Oranssi Pazuzu - Valonielu review
| Band: | Oranssi Pazuzu |
| Album: | Valonielu |
| Style: | Psychedelic black metal |
| Release date: | October 11, 2013 |
| A review by: | Auntie Sahar |
01. Vino Verso
02. Tyhjä Temppeli
03. Uraanisula
04. Reikä Maisemassa
05. Olen Aukaissut Uuden Silmän
06. Ympyrä On Viiva Tomussa
The deep space stasis is over. Nibiru was reached, the Annunaki hordes have been slain, and Oranssi Pazuzu have returned yet again with Valonielu, the third volume in the saga of their cosmic DMT black metal voyages. Most people consider a band's third album to be the "make it or break it" point, and while Valonielu certainly passes the mark, it also (*gasp!*) feels to be a tad lacking in other areas.
On the one hand, Valonielu continues in the direction that's won Oranssi Pazuzu their acclaim thus far. There are plenty of memorable grooves in the riffs ("Vino Verso," the doom-y vibe of "Uraanisula"), as well as the signature cloak of spacey keyboard effects that have come to define the band's sound ("Reikä Maisemassa," "Olen Aukaissut Uuden Silmän"). In addition, the album even comes across as slightly heavier than usual at points, digging deeper into Oranssi Pazuzu's black metal personality than before (mainly on "Vino Verso" and ""Olen Aukaissut Uuden Silmän"). While a bit subtle, this technique helps to give Valonielu the extra flavors it needs to stay interesting, and offers something for listeners looking for more than the band's psychedelic side.
At the same time, however, Valonielu feels a bit underdeveloped in some respects. The dark, sinister vibe of Kosmonument is more or less gone, and Oranssi Pazuzu's 2013 effort doesn't feel as much like falling into a black hole as it does like simply floating in space and watching the stars pass you by. Indeed, Valonielu does have a more of a space rock vibe than the band's previous releases, and does feel a little "bouncy" at points in that regard (see "Tyhjä Temppeli" especially). Also, as far as production is concerned, the bass is mixed a lot lower in the mix than before, and this may come across as a disappointment to many listeners. It's still audible, of course, but if you're looking for the hypnotizing lines like on "Luhistuva Aikahäkki" and "Kaaos Hallitsee" (both from Kosmonument), you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.
All in all though, Valonielu is another well-crafted addition to Oranssi Pazuzu's discography, and the band now appear to be at the forefront of the recent trend within Finnish metal for eerie atmospheres and the otherwise bizarre. This new release may not have the atmosphere of Muukalainen Puhuu, or the chaotic vortex feel of Kosmonument, but somehow the shift in sound still makes it a beautiful piece of work in its own right. After all, I don't know about other listeners, but personally I'd rather be hearing something new and fresh from the band than something that they've already done before. With as distinct a sound as Oranssi Pazuzu have managed to create in the past few years, doing something more than once would almost be counterproductive.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 7 |
Written by Auntie Sahar | 04.10.2013
Comments
Comments: 26
Visited by: 313 users
| 3rdWorld China was a neat Posts: 4367  |
Ok, the review sounds like they've brought down the black essence even more. Have to check this out to decide as I didn't find the last record as good as their debut.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989  |
Written by 3rdWorld on 04.10.2013 at 09:23 Well that kinda depends upon the person... like how prevalent do such black elements have to be for you to judge? I mean it's nothing like blast beats and extreme tremolo picking of course, but there are definitely some more upbeat passages here and there with riffs that do indeed sound quite black metal-ish, at least to my ears.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by [user id=4365] on 04.10.2013 at 14:24 Indeed, I still consider Kosmonument their best  I might be a little biased as a bassist, because the bass for that album was just incredible. But even aside from that, like I kind of hinted at in this review, I think it really just had a very dark and haunting style that they haven't yet matched with anything else. Also their best effects-wise, imo, the keyboards and synths on the debut and on Valonielu aren't nearly as multi-layered as they were on Kosmonument.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| SmokyPeat Posts: 54  |
From what I've heard of the 2 tracks available on youtube yesterday, it's more of a straightforward sound. I'll have to listen to the whole thing when I get the chance.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 04.10.2013 at 15:06 Well, the thing I loved the most about these guys was the bass (I won't call myself a bassist because I need to start playing again to say that with confidence!) but I prefer their debut and its basslines than the ones found in Kosmonument.  So yeah , I'm probably going to disagree as well. Heh.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 04.10.2013 at 19:05 It's definitely highly debatable as to which is better bass-wise, especially considering this.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6101  |
Having listened to it only once I can't pass judgment, but it seems to be a very solid release. My gut feeling tells me it won't be better than Kosmonument though.
