Kerrang Interview: ORANSSI PAZUZU ARE MORE THAN MUSIC, THEY ARE AN ATMOSPHERE
The world we’re living in is one gripped by fear and uncertainty. As the global pandemic continues its course and we remain confined to our homes, now, more than ever, we need to sink our psyches into the magical and transformative power of music. Oranssi Pazuzu’s new album Mestarin Kynsi has arrived at just the right time.
With ‘Oranssi’ translating to ‘orange’ in the band’s native Finnish, and Pazuzu the ancient Mesopotamian demon, the band name perfectly synopsises Oranssi Pazuzu’s self-described “hippy but sinister” sound, and they are releasing fifth album Mestarin Kynsi (‘The Master’s Claw’) this week. It’s an overwhelmingly expansive listen: hypnotic, multi-dimensional psychedelic black metal that could soundtrack a trippy psychological horror movie. Which is fitting when you learn of the dystopian concept bubbling within: a terrifying future where an evil dictator controls his subjects through mind control. As the band’s vocalist and guitarist Juho ‘Jun-His’ Vanhanen explains, Oranssi Pazuzu are all about exploration – but within yourself.
“To travel to dark territories inside your own mind was kind of the concept of Oranssi Pazuzu,” he explains to Kerrang!, looking back to when the band formed in 2007 with the aim of blending the ominous vibes of black metal with the soundscapes and ambience of proggy psychedelia. “They almost didn’t fit together,” he says of these disparate influences, “but we had an idea that it could bring the atmosphere and the psychedelic experience of music to a new level.”
Read the full interview on Kerrang