This renowned Heavy Metal and Hard Rock outfit from Sweden is back in action and ready to rock with their first major release in eight years.
Formed in early 2010 in Gothenburg, Sweden by guitarist Oscar “Oz” Hawe Petersson, the unrelenting Melodic Heavy Metal/Hard Rock outfit Osukaru (the Japanese phonetic transliteration of the name of the band’s founder Oscar) returns with their first major release in years, the hard rockin’ Tall Tales, following up on their 2021 album Starbound. Produced by Oz himself together with longtime singer and band partner Fredrik Werner (Daytona, Air Raid), mixed by Svein Jensen (Alicate, Sister Sin), mastered by Mats Eriksson (Degreed), and displaying a classy artwork by Oz and actress and model Eliza Sica, carrying a subtle sense of both unease and wonder that mirrors the album’s mysterious lyrical themes, the new offering by the aforementioned Fredrik on vocals and guitars, Oz also on the guitars, Marcus Zerath on bass, and C.D on drums and percussion is a clear statement of how far the project’s original vision has come, offering us fans that melodic yet visceral Swedish sound we all love so much.
The band’s striking riffs rev up their rockin’ engine in the opening tune Exceeder, with the classic Hard Rock vocals by Fredrik adding even more electricity to their music, while the sound of the harmonica brings an eccentric touch to Wendigo before the music evolves into another solid hybrid of Heavy Metal and AOR. Blood On the Rocks is a hard hitting tune by the band offering the classic riffs by Fredrik and Oz boosted by the heavy kitchen by Marcus and C.D; and it’s then time for the smooth power ballad The Outer Side Within, with Fredrik showcasing passionate vocals while his bandmates spread love and harmony in the air, before they speed things up and kick some ass with their heaviest song of the album, titled Ronin, led by the classic beats and fills by C.D.
Who Do You Love takes us back to the glory of the 90’s with their Sunset Strip inspired Hard Rock and Glam Metal, adding even more adrenaline to the album, while Split is as groovy as it can be thanks to the amazing job done by Marcus and C.D on bass and drums, respectively. Only Moments Left is one of those strip tease-like Hard Rock and Rock N’ Roll tunes by Osukaru which could be played on any radio station worldwide, followed by When It’s Over, a decent ballad with a cool solo by Oz, albeit a bit too mellow after all is said and done. Lastly, we face C’est Dans Ta Tête, or “it’s in your head” from French, a solid Hard Rock and AOR song that concludes the album with Fredrik once again kicking ass on vocals.
Oz and his Osukaru have been on a roll since their inception over 15 years ago, and the striking Tall Tales will certainly inspire the quartet to keep moving forward and delivering high quality heavy music no matter what for many years to come. Having said that, what are you waiting for to give the guys from Osukaru a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their rockin’ tunes on any platform like Spotify, and of course, purchase Tall Tales from several locations such as Monuments in Ruin, Streetlight Records, and Park Ave CDs? This is what our good old heavy music is all about, bringing to us exciting music with a beautiful and deep background story, and hopefully it won’t take a long time again for Osukaru to unleash another blast of their music upon us.
Best moments of the album: Blood On the Rocks, Ronin and Split.
Worst moments of the album: When It’s Over.
Released in 2026 Pride & Joy Music
Track listing
1. Exceeder 3:24
2. Wendigo 4:36
3. Blood On the Rocks 3:17
4. The Outer Side Within 3:59
5. Ronin 3:09
6. Who Do You Love 3:43
7. Split 3:36
8. Only Moments Left 3:52
9. When It’s Over 4:02
10. C’est Dans Ta Tête 6:00
Band members
Fredrik Werner – lead vocals, guitar
Oz Hawe Petersson – guitar, backing vocals
Marcus Zerath – bass, backing vocals
C.D – drums, percussion
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 