MESTARIN KYNSI

'Mestarin Kynsi' is the fifth studio album released by Finnish avant-garde black metal collective Oranssi Pazuzu, a band that has been boldly redefining the black metal sound for several years now, by blending it with the rather unfashionable and incrementally different psychedelic and progressive rock genres. And this 2020 album really works as a triumphant point of arrival given the stylistic pursuits of the band - this is where their dark, hypnotic and unsettling metal soundscapes blossom within the mist of atmospheric, electronic and psychedelic sonic experiments, giving birth to six relentless "movements" of sound, as they could be categorized as. The music is really heavy and eclectic, and the aggressive and suspenseful nature of the band's metal side confronts in a fascinating way the dissonant and futuristic synth arrangements. Furthermore, the disturbing vocals add another layer of density to the grandiose (and incredibly loud) mixture of sounds and tones.

The clutter begins with a track called 'Ilmestys', with its dark and menacingly atmospheric sort of narrative, where the blending of the black metal grammar with the electronic effects provides for a cosmically unsettling atmosphere that very few bands nowadays could even attempt to record. The second track 'Tyhjyyden sakramentti' is quite dissonant and psychedelic yet technical and driven - the metal sound here is monolithic and relentless, and this might as well be the closest one could get to a "sonic blast". The 10-minute centerpiece 'Uusi teknokratia' then comes as a dark, electronic-driven infernal suite that despite utilizing various black metal tropes, offers a novel sound that resonates with the avant-garde and progressive metal genres. A seemingly orchestral first section comes with the fourth track 'Oikeamielisten Sali', another long and demanding composition, which soon gives way to one of the most rocking riffs on the album, as the sound here is rather intense and sees the band experimenting with several unusual twists, while manic horrorscapes grace the fifth track on 'Mestarin Kynsi'. Finally, the album closes off with a more traditional black metal piece, the aggressive 'Taivaan portti', a song that persist in its vivid, dark imagery and acts as an ecstatic ending to an otherwise brilliantly weird and inventive metal album. The entire album is ripe with fascinating ideas and the atmospheric black metal soundscapes of 'Mestarin Kynsi' definitively place Oranssi Pazuzu amongst the modern-day pioneers of the extreme metal genre.

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