Oranssi Pazuzu – ‘Mestarin Kynsi’ [Album Review]

Human civilization often seems characterized by exercises in futility. Historically, examples include the callous disregard for human life that was the slaughter now remembered as the Battle of the Somme. While this may not seem nearly as monumental or life-shattering by comparison, today I have to try and compare the latest album from Finland’s Oranssi Pazuzu, Mestarin Kynsi, to the remainder of their jaw-dropping back catalogue (and to recent black metal releases as a whole) and I find myself asking, why do I do this to myself?

From the very start of their musical career, this outfit has ticked every box in my mental register of what music should be: intelligent, engaging, atmospheric, evocative, soulful and of course, darker than a post-COVID-19 economic outlook. Their 2013 album, Valonielu, was my gateway drug to this incredible and unique band, and I have never looked back. Growing up to the hugely evocative psychedelia of The Doors, Oranssi Pazuzu’s similarly hallucinogenic, hypnotic take on black metal was exactly what I had spent so many years searching for – seeping, seething and trance-like, littered with comforting familiarities yet still packed with surprises.

The Fritz Lang-inspired visuals of “Uusi teknokratia” speak volumes about Oranssi Pazuzu’s feelings towards our ‘new technocracy’.

Their debut in 2010, Muukalainen Puhuu, may have started this trip down the rabbit hole (a VERY apt allusion in this case, given the otherworldly and abstract themes the band embrace) but Oranssi Pazuzu have never been afraid to push the boundaries of this envelope. Take 2016’s Värähtelijä for example, which dipped even further into the group’s past flirtations with surrealism and the end-result was a simmering slow burn of a record that cemented their status as the leading voice within this admittedly small niche – but by doing so also reinforced their status within the greater black metal collective by highlighting their dedication and focus to their chosen vehicle of expression. Mestarin Kynsi, the latest record, may veer more towards the heavier side of the spectrum than its predecessor, but it in no way abandons the band’s attention to groove, atmosphere or texture. Where Värähtelijä was a profoundly introspective and meditative affair, Mestarin Kynsi is a shared hallucination, a William Gibson-esque vision of an augmented reality where past, present and future collide.

But is it Oranssi Pazuzu’s best album? Hell, no. That’s like asking which romantic sunset stroll taken with your beloved is the most meaningful, or which slice from the same pizza is the tastiest. Everything this group produces – and has produced – is of equal quality and cannot be accurately quantified on some sliding scale. Instead, what I can say is that it is the best album they will release until their next. Tracks like “Uusi teknokratia” (and its accompanying music video) showcase their delicate balance between full-blown descent into psilocybin dreaming and roughshod Finnish riffing, but just as is the case with their discography, selecting one standout example above any other is pointless.

In this light, it makes far more sense to examine the band’s sense of composition and arrangement, how they subtly advance and retreat instrumentation, letting bass and keys often drive melodies, rather than guitars, or their refined, controlled percussion that elevates rhythm to a psychological device. The sum total of all this leads to one overriding insight: Oranssi Pazuzu are just too damn clever. They have, in essence, made Mestarin Kynsi into a psychedelic black metal record that defies boundaries and genres and is, instead, a therapeutic, dynamic, cathartic, accessible masterpiece that slots as easily into a playlist alongside Blue Öyster Cult or Modest Mussogorsky as it does alongside Kampfar or Carpenter Brut. Truly, something for everyone, regardless of their background or tastes – based on the proviso that they appreciate great music and art, that is.

Mestarin Kynsi Track Listing:

1. Ilmestys
2. Tyhjyyden sakramentii
3. Uusi teknokratia
4. Oikeamielisten Sali
5. Kuulen ääniä maan alta
6. Taivaan portti

Run Time: 50:12
Release Date: April 17, 2020
Record Label: Nuclear Blast