Blue Oyster Cult - 2019 Tour

I bought tickets to see Blue Oyster Cult sometime last year and have spent the last couple of months looking forward to seeing not only a cracking Classic/Hard Rock band playing iconic tunes but also my favourite guitarist absolutely killing it on guitar.
Man, was I disappointed.

I saw Blue Oyster Cult a couple of days ago at the O2 Academy in Leeds and whilst I didn't hate the evening's performance, I certainly expected better from these guys. However, the show didn't start with BOC; instead, we were treated to a short set by The Temperance Movement, a band I've discussed a few times on this blog and generally like. Despite a few odd choices in their set, they did a damn fine job of warming up the mostly elderly crowd with their loud Blues Rock and stage presence.
Phil Campbell belted out his raw vocals with album-quality precision whilst dancing around the stage like Thom Yorke and the majority of songs picked were bangers ("Take Me Back", "Caught In The Middle", "Midnight Black") although there were some issues. For starters, even though Phil was maintaining a high level of energy throughout the entire gig, the rest of the band were pretty static. They didn't have to prance about the stage like Mick Jagger but it would've been good to see some enthusiasm from the guitarists.
Then there was their choice of opening song, "Only Friend". It's a good footstomper but a terrible opening song choice; they would've been better off with a slightly faster, more energetic song like "Built-In Forgetter" or "Oh, Lorraine", something that isn't too powerful but enough to set the tone for their portion of the concert. There was also a portion towards the end where they played two slower songs that successfully brought the energy attained throughout the show down to levels where most of the audience felt comfortable chatting over the top of the music.

Despite these critiques, I would recommend seeing The Temperance Movement if you like their material although if you asked me the same thing about Blue Oyster Cult, I'd genuinely need to think about it for a while. It's not a good sign when the band come on stage and two songs into the main set, you find yourself asking "...wait, are these guys Blue Oyster Cult?" They kicked things off with an unintentionally hilarious rendition of "Dr Music" with Buck Dharma performing the high pitched chorus vocals traditionally done by female backing singers followed by a forgettable stab at "Before The Kiss, A Redcap".
From there, the show had ups and downs but there were a couple of things that could be argued either way. Firstly, there was the bizarre choice of deep cuts that seemed to make up the majority of the setlist. I was surprised that Blue Oyster Cult played "Golden Age Of Leather", "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)" and "Hot Rails To Hell" live but never in a million years would've guessed they'd pick those over classics like "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll", "Joan Crawford" or "Astronomy", none of which were played.
Whilst I can understand the desire felt by older bands to mix setlists up so they're not just playing the same hits over and over again, I doubt they've played many UK shows recently so omitting certain fan favourites in place of songs like "She's As Beautiful As A Foot" so they could have a Proggy jam felt questionable, which brings me onto the next point; the jamming. Blue Oyster Cult must've gone off on random, instrumental jams on at least every other song they played. Long, tedious jams that genuinely nearly sent me to sleep.

In my opinion, a band has a free pass for one live jam session, two tops if one of them is the final song of the night (ignoring the encore). Some bands are known for excessive jamming on stage and maybe Blue Oyster Cult are one of those, since they definitely have some heavily kooky/psychedelic songs in their arsenal of Classic Rock. As someone who likes an even mix of their early heavy, Riff-Based-Rock and their mystical, synthy Arena Rock, I would've preferred one extra song instead of all the constant jamming.
Now, let's move onto some of the undeniably negative aspects: the band were not on top form. I don't know if it was a dud night for them or if they just couldn't give a shit about a night at a venue they'll almost certainly never play again but the overall vibe they were giving was one of not being prepared. Instead of bantering with the audience in between songs or telling anecdotes about the myriad of deep cuts they were playing, there were multiple moments of awkward silence as the band chatted with each other.
Band members also showed little enthusiasm for the gig with Buck Dharma playing as stiff as a mannequin and drummer Jules Radino changing tempo an embarrassing number of times with his double bass WAY too loud in the mix. However, at least some band members conveyed a little personality; Danny Miranda had some fun on stage in between laying down bass licks and Richie Castellano wasn't afraid to go full-Slash during some of the guitar solos. Eric Bloom was a pretty bland frontman but at least he engaged with the crowd now and then, mostly during the encore.

