Review Summary: A morbid comfort in reliable eccentricities
In a way similar to a band like Sigh, Oranssi Pazuzu’s patented weirdness has essentially become business as usual with each passing album. Their songwriting scope has expanded with differing influences taking precedence over time, but they’ve remained committed to a disorienting spaced-out experience since their 2007 inception. Their fifth full-length isn’t too different though perhaps owing to the recent venture as half of the Waste of Space Orchestra; it seems to have a more conceptual bent.
There is a noticeable chain of events on Mestarin Kynsi as the songs flow through one another while gradually building tension. The album starts off with its most subdued tracks as “Ilmestsys” and “Tyhjyyden Sakramentti” highlight the band’s ambient influences. However, the anxiety behind this calmness is immediately revealed through the ominously pulsating beats, unnerving electronics, and abstract croaks.
The rest of the album subsists on similarly drawn-out buildups, but these executions have more energized tempos and heavier riff work behind them. The krautrock influences start creeping in as “Uusi Teknokratia” and “Oikeamielisten Sali” pick up the pace with harder-hitting drumbeats and even more urgent electronics. Fitting the trajectory, the album’s last two songs are the most extreme as “Kuulen Aania Maan Alta” pairs an upbeat industrial rhythm with chunky riff work while the blasts on “Taivaan Portti” finally bring the band’s black metal side to the forefront.
Overall, Oranssi Pazuzu’s fifth album might be the most refined presentation of their freak-out metal yet. The presentation is as inaccessibly cacophonic as ever, but the songwriting’s narrative undercurrent and gradually shifting styles show off the band’s multi-faceted influences in a surprisingly coherent fashion. There are times where the buildups may be a little too slow, but the haunting atmosphere that carries them to their eventual payoffs makes the experience all worthwhile. It may not be the most surprising release for already familiar listeners, but there’s a morbid comfort in its reliable eccentricities. It may also serve as a fine portal for unacquainted listeners to immerse themselves in the band’s demented world.
Highlights:
“Ilmestys”
“Tyhjyyden Sakramentti”
“Kuulen Aania Maan Alta”
Originally published at Indy Metal Vault
