Psychedelic black metal. That’s how Finnish five-piece Oranssi Pazuzu describes their music. And it must be said: their new album, Muuntautuja (Finnish for ‘transformation’ or ‘metamorphosis’), demands both openness and a real effort from its listeners. Sitting back and relaxing and having the sounds wash over you simply won’t cut it here. This music calls for a mental workout! Are you open to diving headfirst into a completely uninhibited, perhaps entirely new, mind-bending experience of music, sounds, and textures? Are you ready to embrace a surprising, enlightening, and taboo-breaking perspective?
Muuntautuja starts off with Bioalkemisti, which begins with a tense, accelerating hammering on the synthesizer. The pounding does not only immediately grab you by the throat but also casts a palpable sense of discomfort and confusion. This effect pulls you into a kind of trance, a gripping enchantment, and once you’re ensnared, it holds you there for the full 43 minutes. But you might honestly want to ask yourself if you even want to break free. Despite the frantic, unpredictable, and distorted sound of the album’s eight tracks, there’s an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and calm to be found within them. Songs like Bioalkemisti (Bioalchemist), Hautatuuli (Cold Wind), and Valotus (Exposure) draw you into a state of entrancement where the gateway to the subconscious seems to open up wide.
The album’s eight tracks (including the brief, minute-long instrumental • for simplicity) are built on distorted riffs, capricious, experimental structures, and layers of stifling, discomforting, claustrophobic atmosphere. The vocals offer a mesmerizing mix of enchanting groans, wailing shrieks, and mystical murmuring. At times, the music is intense and stormy (Bioalkemisti, Voitelu, Valotus), while at others, the pervasive, decorative electronic soundscapes and softer vocal elements (Muuntautuja, Hautatuuli) create a more subdued effect. As a whole, the album feels darker and more mysterious than previous releases. Whether you prefer this evolution is purely a matter of taste.
Compared to Mestarin Kynsi , we hear even more electronic elements throughout, along with a wider array of influences like noise, post-rock, and trip-hop, and at various points the execution takes on an even more minimalist approach. A prime example is the nearly ten-minute track Ikikäärme (The Eternal Serpent). Opening with piano and warm, jazz-like drumming, the band creates an oppressive, ominous atmosphere that never quite veers into stormy intensity. The closing track, Vierivä Usva (Rolling Mist), contributes further to the tangled web of winding soundscapes; this instrumental piece consists only of synthesizer, lending an elusive, enigmatic end to the album.
Fans of innovative, extreme music will find much to enjoy on Muuntautuja. While it may sound less ominous and abrasive than Mestarin Kynsi and other albums, this quintet still delivers a highly refreshing, futuristic experience. Muuntautuja is eccentric, curious, mysterious, wondrous, and singular. After all, ‘psychedelic’ means ‘mind-expanding.’ How much more fitting could it be?
Score:
85/100
Label:
Nuclear Blast Records , 2024
Tracklisting:
- Bioalkemisti
- Muuntautuja
- Voitelu
- Hautatuuli
- ●
- Valotus
- Ikikäärme
- Vierivä Usva
Line-up:
- Evil – Piano, vocals, effects
- Ikon – Guitar, samples, synthesizer
- Jun-His – Vocals, guitar
- Korjak – Drums
- Ontto – Bass guitar, synthesizer
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