In fact, that was when the band was the most animated; during the two songs they played after buggering off stage for a few minutes. If they had that level of energy throughout the entire gig, I probably wouldn't have been so let down. Unfortunately, despite having some solid moments (excellent performance of "Godzilla", awesome additional solo in the "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" outro that sounded better than the first, great riffing and pitch-perfect lead vocals from Buck Dharma), there were too many flaws for this to reach one of my favourite gigs. This is somewhere in the middle; below Saxon, Bad Company and The Darkness but above Deep Purple, Judas Priest and Muse.
If you just want to hear a band you like play songs you may or may not enjoy without getting cute with the arrangement, a Blue Oyster Cult show probably isn't the gig for you. If you like bands winging it and maybe creating one memorable section over the course of two hours, tickets are almost certainly still on sale. I'm glad I got a chance to see Blue Oyster Cult before they threw in the towel with the rest of the 70s Rock bands currently bowing out gracefully though. Hopefully next time I see middle-aged rockers belting out classics, it'll be a better experience!

Tenology: Great Guitarists In Rock/Metal

Another post, another subject that it's taken me way too long to write about.
I've written about overrated trends in Rock/Metal that have included musicians but I've never actually dedicated a blog post to musicians I admire. In this post, I'll be looking at ten guitarists firmly planted in the Rock/Metal genre that may or may not be personal favourites of mine.
As always, I'm hesitant to say "MY TOP TEN FAVOURITE EVER GUITARISTS" because I feel like there are probably some guitarists out there that I'd rate highly if I knew more of their work. As it stands right now, these are just 10 guitar players whom I'd like to shine my own personal spotlight on. Some will probably be hailed as exceptional guitarists all over the web and others may not get the love they deserve but ultimately, it's all down to my opinion and any notable absences aren't a reflection of my opinion on those specific guitarists...except Randy Rhoads, he's deliberately left out.


1. Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser

This is a good picture. Thanks for ruining it, gettyimages.

Despite the fact that I'm not a huge Blue Oyster Cult fan, Buck Dharma is probably my number one favourite guitarist due to his ability to create epic riffs, sweet solos and sing decent lead vocals too. Whilst his guitar playing doesn't stand out as much as guitarists with iconic sounds such as Brian May or Richie Blackmore, the band could boast some of the best riffs Rock has to offer thanks to this man. Songs such as "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" and "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" proved he could write amazing single-note riffs (much better than Joe Perry, in my opinion) whereas songs like "Godzilla" and "7 Screaming Diz-Busters" showcased his talent for guitar solos and Classic Rock shredding.


2. John Petrucci

You know he's serious because he's got a knee up

You could probably choose any Rock related forum with Dream Theater or John Petrucci involved and find at least one comment praising his work...and with good reason too! Whilst each member of the band is shit hot at their chosen instrument, Petrucci shoots the band into the stratosphere of awesome Rock thanks to his excellent playing. At the first listen, his solos may sound like bog standard shredding but unlike other guitarists who are so focused on complex scales/arpeggios that they forget to add soul (not saying a word), each melody is well crafted and incredibly well executed. However, Petrucci isn't afraid to let loose and as a result we get songs with epic riffs and blistering solos like "As I Am" and "Constant Motion".


3. Eddie Van Halen

That's the face he has to pull to stop it from melting

I've dedicated several blog posts to writing about the original lineup Van Halen albums and one of the strongest attributes from all of them is the fretwork of EVH (along with Lee Roth's vocals). He's often credited with inventing two handed guitar tapping but some guitarists were doing it long before Van Halen's debut came out. He did popularise the technique and fire it into the mainstream, inspiring future guitarists for decades to come, but none of them quite mastered the skill of iconic riffs and solos like EVH. Not only that but during the early years, Eddie wasn't afraid to challenge himself and adapt his sound with each album rather than coasting on one specific skill. He might be known for "Eruption" but to me, "Spanish Fly" is the stronger song.


