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Mestarin Kynsi
Oranssi Pazuzu
The latest release from Finnish psychedelic black metallers Oranssi Pazuzu is possibly my favorite release of theirs yet. This is primarily due to the track Uusi Teknokratia, the first single off the album.
Overall the album is more of their maddening, psychotic black metal weirdness, but the whole thing seeps an anxious tension that ramps the listening experience up a notch. Several of the tracks exemplify a slow descent into auditory lunacy, with melody giving way to wild noise and back again. The eerie, ethereal synths steadily morph into fuzzy, aggressive guitars, with the crescendo of insane vocal howls dragging the listener through the muck of madness. The last track in particular devolves into utter wild noise to close out the album, fittingly enough.
As for the aforementioned Uusi Teknokratia, it is a lesson in anxiety. The track builds at just the right pace, a crawling, mounting tension that erupts into full blown chaos. It is creeping dread incarnate, before becoming completely unhinged. The synths and vocals blend perfectly, carrying the first part of the song, as the rest of the instruments begin to alter their repetitive melodies and rhythms before exploding. Yet even in the midst of the chaos the synths and vocals continue dragging the listener through the spiraling madness. Finally, you're given a seemingly peaceful reprieve, yet one that continues the anxiety of the first half of the track, with sounds that would suit the lead-up to a jump scare in a horror film. Honestly I cannot say enough good things about this song, and have become obsessed with it.
Kuulen ääniä maan alta is another stand out track, terrifyingly grating, and with the same extreme tension. Despite the fuzz and dissonance, the track remains thoroughly catchy, and is easily my second favorite on the album. This album is a great outing from a band that have really begun to absolutely master the art of dissonant weirdness, and I strongly encourage giving it a listen.
There's also a great Silent German Expressionism/ Film Noir style music video for Uusi Teknokratia, though it is a shortened version of the song, primarily missing the haunting outro.
You can pick up a digital copy from the band's Bandcamp page (cassettes are sold out), and physical copies via Nuclear Blast or even Amazon.