Oranssi Pazuzu craft ominous tension on “Palava Puu”
The six tracks on Oranssi Pazuzu‘s last album Mestarin Kynsi seemed to be in a state of perpetual motion, the experience of listening to them like being dropped into the middle of the action of a sci-fi horror film without the tease of a false sense of normalcy. That, in part, is what made it so exciting—their music is never stagnant, even when they employ hypnotic repetition in the service of creating a mind-bending, psychedelic metal experience.
Which is what makes “Palava Puu” an interesting counterpoint to those tracks. Originally recorded for the album but now released as an Adult Swim single, “Palava Puu” spends much of its time in a state of restrained tension, the threat of an eruption of violence or an intense burst of sound lurking beneath the surface. But the Finnish group take their time in drawing the listener ever closer to that moment, shimmering clangs of guitar ringing out against the ominous thrum of bass in a slo-mo approach toward its final surge of aggression. But it doesn’t overstay their welcome—in its final minute, there’s little left but the eerie emptiness of space itself.
From 2021 Adult Swim Singles
