Oranssi Pazuzu

The show starts off with Kernal, the solo project of one of the guitarists of the Genevan Black-/Sludge-/Doom Metal band Rorcal. I was already warned in advance that Kernal forgoes all stage lights. That doesn’t mean complete darkness, though, and the lack of light was at least partially compensated by the many small lights on the artist’s pedal board he’s using to create the various effects at the core of his solo performance. The droning sounds of Kernal might not be as all-encompassing as those of genre pioneers Sunn O))), for that, quite a few decibels and equally as many amplifiers would be missing. But nonetheless, it’s a sound felt in every part of the body, vibrations traveling up from the floor to the top of the head; the soundscapes permeate every corner of the venue. Whether the clattering and rattling door handles of the security exit next to me constitute a nuisance, or become part of the performance itself is in the ear of the beholder – personally, the building itself becoming an instrument speaks for the music rather than against it. It might be a myth that amalgam fillings in your teeth can pick up (radio-)frequencies – in this case, however, it’s true. Towards the end of the set, a lone moth finds its way to the only light source on stage besides the many lights of the pedals: the projector mounted above the artist’s head. Momentarily, it flutters in the light and disturbs the projection of abstract shapes and vegetal footage in the background before disappearing again. The soundscapes of Kernal get underscored by the background morphing throughout the set but always held in a yellowish hue, reminding of lost footage from long-forgotten rolls of film, sometimes so grainy that nothing is recognizable. The more distortion there is in the music, the more distorted are the accompanying pictures and the faster they move. A photographically challenging staging concept, but one that perfectly encapsulates the music of Kernal.

After a short pause, it’s time for Oranssi Pazuzu. The band enters the smoke-filled stage before unleashing a wall of sound onto the public, pierced by meandering synths and psychedelic riffs. Last year, they played in Pratteln, supporting Sólstafir. This time, they’ve split up their shows between supporting Blood incantation and Sjjjin, and playing some headline shows – like the one in Yverdon. The tour is dedicated to their latest album „Muuntautuja“, which they released nearly exactly one year ago. The album (and tour) is named after the Finnish word for „shapeshifter“, a fitting name for both the music and the animated performance of the band. Moving away from their black metal roots, the quintet incorporates even more influences into their sound, ranging from space rock over psychedelic doom, industrial, and noise to the aforementioned black metal. Despite the dissonance and the eclecticism of the music, the pulsing rhythms invite to dance along and inspire the crowd not just to listen but also to experience the sound with their bodies through movement. Despite the many layers to Oranssi Pazuzu’s music, the band seems to perform (almost?) all of it live, with the aid of an expansive carpet of guitar pedals, effect boards, and three keyboards. During nearly one and a half hours, each instrument gets multiple opportunities to shine. The band uses nearly every second of their set – only shortly saying „merci“ at the very end. The loud cheering of the crowd at the end of their set gets rewarded with a close to twenty-minute encore that I expected to be over multiple times, only for another instrument to kick back in and build up to another crescendo of sounds. And when it finally does come to an end, it’s hard to even think of anything left to be desired – it was a perfect showcase for the band’s music.