4. Dave Murray

I should've posted some pics of guitarists in different positions

Iron Maiden have had many guitarists over the years but the only one to appear on every studio album (and my personal favourite) is Mr Dave Murray. Currently one of three six-string wielding amigos with the band, Dave's guitar playing can be recognised by the soft yet high pitched sound that you tend to hear in most Iron Maiden solos. Adrian might be the main driving force behind the band's great riffs but Dave's the one bringing the thunder in the solos. Again, I've written about all of the band's studio albums on the blog before but I couldn't write this post without mentioning my favourite guitarist from my favourite band.


5. Gary Rossington

This man's single-handedly keeping Lynyrd Skynyrd alive

One of the founding and the last original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, known for his slide guitar and clean sound. Lynyrd Skynyrd might only be known for a handful of songs but those songs have some damn fine guitar. "Sweet Home Alabama" has one of Rock's greatest riffs and I don't need to tell you about how fucking awesome the "Free Bird" is again. The band's back catalogue is full of great tunes containing excellent riffs ("Simple Man", "The Needle And The Spoon") and some underrated solos ("Call Me The Breeze", "I Know A Little") but to me, Rossington really showed off his talents on the band's exceptional live album, One More From The Road, where he took the band's existing material and turned them up to 11.


6. Tom Morello

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure he's flipping off some dick in the audience

In my recent post on Audioslave's debut album, I praised Chris Cornell's vocals and Tom Morello's guitar playing. In a not so recent post, I wrote about crap songs saved by one standout amazing feature that I affectionately named after this guitarist in reference to his role in the band Rage Against The Machine. Without Tom, they'd be another mediocre modern Metal outfit but his playing amplifies the rest of the band. His riffs are heavy and his solos sound unlike any other guitarist due to his unique playing styles (the same can be said for certain Audioslave tracks like "Gasoline"). Now and then, he brought out the big guns in RATM songs like "Know Your Enemy" but even if he isn't showing off with great solos, one thing you can count on with his playing is that it rarely (if at all) sounds boring.


7. Dave Mustaine

Said it before & I'll say it again; has anyone ever seen this guy and Donald Trump in the same room?

Dave Mustaine's made waves in the past with some questionable political opinions (many of them being featured in Megadeth's lyrics) but as a guitarist, this guy fucking gets. it. done. He may not have been responsible for one of my favourite solos ("Tornado Of Souls" was largely written by Marty Friedman, another great guitarist who nearly made it to this list) but he was responsible for popularising the spider chord playing style you frequently hear in Thrash Metal. Plus, for all the rage and dickishness Mustaine showed in his early days, to create a band as great as Megadeth out of it with a massive collection of great Metal tunes is quite impressive. Just a shame he has the appearance of a dad who's used all his three genie wishes to become a Rock star.


8. John Frusciante

Pretty sure the photographer captured the exact moment John levelled up

Up until 2009, John was the guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers but that wasn't his first time leaving the band. His clean tone is synonymous with the band's sound and whilst the band's riffs/solos are fairly straightforward, John was a clear believer in less is more. I've said before on the blog that I prefer softer Alternative RHCP songs to heavier Funk ones and that's mostly down to John's playing style. However, I will say that songs like "Suck My Kiss" and "Can't Stop" that ARE heavy tracks by the band are only as good as they are because of their solos and riffs respectively, and that's all John. That's all I really need to say on the guy but I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight one song in particular; "Snow ((Hey Oh))". A friend of mine who's seen them live reported that John played the riff perfectly without looping it all the way through, which is fucking impressive. It's not an easy riff to master and John makes it sound like "Smoke On The Water", so hats off to the man!


9. Eric Johnson

It was a choice between Johnson, Satriani, Vai or Malmsteen...I think I made the right choice

To me, one of the strongest attributes a musician can have is to be able to alert everyone to their presence with only a few notes. Eric Johnson has that absolutely nailed. His music always sounds so dreamy and magical, even when he's shredding away. He might not be as technically skilled as virtuosos such as Satriani or Batio but it's not all about how fast you can play. To me, Johnson's music is stronger on the whole than most of the music of those artists because of his unique melodies and combination of different styles to make exceptional Rock music. He's also pretty adept at other instruments too, although he's here entirely because of his guitar playing.


10. Slash

Be honest, how many of you saw this coming?

