Review Summary: I'll count from one to three, when you hear the snap of my fingers you'll close your eyes, and jump into the abyss.
Getting in touch with Oranssi Pazuzu for the first time was one of the most interesting things that have happened to me recently. I had already encountered the sinister Pazuzu in The Exorcist, but I had never witnessed this Babylonian demon in its Finnish form before. I know perfectly well that I'm late to the party, as the band is by no means an outsider, being undeniably one of the strongest and most intriguing black metal forces of the past decade. But for one reason or another, the band kept slipping under my radar. Only after listening to the overwhelming 'Uusi teknokratia', did I awaken to the band's unique talent, and as the wise man said, better late than never. I had never heard a blend between black metal and psychedelia that managed to grab me this way, and as one would expect, I immediately dived into the band's discography. And it was indeed a rewarding journey, since Oranssi Pazuzu has the habit of not being able to release uninteresting music. Quality is embedded in the band's DNA, quality and a relentless desire to put their listeners into a deep trance in order to gently bend them to their will. Stylistically, although they have consistently traveled in a straight line, their signature has been progressively more ethereal, culminating in the mesmerizing 'Vasemman käden hierarkia', easily one of the most entrancing songs they have ever recorded. Nevertheless, excluding the split with Candy Cane, we don't find major leaps or sudden changes of direction throughout their portfolio, only narrow nuances. The fact that the line-up has never changed over the years is also an indicator of the band's strong synergy and musical cohesion.
Mestarin Kynsi's concept revolves around doctrinal propaganda and its disturbing reality, musically wrapped within Oranssi Pazuzu's distinctive psychedelic nightmare. As one would expect, the blending of black metal and Krautrock-esque psychedelia remains active. This melange soon emerges splendidly in the opener 'Ilmestys', whose creepy crescendo features a synthesizer harmony reminiscent of Kraftwerk. The opener also serves as a perfect introduction to the album, mesmerizing us and gradually pushing us into the sound abyss of our hallucinogenic fall. The symbiotic connection between drums and bass is the album's aggregating element. Moments like the psychedelic groovy start of 'Tyhjyyden sakramentti', previously explored in songs like 'Havuluu' or 'Torni', or the contagious mid-paced 'Kuulen ääniä maan alta' are amongst the strongest manifestations of this intimate bond. Although artistically coherent,
Mestarin Kynsi is sharper than
Värähtelijä, presenting more caustic foundations. This approach expresses itself magnificently in the ten-minute masterpiece 'Uusi teknokratia', the album's colossal highlight that takes us on a schizophrenic descent into madness. This song not only brilliantly synthesises the band's contemporary sound, but the album itself, like a huge, decadent bronze statue in the middle of an obscure square. Forever omnipresent.
Mestarin Kynsi ends on the opposite side of its beginning. If initially the band gently pushed us into its whirlpool, in 'Taivaan portti' this whirlpool quickly turns into a massive black hole that sucks us into its core at mind-blowing speed. More than just the heaviest song on the album, it's its perfect conclusion.
Once again Oranssi Pazuzu takes us to their psychological chamber and asks us to close our eyes and dive into their latest psychedelic experience. So, I did just that. Now it remains to be seen if I will wake up after the snap of the fingers.
