Blue Oyster Cult are definitely highly regarded in my books and Buck Dharma (Donald Roeser) is probably one of my all-time favourite guitarists. Their 70's hits such as "Godzilla" and "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" are all built around instantly memorable and immensely powerful riffs, often blurring the line between Hard Rock and Metal to the point that I still find myself disputing it even as I type this up.
However, there was always an air of mysticism about them, whether it was in the supernatural lyrical themes from tracks such as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" or the progressive elements that were less about showing off the ability of each band member and more on creating an atmosphere within the song ("Astronomy"). This album is the pinnacle of their mainstream mystical side.
Gone are the crunching guitar riffs and in come the piercing synths, giving the album a mysterious vibe which echoes from start to finish. Title track and album opener is perhaps a little bit too...shall we say "disco" to be called one of the band's best songs but it does get one thing right. It's not rocking a heavy riff and power chords. Yes, I probably would've preferred THAT song but this is not what the album is about. If the title track/album opener sounded nothing like the rest of the album, it'd be a slap in the face to anyone who listened to it and got their hopes up.
Fortunately, the rest of the album does a better job of blending Synth Rock and Riff-Based-Rock, as evidenced by tracks like "Heavy Metal: The Black And Silver" and "Burnin' For You", one of the band's most popular songs. Despite using similar lyrical themes throughout the record due to the band's hopes of getting the bulk of it onto the soundtrack for the animated mindfuck that is Heavy Metal, there's a decent level of variety running through the album that gives each track a rightful place.
For example, "Sole Survivor" is a slow yet haunting tune with a simplistic riff that I can almost guarantee you'll want to listen to again several songs later, whereas "After Dark" is a fast and borderline goofy rocker that some may argue is ruined by the use of keyboard in the chorus but I would personally say is a minor flaw in a track with a killer solo and some fine drumming. The only downside to this is that it's unlikely you'll be able to casually dive into many of these songs if you just want a catchy tune whilst driving to work or making dinner.
"Burnin' For You" aside, the album doesn't contain tracks designed to be featured on Best Rock Anthems CDs and, depending on personal taste, probably won't introduce you to your new favourite song. The album's strength comes from the overall quality of the material, not the individual quality. If you listen to it from start to finish and find one track you like, it's a safe bet that you'll find at least one more you'll also enjoy and with albums like Blue Oyster Cult and Spectres under their belt, there's always room for growers in a collection of showers.
Fire Of Unknown Origin is an album that'll strike a chord with you if you let it. Not by how amazing/bad it is but how different it is to any other Rock album you'll hear. If I told you about an album that was loaded with Synth whilst still belonging to the Hard Rock genre, you'd be more likely to imagine music similar to Europe or Journey than what the album actually sounds like. However, I admit it's not for everyone and whilst I still do enjoy a large portion of the album, I regret the fact that I can't simply jump into random tracks from it in the same way I can with other Hard Rock or Blue Oyster Cult albums.
It's an album that's worth a listen and multiple revisits over time, so I think a 7/10 is a pretty decent score. If you're looking for spooky music to play on Halloween, this is officially my recommendation. Then, once Halloween passes, do yourself a favour and give some of the earlier Blue Oyster Cult albums a listen, particularly Secret Treaties. Lots to enjoy on that one!
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