Oranssi Pazuzu – Velonielu (2013)

Cracked out Psychedelic Black Metaliers Oranssi Pazuzu, make a triumphant return with their latest release: “Velonielu”. Pushing the boundaries of Black Metal (and music in general) to new extremes, this album features six thought provoking tracks that will either make you hate the band completely or fall into a deep trance. For over three quarters of an hour, this Finnish band will make you have nightmares with their unique level of weirdness.

Opening with the demoralizing “Vino Verso”, we are treated to very unconventional Black Metal guitars and funky atmospheric elements. The vocals are your traditional BM screams with some distortion added that greatly complements the pounding guitars. “Tyhjä Tempelli” changes things up with funky Psychedelic guitars and an excellent bass line. The riffing sounds Black Metal-esque, in a very weird and unique manner, reminding us a bit of bands like Furze. The atmospheric component of this track is quite disturbing, especially when contrasted by the harsh distorted vocals and the cool guitar feedback.

Dwelling into weirder territories, “Uraanisula” has a very drone-ish vibe that is quickly offset by trippy melodic sections. It is quite hard to describe how Oranssi Pazuzu makes all their weirdness work, but they manage to delivers very solid songs that are quite unique and incisive. The ambient/minimalist “Reikä Maisemassa” nicely changes the pace of things and provides a little breather between all the crazy stuff going on.

The best track of the release comes under the name of “Olen Aukaissut Uuden Silmän”, a brilliant melodic piece filled with excellent rhythmical sections and sickening atmospheric undertones. Closing with a 15-minute behemoth of a track titled “Ympyrä On Viiva Tomussa”, the band dances around atmospheric/droning elements for a while until the full power of their guitars gets unleashed. As a whole, “Velonielu” is one hell of a weird release that will instantly grow on you, if you are of open mind. The band does a great job in pushing the boundaries of music while retaining the listener’s interest.

Label: Svart Records

Release: October 11th, 2013

Genre: Psychedelic Black Metal

Country: Finland