Prepare For The Apocalypse By Grabbing A New Oranssi Pazuzu 7″ And Reissues!
If you’ve been around the Toilet for a while, you might have become familiar with Oranssi Pazuzu through my review of their latest full-length Värähtelijä. Or, if you have internet-connection, which yo obviously do, because it was pretty hard to avoid them at the time. Whichever the case is, I naturally assume that you fell in love with the band, since I like them and my taste is impeccable. And since you you like them, you’ll be delighted to know that 20 Buck Spin and Svart Records are re-releasing their older material on vinyl, which you probably don’t have since you’re not a Finn (sucks to be you) and weren’t interested in them before they became Pitchfork’s favorite dolly (it’s not that I’m bitter…)
Oranssi Pazuzu is one of those bands that do something different on every record so I figured you’d like to be gently walked through the fire and the flames each record. And also because I want that “100 blog posts” pin on my jacket.
Firstly, we’ve Muukalainen Puhuu, a black metal album at heart, but very strongly trippy and uninterested in conventions. A black metal Pink Floyd if you will – I know the term has been already been used to death, largely thanks to Nachtmystium, but unlike the aforementioned, Muukalainen Puhuu truly features a black metal band tapping into the same cosmic vein as PF. However, ’tis not an all-encompassing feeling and the band is a very different beast from that which they would become. While songs like “Kangastus 1968” occasionally forfeit metal for a psychedelic journey, others, like “Korppi”, already embody the bands musical principles today. For me it’s one of the most interesting metal records of the 21st century, and possibly my favourite among their catalog. The follow-up, Kosmonument, lived up to it’s name, being heavier, more hypnotic and more massive. Still trippy along the lines of the debut, but also doomier and proggier hinting at Valonielu, it also expanded on the band’s fascination with ambiance. However, it is my opinion that in an attempt to one-up their debut, Kosmonument became too big, too long and too thick for it’s own good and at times seems to have been assembled at a train-of-thought method.
Between the two albums, Oranssi Pazuzu also released a split with Candy Cane, now being released as a stand-alone Ep and titled Farmakologinen. I understand that the “double-album split” format may have proven impractical a format, but it’s a shame all the same, as CC’s best material is featured on that split. The EP features OP at their most metallic, though not forgetting the trippy side altogether, they bank on black metal here – with even the trippiest song, “Torni”, erupting into a blackened, doomy riff – hinting at their sophomore.
If your interest isn’t piqued I don’t know what to do with you and it’s probably best if you leave. If, on the other hand, you are interested you can order the records through Svart Records or 20 Buck Spin. As the title hinted at, OP is also releasing a new EP, Kevät/Myrsky, which will only be physically available on their spring tour. If you’re unfortunate enough to not be able to make it, but want to hear “Kevät”, “recorded during Valonielu sessions in 2013, but left out from the album because it’s darker mood didn’t quite seem to fit in with the other songs’ more cosmic approach” and the older and more nihilistic “Värimyrsky”, you can acquire them from the band’s Bandcamp page… eventually.
