Richard HolmesOranssi Pazuzu – Värähtelijä (Svart Records)
Genre: Black Metal
The various strains of ‘post-black metal’ have started to feel defined by their own musical straightjackets, and there was never room for much experimentation in the hearts of orthodox kvltists in the first place… yet here’s a band who lurk within the BM sphere but push the genre into startling new directions.
Oranssi Pazuzu’s fourth album is brave, innovative and hugely exciting, a trip through the netherworlds and into the heart of nebulas… put simply, Värähtelijä sounds like nothing else out there.
Blastbeats are few and far between, as are Nordic BM clichés – instead these Finns weave a rich, psychedelic tapestry, where free flowing, astral rock collides with passages of crushing darkness. Värähtelijä is anchored in black metal, for sure, but one listen to mind-warping opener Saturaatio and you’re quickly plunged headfirst into another dimension.
If that all sounds too outlandish for comfort, it’s worth pointing out that this quintet are masterful songwriters and superb musicians; this record is no sonic hotchpotch or cluttered jam session, it’s an opus that bears the mark of supreme intelligence.
From the off-kilter, disorientating riffs of Havuluu to the uplifting, almost transcendental strains of Vasemman Käden Hierarkia, Värähtelijä has many secrets… and they’re all worth unlocking. Breathtaking music from an incredible act, this could change the face of black metal.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 10/10 Brilliant Orange