Label: Frontiers 2020
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom
Sci-fi/horror lyrics and traditional guitar rock in the year of 1998? Heaven Forbid! Originally released during the alternative years and thus dark ages of Classic Dino Rock, it was the 'comeback' album of Blue Öyster Cult after ten years of absence. The United States of America science fiction and horror writer John Shirley wrote lyrics to most of the songs on the album and the Bouchard brothers are nowhere to be seen/heard along with the cowbell.
The rather muscular and blunt opener of "See You In Black" is soon replaced by the catchy number that is "Harvest Moon". The latter may suggest the Pink Floyd or Neil Young agenda and sound, and it's a very decent composition by Donald Roeser. Eric Bloom (guitars, keyboards, lead vocals) and Buck Dharma (guitars, keyboards, lead vocals) are the two leading stars though and they continued to perform the guitar rock of BÖC's past on this very record. "Still Burnin" was supposed to be a sequel to the song "Burnin' For You" that appeared on Fire of Unknown Origin. It's not quite as great though.
BÖC in the nineties managed to retain some of the virtues of their formative years, without the need to completely change their sound to grunge or alternative. Then again, 1998 was the last big year of depression and the magical world of internet opened up for the comeback of classic rock. Perhaps not always as entertaining, but it's certainly the more than decent album with a neat production by the two. It's one of those late 90's studio efforts that went many by the first time around and here's your chance to pick up the reissue.
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