Oz (styled as OZ) is a Finnish heavy metal band, originally from

Nakkila Nakkila () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Satakunta region, southeast of Pori. The Kokemäki River flows along the center of Nakkila. The municipality has a population of () and c ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It was formed in 1977, split in 1991 and re-established 2010. Since 1983, OZ has been active mostly in Sweden as the band members moved to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

after the release of their second album. In 2010,

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

Mark Ruffneck (born Pekka Mark), bassist and main songwriter Jay C. Blade (born Jukka Homi, but has changed his name to Jukka Lewis) and vocalist Ape De Martini (born Tapani Hämäläinen) re-formed the band, together with Costello Hautamäki and Markku Petander. As of 2016, OZ consists of four different members from Pori, Finland with Ruffneck being the original sole member. They made a splash with their 1983 album ''Fire in the Brain'', a

NWOBHM The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

-flavored energetic metal affair that won over critics and fans alike. The subsequent albums, however, failed to elicit the same response, and the band faded from worldwide view. The band reformed in 2010 and released ''Burning Leather'' in 2011. The album ''Transition State'' was released on 20 October 2017 by

AFM Records AFM Records GmbH is a music label based in Schwalmstadt, Germany. They focus on the heavy metal musical genre, signing bands such as U.D.O., Doro, Lordi, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, and Annihilator. In 2005, Candlelight Records si ...

. The latest album "Forced Commandments" released 22/5 2020 by

Massacre Records Massacre Records is an independent record label based in Abstatt, Germany, that specializes in bands of the heavier genres of metal. The label was founded in 1991 by Torsten Hartmann. Connected to Massacre Records is the marketing and music w ...

Line-up

Current members

* Mark Ruffneck (Pekka Mark) – drums, percussion (1977–1991, 2010–present) * Peppi Peltola - bass, vocals (2015–present) * Juzzy Kangas - guitars, vocals (2015–present) * Johnny Cross - guitars, vocals (2015–present) * Vince Koivula – lead vocals (2016–present)

Former live musicians

* Michel Santunione - guitar * John Berg - guitar * Johannes Sandberg - bass

Former members

* Ape De Martini (Tapani Hämäläinen) – lead vocals (1977–1991, 2010–2016) * Jay C. Blade (Jukka Lewis) – bass, vocals (1982–1987, 2010–2016) * Markku Petander – guitars (2010–2011) * Costello Hautamäki - guitars (2010) * Michael Lundholm – guitars (1990–1991) * Jörgen Schelander – keyboards (1990–1991) * Fredrik Thörnholm – bass (1990–1991) * Tobbe Moen – bass (1990) * Spooky Wolff – guitars (1983–1987) * Speedy Foxx – guitars (1983–1987) * Esa Niva – guitars (1982–1983) * Tauno Vajavaara – bass (1977-1982) * Kari Elo – guitars (1977-1982)

Discography

Studio albums

*''Heavy Metal Heroes'' (''OZ'') (1982) *''Fire in the Brain'' (1983) *''III Warning'' (1984) *''...Decibel Storm...'' (1986) *''Roll the Dice'' (1991) *''Dominator'' (Promo CD) (2011) * ''Burning Leather'' (2011) * ''Transition State'' (2017) * ''Forced Commandments'' (2020)

EPs

*1984 – ''Turn the Cross Upside Down''

Singles

*1982 – "Second-Hand Lady" / "Rather Knight" *2011 - "Dominator" *2012 – "The Show Must Go On" / "Signs from the Dead"

Compilation albums

*1987 – ''III Warning + ...Decibel Storm...'' *2012 – ''Vinyl Tracks''

References

External links

The band's official website

Page on the band on Metal Archives

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oz Finnish heavy metal musical groups Swedish heavy metal musical groups Combat Records artists Black Mark Production artists Massacre Records artists RCA Records artists AFM Records artists