Finland, I really want to move to fucking Finland. It’s like when a band forms they have to go before a Government panel to ensure they are a pushing boundaries and awesome. If you are approved, you are then free to crack on and do amazing things to brains across the world. Five piece Oranssi Pazuzu are no different and their debut album Valonielu fuses all kinds of styles which pulls your brain in all kinds of directions. Lots of bands get described as mixing styles but Oranssi Pazuzu genuinely have it in abundance, they actually shit it.
‘Vino Verso’ begins the proceedings with an enticing hypnotic riff. Very stoner rock almost doom like but with a hint of kraut rock in the background. It’s pretty damn special and most people with taste would be genuinely satisfied just listening to that for 40 minutes straight but BLAM some harsh black metal vocals get thrown into mix and it’s like holy fuck… what just happened? We’re dealing with a ridiculous beast that fuses psychedelic rock with black metal, not only that they do it with 100% success.
It’s incredibly dramatic and exciting throughout, ‘Uraanisula’ offers us all kinds of time changes and electronic noises but is also wonderfully heavy, almost like Gnod jamming with Winterfylleth. I don’t think I’d quite call this a black metal album as it does not have that kind of percussion but still manages to pull off that kind of vibe which I think even the snootiest black metal fan will give them credit for. Saying that, it has an overarching doom feel too as some of the riffs are repetitive and absolutely crushing with some tracks going up to around the 12 minute mark. It’s just wonderful things being thrown at you constantly, like the moment when relaxed experimental space number ‘Reika Maisemassa’ and the vibrant riffs ‘Olen Aukaissutn Uuden Silman’ begins, it just goes up a level from nowhere and your jaw hits the floor. Waves and waves of styles that you just did not see coming keep crashing and just makes the whole thing so fresh and engaging.
Valonieulu is a wonderfully crafted beautiful piece of work and as for the final number ‘Ympyra On Viva Tomussa’ all I can really say is wow! A slow build leading into one of the most dramatic, trippy and powerful things you will ever hear… I have no idea what the songs are about and I don’t want to know as this journey is something bigger than can be put into words. I promise you have never heard a band that sound like this and whether you like Summoning, Monkey3, Emperor, Colour Haze, Electric Wizard or Circle you are going to lap this up. A genuine piece of kick ass rock music where no one has been before, all we can ask for really. AWESOME!
