked on the prior albums now just highlights how streamlined the songs are. A good chunk of the album, particularly towards the latter half, is one largely unbothered riff rocker after another, the kind that the band could write in their sleep. Sometimes they wake up from their stupor momentarily - the chorus of “Totenmann” threatens to be effective, “Manisola” has some interesting vocal manipulation going that’s memorable if nothing else, “Kappaleina” comes so awfully close to Apulanta et al that you remember it for that alone, “Laulu todellisuuden luonteesta” almost reaches the epic closer levels it wants to be when the uncharacteristic guitar solo appears. Mostly though, they stay effectively in the background, not particularly budging in either quality direction. For once in their lives, CMX are dangerously close to uninteresting.
But when it works, it works really well. Pardon the cliché but there’s a great EP (or an extended singles run) within Iäti that is so much more thoroughly exciting than anything else on the album. “Sateenkaaren pää” for instance highlights everything that works in the album’s chosen direction: a shamelessly catchy, devilishly instant chorus monster with a deliciously crunchy bass (one instance of the album where the production shows some life). Almost like a perfect prototype that they couldn’t replicate again. “Linnunrata”, similarly, applies the same strategies to a classic rock anthem formula and turns out something genuinely soaring and heartfelt. “Taistele” was once described by someone else as a hockey match anthem (and I’m stealing that description) and there’s a lot to raise your eyebrow about its hokey motivational fist-pumping, but damn it if it doesn’t get the foot tapping and energy going. “Auringon kultainen kaupunki” is the secret weapon, an initially unassuming song that eventually unleashes a chorus so lush that it makes up for the slow start. The album peaks at its title track: in start contrast to the rest of the album it’s gentle and has space to breathe, turning into something very effortlessly beautiful. The replacement of your usual keyboard part with vocal harmonies is also one of the album’s most inspired moments in light of its ruleset, and gives it a heightened sense of intimacy.
These five songs give Iäti its main reason to get in the listening rotation, without which it would probably get lost in the discography completely. It’s no total failure but rather it lacks character and, to some degree, inspiration, as if somewhere down the line the goal posts got moved and the restricted, dogmatic album became just the simple album. And it’s not an issue with the direction in itself, because the band have gone back to basics before with 1998’s Vainajala. The difference between the two is obvious though. Vainajala was full of rejuvenated gusto, not only because of the context it was recorded in (and the age gap) but also because all those intentionally direct songs were packed with power and intent. In comparison Iäti is borderline stiff in its execution and flat on energy, and it’s all rather blurry whether it’s because of the production, inspiration or motivation (Funny enough, Vainajala was the first album recorded with drummer Tuomas Peippo who at the time injected a new level of vitality to the band, whereas Iäti was his last album before being let go due to lack of motivation - this seems entirely coincidental though). Whatever the case, even if Iäti generally stays in the alright level, it’s a notable drop down from the previous run of albums - and out of all of the band’s albums, including the weaker ones, it’s arguably the least interesting one. Basic, if you will.
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