Following up the superb Mestarin Kynsi would be a tall order for any band, and psychedelic Finns Oranssi Pazuzu have made a valiant effort here, if falling short of outdoing themselves. Muuntautuja looks outwards and attempts to build on their sound, in fairness, pushing even further away from their black metal roots into territory that's barely even metal at points. And to be sure, this is still strange, terrifying, deranged, experimental music that has much of the same effect on the listener if not even more. It's impossible to call it progressive metal as before thanks to the huge amount of electronic aspects to the band's sound in 2024. Thankfully the band create a nightmarish sound still, often verging on the Lovecraftian (as the low-fi horror of the music video to Valotus shows, below) in effect even as the instruments themselves have more of a Radiohead circa The National Anthem vibe to them (the lower-key Hautatuuli, for instance)! This certainly won't be for everyone, or even every fan of previous Oranssi Pazuzu albums.

Yet it is worth exploring for those that like their music... weird. Although lacking the alien wetness of their previous album, there's still much that is plain unsettling about Muuntautuja. The sub-minute interlude -, for instance, is far from a throwaway piece, being echoing ambience with more than a little Axis of Perdition in tone, and it serves almost as a throat-clearing before the ensuing madness of Valotus. Shifting suddenly into wave upon wave of chaotic electronics topped by harsh snarls, this is the band at their most avant-garde even before the explosion of sheer noise towards the end of the piece. Almost industrial but not quite, it feels like some colossal entity walking slowly towards you, the world ending in a cacophony of screeches as your doom approaches!

Unfortunately the final fifteen minutes of the album is less effective. The nine-minute Ikikäärme is a much more laid-back and less intense affair, beginning with slow piano and ambient hums with jazzy drumming. It gradually develops into a minimalistic gothic-leaning piece dominated by drums and electronics, getting a little noisier around the mid-point but remaining more of a mood piece or soundscape than a cohesive song. After that, the closing Vierivä usva is something of an outro ambient piece that ends the album a little disappointingly. Oranssi Pazuzu are still a deliciously weird act, of course, yet this is enough of a step down from past glories to be inferior in comparison. Enjoyable still and sure to remain on many a playlist in its own merits, but they've done better.