Mestarin kynsi Review - Norman Records
Not many bands can get away with releasing a ten-minute song as the lead single of their first album in four years, but Oranssi Pazuzu are not your average band. The Finnish metal collective blend a huge range of sounds and genres together, namely black metal with psychedelic rock, though when combined it sounds organic; something unalike either genre. You won’t find many high-pitched tremolos or blast beats here, nor is ‘Mestarin kynsi’ some sunny day flower-power outing. Through combining a huge assortment of influences into one potent mixing pot, Oranssi Pazuzu create a record which rivals the creativity of their inspirations in their 70s heyday.
On ‘Mestarin kynsi’, you’ll hear sounds and genre pairings you’ve never heard before. What’s most impressive about Oranssi Pazuzu is their use of novel rhythms and unique use of instruments to shape a hypnotic and ominous atmosphere. There’s always a sense of the kinetic, whether they’re channelling motorik rhythms, breakneck thrash or hyper-speed space rock. Paired with nocturnal horror cinematics, it gives a sense of free-falling or space travel. ‘Tyhjyyden sakramentti’ for example, shapes unease through echoes of Faust’s off-kilter driving pulses, dissonant bass riffing and whirling shoegaze. The meeting of symphonic strings and dubby basslines on ‘Oikeamielisten Sali’ sounds like Emperor jamming with Massive Attack, whilst the throbbing background rhythms of ‘Ilmestys’ meet blood-curdling vocals and explodes into goth-tainted industrial. ‘Uusi teknokratia’ impresses most, as shuddering electronics meet compelling minimalism and female voice, descending into a dark ambient outro which can only suggest ruin.
‘Mestarin kynsi’ highlights post metal’s limitless possibilities. By looking outwards, away from such things like gatekeeping genre constraints, they flaunt how it’s feasible to create a sound unalike anyone else. Oranssi Pazuzu’s cinematic and sci-fi influences means they’d also be exceptional at creating a soundtrack or film score, perhaps even for a gruesome videogame like Dead Space or Doom.
8/10