Euro metal pioneers OZ were formed in Nakilla, Finland, in 1977. The original incarnation of the band consisted of Tapani Hämäläinen (Ape DeMartine) on vocals, Kari Elo on guitar, Tauno Vajavaara (Tani) on bass and Pekka Mark (Mark Ruffneck) behind the drums.
After playing up and down Finland, OZ moved to Stockholm in 1983 and signed a long-term deal with Börje Forsberg’s Tyfon Grammofon AB label [of course Börje Forsberg, aka The Boss, was the father of Bathory’s Quorthon]. They went on to become one of the most important heavy metal bands in Scandinavia recording five studio albums all in all before splitting up in the winter of 1991/92.
Following »OZ« (1982), the band’s landmark album »Fire In The Brain« (1983) and »III Warning« (1984), »Decibel Storm« from 1985 was the band’s fourth studio effort.
After »Decibel Storm«, the career of OZ was taking a downturn. Drummer Mark Ruffneck explains: “All plans to release a new studio alum came to nothing. »Decibel Storm« hadn’t become the success that everyone expected. We should have been focusing on writing new material and starting to prepare for a new OZ album, but instead both guitar players and our bassist couldn't handle the situation and left OZ.”
As a result, Mark Ruffneck had to start from scratch when it was time to enter the studio to record their fifth and last studio album »Roll The Dice«, which saw the light of day in 1991. Finding the right line-up wasn’t easy. In the end, OZ even hired a keyboard player by the name of Jörg Schelander to play on the album. The reason was that they couldn't find a suitable second guitarist.
OZ went to Berlin to record their final album. “The work at Sky Trak Studios went brilliantly,” says Mark Ruffneck. “The sound engineer knew his job and the studio was top-notch, so we were able to record what we had planned in advance. We also experienced a fair deal of the Berlin nightlife - the city that never sleeps.”
With »Roll The Dice« in the bag, a very respectable record all in all, it came as a surprise that the end of OZ was right around the corner. “As far as I remember, we put OZ on hold in the winter of 1991/92,” concludes Mark Ruffneck. “The music world had changed, and the traditional heavy metal we played wasn't that popular anymore.”
So that’s how the story of one of the finest Scandinavian heavy metal bands ever ends.