There’s a lot of great releases coming from Finland this year and one that is definitely worth your attention is the tremendous Värähtelijä, which is the latest offering from Oranssi Pazuzu. Having discovered them at last year’s Incineration Festival and being fairly impressed by them, I’d eagerly been awaiting new material from them and thankfully this doesn’t disappoint.
Perhaps unfairly lumped under the ‘black metal’ umbrella, Oranssi Pazuzu’s music is so much more than that – it has its own distinct style that is impossible to pigeonhole into a specific genre due to the tremendous amount of different approaches the band takes and it makes for a rewarding and engaging listen as a result. As well as the aforementioned black metal elements to their sound, there’s also elements of sludge, psychedelia, noise-rock and even a sprinkling of prog on occasion amongst other approaches – there’s no denying that Oranssi Pazuzu is an adventurous band that is unafraid of taking risks with their music and for that, they can only be commended.
Värähtelijä plays as if you’re listening to a continuous track, which both works in the band’s favour and against it. There’s no faulting the flow to it due to how seamlessly everything is linked together, and it’s obvious that Oranssi Pazuzu have spent a lot of time constructing the album but on the other hand at times it does feel like there isn’t enough variety to the songs due to them blending together on occasion, which is a shame with a band with a sound as unique as this as it’s like they’re not reaching their full potential. However as a whole, Värähtelijä is a highly recommended listen – and make sure you keep an eye out for any live shows near you, as they won’t disappoint you live either!
8/10
