Oranssi Pazuzu

Oranssi Pazuzu

Oranssi Pazuzu is a Finnish black metal group from Tampere, formed in 2007. Its line-up includes Ville Leppilahti, along with Juho “Jun-His” Vanhanen on vocals and guitar, Korjak on drums, Moit on guitar, Evil on keyboards and percussion, and Ontto on bass guitar.

Background and name

The group takes its name from two words: oranssi, the Finnish word for orange, and Pazuzu, a wind demon from Babylonian mythology. Its sound is identified as black metal with experimental and psychedelic elements, and it is also described as Finnish black metal.

Releases

Oranssi Pazuzu records its debut album, Muukalainen Puhuu, in Korjak’s family cabin. The album is released in 2009 on Violent Journey Records. A split LP with Candy Cane follows in 2010.

The band’s second full-length, Kosmonument, appears in 2011 on Spinefarm. Valonielu follows in 2013 and is produced and engineered by London-based producer Jaime Gomez Arellano. In 2016, the group releases Värähtelijä, which receives positive reviews from outlets including AllMusic, Pitchfork and Spin. The two-track EP Kevät / Värimyrsky is released in 2017.

Musical style and collaborations

The band’s music is described as combining black metal with psychedelic rock, space rock and progressive metal. Two members of Oranssi Pazuzu also work with members of Dark Buddha Rising in Atomikylä, and the two groups later join together as Waste of Space Orchestra, a project that begins in 2017 and is formed for Roadburn Festival 2018 as a continuation of Atomikylä.