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Review: OZ - Forced Commandments
OZ
www.ozofficial.com
Forced Commandments

Label: Massacre Records
Year released: 2020
Duration: 54:56
Tracks: 11
Genre: Heavy Metal

Rating:
3.75/5


Review online: April 14, 2020
Reviewed by: MetalMike
Readers' Rating
How do you rate this release?

Rated 4/5 (80%) (12 Votes)
Review

OZ has been around a long time, through metal's ups and downs in popularity as well as numerous lineup changes, kept on course by founding and lone remaining original member, drummer Mark Ruffneck. Forced Commandments is the band's eighth full-length album and continues in the vein of all their previous albums, namely no frills, direct heavy metal. It is too bad singer Ape De Martini left as he had one of those instantly recognizable voices, one that helped give OZ a distinctive sound. The new singer is fine with a prototypical '80s metal scream and he handles songs like "Goin' Down" and "Diving Into the Darkness", two of the better tracks on Forced Commandments, admirably. The rest of the performances are solid but not spectacular, which really describes the album as a whole. OZ used to be a band that you could pick out on any mix tape, some really good songs and some average ones. Today, they are basically the same band, minus the easily identifiable sound. Forced Commandments is good and I'm sure OZ fans will enjoy it, yet it will likely take a back seat to their classic '80s albums Fire in the Brain, III Warning, etc.

More about OZ...
Review: ...Decibel Storm... (reviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Review: Burning Leather (reviewed by MetalMike)
Review: Burning Leather (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
Review: Fire in the Brain (reviewed by MetalMike)
Review: Forced Commandments (reviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Review: Forced Commandments (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
Review: III Warning (reviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Review: Roll the Dice (reviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Review: The OZ (reviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Review: Transition State (reviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Review: Transition State (reviewed by MetalMike)
Interview with Mark Ruffneck (drums) on October 2, 2011 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with vocalist Ape De Martini and drummer Mark Ruffneck on September 19, 2012 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with drummer Mark Ruffneck on January 17, 2014 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with vocalist Ape De Martini, guitarists Juzzy and Johnny, bassist Peppi and drummer Mark Ruffneck on March 26, 2016 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with drummer Mark Ruffneck on December 13, 2017 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with drummer Mark Ruffneck on September 30, 2018 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with drummer Mark Ruffneck on March 22, 2020 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with drummer Mark Ruffneck on December 21, 2023 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
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