Oranssi Pazuzu’s unique blend of psychedelia and black metal have earned them critical acclaim over the last 13 years – their name when translated from its native Finnish means orange Pazuzu (Pazuzu being a demon) and could not be more apt. The lurid colour of orange goes a long way in describing the intoxicating rhythms of the five-piece’s music, while demonic themes are prevalent in the evil sounding vocals and darker moments of this musical, nightmarish acid trip. It’s no wonder then that they would be picked up by a mainstream metal label eventually – ‘Mestarin kynsi’ (the master’s claw) is their first release on Nuclear Blast.
This album is somewhat of a sonic departure from their previous outputs. Teaming up once again with co-producer Julius Mauranen (the guy who helped them create the Roadburn Festival commissioned project, Waste of Space Orchestra), Oranssi Pazuzu have created soundscapes that are more subdued and slightly less chaotic. The Waste of Space Orchestra influence has clearly bled into ‘Mestarin kynsi’, with a larger use of ambient noise and electronic effects than ever before and an expansion of the instruments utilised on each track. There are still plenty of dark, heavy and sinister moments – this isn’t an unrecognisable listen and there’s a maelstrom of white hot fury at this record’s core, you just need to dig through the layers to find it.
While this opus is decidedly more avant-garde than anything Oranssi Pazuzu have released previously, it’s still a menacing marriage between ferocity and downright strangeness. This is a bold new development for the band and having played together for experimental projects such as the aforementioned WoSO and also Atomikylä, it’s clear the band are keen to expand their horizons. This opus will provide one hell of a ride for those who stick with it. It will be exciting to see what dimension Oranssi Pazuzu decide to claw their way into next.
(7/10 Angela Davey)
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