Oz – “Burning Leather”

From what I gather Oz are a Finnish band that did some albums in the 80s, broke up and recently reformed. I personally had never heard of these guys before, and by the name alone I was expecting some sort of power metal band singing about the yellow brick road or maybe Dorothy and her dog Toto. Basically I was prepared for something cheesy and utterly horrible.

Thank god I was wrong. Burning Leather is a fantastic slab of retro metal that sounds like a cross between Screaming for Vengeance era Priest and early 80s Iron Maiden – the songs perfectly capture the NWOBHM sound. Tracks like “Turn the Cross Upside Down” and “Dominator” will put a smile on any old-school metallers face and get him or her banging their head with glee. Hopefully this album gets Oz the recognition they so badly deserve; as with the current “retro” metal trend, they deserve a listen.

Track Listing:

01. Dominator
02. Searchlights
03. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
04. Fire In The Brain
05. Seasons In The Darkness
06. Turn The Cross Upside Down
07. Burning Leather
08. Gambler
09. Enter Stadium
10. Total Metal
11. Third Warning

Run Time: 45:20
Release Date: January 31, 2012

Check out the song: “Dominator”