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| Monolithic ♠♠♠ Posts: 669  |
The album caught me by surprise. Not only it sounds bizarre, but it also sounds rather unpredictable. Absolutely amazed by the music, the bass and the riffs. Great review.
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6101 |
After repeatd listens I'm pretty sure this album will land in my top 10 of the year. Brilliant stuff. Excellent production too.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Daniell on 05.10.2013 at 21:42 It isn't, in my opinion, but that's not to say that it isn't still an excellent release. Definitely in the top 10 for this year, I agree with you.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6101 |
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by [user id=4365] on 06.10.2013 at 17:41 They've always had a habit for knowing how to end their albums on a good note. Uraanisula is probably my favorite though, at least for now
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| 3rdWorld China was a neat Posts: 4367 |
I found myself liking this instantly in the first listen and found more engaging than their last record. Maybe I have to go back and find out why i didn't get hooked to Kosmonument in the first spin cuz i enjoyed the debut very much, maybe the last one was too avant and lacking in "metal" parts. I don't know, except the first track I dont remember any song from it.  P.S: Read the above posts, Uraanisula and the closing were indeed amazing.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by 3rdWorld on 06.10.2013 at 20:27 Indeed you should, "Maavaltimo" and "Kaaos Hallitsee" are amazing, at least in my opinion
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| 3rdWorld China was a neat Posts: 4367 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.10.2013 at 20:36 For sure I will but atm I think I'll just stick with Valonielu as this is just too good  and my guess is that this is surely gonna be better received and acclaimed than their last record, seeing as it got a overall rating of below 8 here in MS from the hordes.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by 3rdWorld on 06.10.2013 at 20:46 I would say that it getting lower than that surprises me, but that could just be the result of some kvlt purists purposefully downvoting it because "it's not black metal enough"
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| 3rdWorld China was a neat Posts: 4367 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.10.2013 at 21:00 Definitely was not easily enjoyable and more interesting record that one (atleast from what I remember ), which really intrigues me now to go back to it as I think it will be challenging and an even more acquired listening than this one. Yes maybe that's why it has such a low score from the mass voters.
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| Vombatus Potorro Posts: 2391  |
Hmmmm I agree with most things said, but maybe being a less positive with each aspect. I'm so dissapointed there is nothing else like Olen Aukaissut Uuden Silmän in the album 
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Vombatus on 06.10.2013 at 23:14 That can sometimes be the beauty of the music though, in my opinion. I wouldn't want an album where all the tracks sound the same and it's hard to differentiate between them. But that's just me I guess.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| SmokyPeat Posts: 54 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.10.2013 at 21:00 These people still exist?
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by SmokyPeat on 07.10.2013 at 17:57 The kvlt purists perhaps not as much as in the past, but there are definitely still vote abusers on the site. We had to ban two people just the other day.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| SmokyPeat Posts: 54 |
I caught myself thinking that black metal purists are a thing of the early/mid 2000s but there are surely still some scattered about haha. Just curious as to how the staff goes about banning people who are considered down voters on the site? Do you apply the same rules to "up" voters? To me it's purely subjective.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by SmokyPeat on 07.10.2013 at 20:45 Black metal elitists are definitely still around, their presence is just really subtle though. But you can still feel the influence, like I tend to notice that usually with very experimental black metal bands that have gotten increasingly weird over their discography, the albums that are more BM often have higher ratings on here. As far as the voting thing... pretty much, just anyone who you can noticeably tell has been overvoting/undervoting albums on purpose. It's usually pretty obvious if they have. I don't know the actual process the Staff though, that's not really in my area.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Vombatus Potorro Posts: 2391 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 07.10.2013 at 06:04 As with everything, it depends. Sometimes if tracks are homogenous, the cohesion can be really positive, like the case of a lot of Heavy or thrash metal albums. But hmmmmmm, with experimental/avantgarde stuff it wouldn't be the case.... Maybe I just didn't listen the album enough. Olen struck me as monumental track that really stood out from the rest. It had a certain mood that the others lacked (like more dynamic and the tempo changes absolutely blew my mind, something that wasn't the case with, say, the ending of Uraanisula after an excellent first half). Also, the riff on Vine Verso gets a bit tedious with all the repetition through the whole song (probably coz I don't find it thaaat good to start with). Quite the same to a lesser extend with Tyhjä Temppeli. The keys are also not that spectacular... like... just there (and the ambient track is hmmmm meh or uninteresting). I think it's more of the quality of the music itself (specially the riffs) than wanting the other songs to copy the same formula.... It's still a solid album, but just not on the same level as the predecessors 
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