OZ Fire in the Brain LP Vinyl NWOBHM Saxon Judas Priest Venom satan Heavy Load
$
36
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Description
OZ
Fire in the Brain LP SILVER VINYL
Sealed, brand new
Imported from Germany's High Roller Records
High Roller Records, silver vinyl, ltd 450, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover with 5mm spine, lyric sheet, 12 page booklet, poster
Transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in April 2025.
Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels...
The ultimate audiophile reissue!
Ape DeMartini - vocals
Speedy Foxx - guitar
Spooky Wolff - guitar
Jay. C. Blade - bass, vocals
Mark Ruffneck - drums
01 Search Lights
02 Fortune
03 Megalomaniac
04 Black Candles
05 Gambler
06 Stop Believen'
07 Free Me, Leave Me
08 Fire in the Brain
OZ – Fire in the Brain
The legacy of the Finnish-Swedish heavy metal juggernaut OZ is inextricably linked to their sophomore masterpiece, "Fire in the Brain," a record that stands as a definitive pillar of the early 1980s Scandinavian metal explosion. Originally formed in Nakkila, Finland, in 1977, the band—comprising vocalist Ape De Martini, guitarists Speedy Foxx and Spooky Wolff, bassist/songwriter Jay C. Blade, and drummer Mark Ruffneck—relocated to Stockholm, Sweden, to tap into a more robust production environment and an burgeoning independent label scene. Released in 1983 through Tyfon Grammofon, Fire in the Brain represented a quantum leap in sophistication and aggression compared to their hard-rock-leaning debut, Heavy Metal Heroes. The album is characterized by a high-octane blend of NWOBHM-inspired speed, raw production values, and a primitive, occult-adjacent atmosphere that would eventually ripple through the developing black and thrash metal undergrounds across Europe and North America.
Musically, the album is a relentless 28-minute assault of "athletic metal" that prizes momentum and anthemic hooks over overly complex arrangements, anchored by the formidable songwriting of Jay C. Blade. The opening track, "Search Lights," immediately establishes the band’s credentials with a manic, high-speed tempo reminiscent of the British band Raven, featuring Mark Ruffneck’s thunderous double-bass drumming and a searing twin-guitar attack that defined the era’s sonic architecture. Ape De Martini’s vocal performance remains one of the most distinctive in the genre; his "leather-lunged" delivery oscillates between grit-infused mid-ranges and piercing, glass-shattering shrieks that give tracks like "Megalomaniac" and the eponymous "Fire in the Brain" their frantic, borderline-psychotic energy. The haunting, mid-paced "Black Candles" serves as the album's centerpiece, showcasing a darker, more atmospheric side of the band that hinted at the "satanic" aesthetic they would lean into more heavily on subsequent releases like the Turn the Cross Upside Down EP.
The iconic cover art of Fire in the Brain has secured a permanent place in metal iconography, largely due to its historical connection to the legendary Quorthon of Bathory. The image—a spiked-gauntleted hand clutching a flaming, wax-coated skull—features the actual hand of a young Thomas Forsberg (Quorthon), whose father, Börje "Boss" Forsberg, ran the Tyfon label and produced the album. Quorthon is also credited with the design and layout of the record, making this a crucial "pre-history" artifact for fans of extreme metal; it captures a moment where the lines between traditional heavy metal and the nascent black metal aesthetic were just beginning to blur. Despite never reaching the mainstream heights of contemporaries like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, the "raw metal" purity of Fire in the Brain has ensured its timelessness, remaining a mandatory study for anyone exploring the roots of European speed metal and the cult legends of the Nordic scene.
50 Similar Things (Scandinavian Metal, Speed Metal & NWOBHM Grails)
If the raw, high-speed energy of OZ’s 1983 output is the cornerstone of your collection, these 50 entries capture the spirit of the early 80s underground.
Category Items 1–25 Items 26–50 Scandinavian Metal Kings 1. Heavy Load – Death or Glory 26. Gotham City – The Unknown 2. Witch Cross – Fit for Fight 27. Silver Mountain – Shakin' Brains 3. Torch – Electrikiss 28. 220 Volt – S/T 4. Evil – Evil's Message 29. Maltese Falcon – Metal Games 5. Mercyful Fate – Melissa 30. Crystal Knight – S/T Early Speed Metal 6. Exciter – Heavy Metal Maniac 31. Savage – Loose 'n Lethal 7. Raven – Wiped Out 32. Tank – Filth Hounds of Hades 8. Running Wild – Gates to Purgatory 33. Helloween – Walls of Jericho 9. Anvil – Forged in Fire 34. Jaguar – Power Games 10. Agent Steel – Skeptics Apocalypse 35. Abattoir – Vicious Attack NWOBHM Essentials 11. Diamond Head – Lightning to the Nations 36. Angel Witch – S/T 12. Satan – Court in the Act 37. Tokyo Blade – Night of the Blade 13. Grim Reaper – See You in Hell 38. Blitzkrieg – A Time of Changes 14. Cloven Hoof – S/T 39. Fist – Back with a Vengeance 15. Tygers of Pan Tang – Spellbound 40. Venom – Welcome to Hell Finnish Pioneers 16. Sarcofagus – Envoy of Death 41. Tarot – Spell of Iron 17. Ironcross – Blood on the Streets 42. Kimmo Kuusniemi Band – Moottorilinnut 18. Zero Nine – Visions, Scenes and Dreams 43. Peer Günt – Backseat 19. Prestige – Attack Against Gnomes 44. Airdash – Thank God It's Monday 20. Stone – S/T 45. Riff Raff – Robot Love Cult Visuals & Legends 21. Bathory – S/T (The Yellow Goat) 46. King Diamond – Fatal Portrait 22. Hell – Save Us from Those Who Would... 47. Cirith Ungol – King of the Dead 23. Manilla Road – Crystal Logic 48. Ostrogoth – Ecstasy and Danger 24. Sortilège – Métamorphose 49. Black Hole – Land of Mystery 25. Pagan Altar – Judgment of the Dead 50. Paul Chain – Detaching from Satanprice rating
