The War Inside Your Head: An Interview with Oranssi Pazuzu
The Finnish shaman of "black metal that melts into itself like a rancid popsicle and you're shirt is stained now and your mouth looks like you're unwell but droning beep bops and a malicious voice booming in the background" have resurfaced in all their frightening form recently to deliver another dose of bent music in the shape of their new album Muuntautuja. And given the gift these giants have grafted into our globe I thought it an opportune opportunity to hit the band's vocal-guitar creature Jun-His (also of Waste of Space Orchestra, Haunted Plasma, and others) with my patented music-appreciation/inspiration questionnaire. Which is cool. But also cool because it's almost five years to the day since I published a career-spanning (to that point, at least) conversation with Jun-His and Ontto as part of my unending Albums of the Decade series. A new branch of the tree.
If you're new to this metal blog of bones you can also check out the various interview projects I have going on as well as the weekly recommendation posts. And if you'd like to keep abreast of the latest, most pressing developments follow us wherever I may roam (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Bluesky, etc), and listen to my, I guess, active? (no) podcast (YouTube, Spotify, Apple), and to check out our amazing compilation albums. You could also possibly support my unholy work here (Patreon), if you feel like it. Early access to our bigger projects, weekly exclusive recommendations and playlists, and that wonderful feeling that you're encouraging a life-consuming habit. It's probably a bad idea, but to each their own. On to Jun-His and his eclectic inspirations.
What was the first album you bought with your own money, and where did you buy it?
It was Billy Idol's Cyperpunk. Damn, what a bizarre album. I bought it cause of the single song "Shock to the System" that is pretty typical Billy Idol, but the rest of the album is a trip. Really didn’t like it but like with so many things in life, I now don’t much care for the single song, but kinda find the rest of the album intriguing.
What 2-3 albums did you listen to the most growing up?
Ozzy Osbourne, Blizzard of Ozz, Alice in Chains, Dirt, and Guns n Roses' Appetite for Destruction.
What albums taught you the most about the technical aspect of making music?
Well, Dirt by Alice in Chains taught me a lot about how important it is in a band to form a unique direction. That band is so much more than the sum of the guys in it. You can’t easily pinpoint exact influences. It is a sound and a world of its own. Emperor's Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk taught me how crazy you can go with sinister dark harmonies. Early Circle (Finnish band) taught me how to get damn hypnotic and how engaging it can be without being boring at all. Burzum taught me atmosphere and its importance. John Coltrane taught me about fearless improvisation and going with the flow. I mean the list is endless and still trying to grasp how all of this amazing stuff was made.
What is the last album that absolutely shocked you?
Fantômas, Amenza al Mundo and Meshuggah's Chaosphere. For slightly similar reasons. Never heard anything as experimental or heavy. Hard to get into but once you do… Its over
What album relaxes you or centers you the most?
Love Supreme by Coltrane and other stuff like that. Also quite recently McCoy Tyner's Echoes of a Friend. No guitars please in any stuff I listen when i wanna get relaxed or focused. Well except maybe Fleetwood Mac 70`s stuff.
What are the 2-3 albums you’ve listened to the most recently?
McCoy Tyner's Echoes of a Friend, Lemon Twigs' A Dream Is All We Know, SUGAI KEN's yOrUkOrU, Mal Waldron Trio's Free at Last Sorry that was a bit more than 2-3. 7.
What album is grossly underrated?
Many albums, but all the stuff from Aluk Todolo. What a band! Lets say Occult Rock.
What album would you recommend from your local scene?
Sulkava's Universaalia sorttia and anything from Kairon; IRSE!.
