Finish black metallers Oranssi Pazuzu are back with a follow-up to their widely loved 2016 record Värähtelijä. I’m not gonna sit here and pretend they blew me away with that record or others of theirs. One thing’s for sure though and that’s I respect the hell out of their craft. Their fusions of black metal and psychedelic music has become their defining trait. I’ve found the idea of mixing in psychedelic music and black metal oddly amusing considering anyone who listens to Oranssi Pazuzu’s music on psychedelics is going to have a horrific trip. At the same time, they take an interesting route in their fusion by making their music more of a trippy nightmare. What’s held me back the most from loving their music often was their grainy production and inclusion of unorthodox instrumentation that came off more distracting than compelling. Still their technical skill put into their development of atmospheres is undeniably great often carrying compositions.

With their newest record Mestarin kynsi they improved on these issues. Part of this is because of the trend throughout Oranssi Pazuzu’s discography where they’ve continually increased focus on psychedelic elements and stepped back from black metal a little more with each passing album. Choices for production and extra instrumentation feel on average more meaningful and necessary towards enhancing the atmospheres. The ideas are more tight and focused relying on repetitious compositions to pull you into a hellish trance. Unfortunately, with this greater focus towards psychedelic elements comes an issue that has never been too prominent in their music before, staleness. Ideas can begin to drag on without any major changes causing a loss in attention and investment in the song personally. One could make the observation that the song lengths ranging between seven and ten minutes play a part, but that hasn’t stopped them in the past nor any of the countless other metal artists that create 10+ minute epics. I think it comes down to their black metal elements becoming unbalanced with their psychedelic elements. Even with this in mind, there is still a good amount to love about Mestarin kynsi.

The opener “Ilmestys” is quite interesting giving off massive The Great Cold Distance-era Katatonia vibes with the subtly menacing guitar riff that bounces off the percussion and compliment the droning guitars throughout. I would’ve loved this more if it didn’t meander for the first five minutes. Helping it though are the creepy electronic notes that weave themselves within the hollow bass drums that can feel bland but do add to the nightmare aesthetic well. For the last two minutes every instrument remains playing the same, but the distortion and dynamics explode into a terrifying cacophony giving it the variation it needed. Following it is “Tyhjyyden sakramentti” which is more efficient with its progression. Starting off quietly ominous with misty drones and soaring synths that sputter out juxtaposed by a consistent menacing bassline, the track feels more cohesive in its transition to brutal relentlessness. Near the backend an amazing breakdown occurs where decrepit guitar tones suspend over silence just for the percussion and bassline to crash back in within woosy synths echoing over everything.

Wasting no time, “Uusi teknokratia” plows its way in with metallic organs riding over grinding guitars and percussion. The uncanny woodwinds are a nice touch contrasting the darkness for a more trance-like feel over uncompromising energy. The beginning also features my preferred vocals from Oranssi Pazuzu where they are nasty and repulsive but also trippy with the layered echo delay on them. The guitar riffs are also amazing slightly fuzzed out the production making a wall of sound that is still distinguishable. I do have an issue with the middle portion where it turns almost ambient with call and response pianos, bass, and airy female vocals that lose a lot of the momentum behind the track. Same with the ending but the lingering guitar note before breaking into atmospheric portion does provide a solid transition. Next there’s “Oikeamielisten sali” which is my least favorite track on here for its awkward skipping bassline that clashes with the collage of distant guitars and doesn’t emit the creepy atmosphere intended – at least for me. Once the heaviness breaks through I’m left unsatisfied with synced riffing of the instrumentation which could have been improved if the tremolo picking in the back was more refined and substantive. The ending is great though making use of the muddier production by having the instrumentation spaz over each other for a unhinged mosaic of hell.

Next is “Kuulen ääniä maan alta” which is the heavy metal equivalent of being thrown into fight or flight mode. Everything moves at charging speed even at its least-dense. The percussion is a key component with its jittery pace and melting in with the electronic effects thrown in. Outside of the pummelling goliath that is the basic instruments is effect after effect which all somehow feel necessary for reaching the panic emitted. This is Oranssi Pazuzu at their best focusing on the fine detail of everything making it jaw-droppingly complex without feeling random nor distracting. Leaving the track on a heart-pounding note wouldn’t have worked which makes me thankful for the shimmering collage of metallic pianos and bells at the end to ease out of the panic while keeping a lingering sense of danger. The final track “Taivaan portti” ends Mestarin kynsi on an unsettling note. It takes the heaviest black metal influences on the record and creates a demented cacophony that almost feels like depressive black metal. I wish the song was cut-down shorter than eight minutes though because not much changes throughout and can feel repetitive although that aspect does make it slightly psychedelic in a mind-melting bad trip kind of way.

Mestarin kynsi is yet another impressive feat within the Oranssi Pazuzu catalog. Their greater focus towards psychedelia provides a lot of room for evocative instrumentation that many would not dare to include in metal – especially black metal. The atmospheres are damp and horrifying, yet vibrant to accentuate the nightmare feel across the record. Although I have my own issues with the record, I can see this appealing way more to people than it does to me. Give this record a try, and take my complaints with a grain of salt because they do come down to personal taste.

Best Tracks: “Tyhjyyden sakramentti”; “Uusi teknokratia”; “Kuulen ääniä maan alta”

Worst Track: “Oikeamielisten sali”

Rating: 7/10

Released: 04/17/2020

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Genres: Psychedelic Metal, Black Metal, Blackened Psych, Drone Metal

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RATING SCALE

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