The ultimate image of a badass Rock guitarist. I don't know what your opinion of Slash is but I've seen several sources claiming he's overrated. I would agree if I hadn't seen him live but watching him flawlessly bust out an 18 minute solo during "Rocket Queen" in front of me eyes without showing any signs of fatigue thirty years after his "peak" performances shows stamina that I'd like to see any of those naysayers match. Not just that but come on, his riffs are fucking great. Guns N' Roses stuff is what he's known for (even if I personally think the "Paradise City" riff sounds a little janky) but his solo material contains way better guitar songs, as you'd expect. Definitely better Hard Rock albums than anything GNR put out; it's just a shame him and Axl patched it up, as he's genuinely much better without that shit awful excuse for a vocalist.


Do you agree with my list? Again, this isn't a Top 10 list and I know there are other amazing guitarists out there that are absent and may appear on a sequel to this post if I feel like writing one but who would you rank highly in your own personal collection of great guitarists and why?
In future, I plan on writing similar posts for bassists, drummers and vocalists too so if you have anyone you believe deserves some love, let me know here or via Twitter.

Rapid Fire: Blue Oyster Cult, Rush, Deep Purple

Bit late posting this one but I'll definitely make sure I get another one up this week.
Last time I did a Rapid Fire post, I picked three big albums from the 90s all belonging to different popular genres of the decade. THIS time, I've picked three albums not only from the same decade but also belonging to the same genre; Hard Rock.
Whilst all three albums aren't necessarily iconic hits from the 70s, I chose these three because (in my opinion) they stand out in the band's careers. I could've picked various classic Hard Rock albums from this decade but I don't think I'd have as much to write about them. Anyway, I'll leave you to decide whether I picked the right albums!

1. Tyranny And Mutation - Blue Oyster Cult

If asked to name a Blue Oyster Cult song, most people will go for easy choices like "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" or "Burnin' For You". Some might go for less obvious choices such as "Godzilla" or "Astronomy" but it's incredibly doubtful anyone will pick any tracks from this album. It was their second album released and even though it spawned many deep cuts that would become fan favourites, none of the tracks would become iconic Classic Rock or Hard Rock hits. It's a shame too as this album has some right crackers!
Album opener "The Red & The Black" kicks things off to a feisty start, showing the band hadn't spent all their energy on writing a solid debut. It's a perfect track for anyone who's into guitar-driven Rock, thanks to the fretwork of Buck Dharma (my favourite guitarist), and fortunately the rest of the album follows suit. Tyranny And Mutation contains a variety of different Rock subgenres but at its core, it is a Hard Rock album done right. Whilst it may not contain any instantly catchy songs or riffs that the band would become known for in later years, it's high quality material from start to finish.
Whether it's the band's take on Blues Rock ("O.D.'d On Life Itself"), Heavy Metal ("Hot Rails To Hell") or even borderline Psychedelic Rock ("Wings Wetted Down"), each track fundamentally "rocks". There's also a good amount of Classic and Hard Rock, such as "Mistress Of The Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)" and my personal favourite track on the album "7 Screaming Diz-Busters". All in all, though, it's a must-listen for any fans of Riff-Based-Rock and 70s Hard Rock.

1. The Red & The Black

2. O.D.'d On Life Itself

3. Hot Rails To Hell

4. 7 Screaming Diz-Busters

5. Baby Ice Dog

6. Wings Wetted Down

7. Teen Archer

8. Mistress Of The Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

2. Rush - Rush

The debut and self-titled album from a band arguably more associated with Progressive Rock and the 80s. Again, most fans will likely list tracks off Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves or 2112 when it comes to picking great Rush songs. Some might choose "Working Man", easily the most well known Rush track off the album, but when I first listened to this all the way through I was surprised to hear so many great Hard Rock tracks. That could explain why it tends to get ignored, as it's pretty far away from what most people would consider to be classic Rush.

Not only is it the only album with original drummer, John Rutsey, but most of the songs are about general themes such as love and friendship ("Need Some Love" and "Take A Friend") as opposed to the blend of philosophy and Sci-Fi the band would adopt thanks to Neil Peart. The lack of significant Prog Rock elements and the increase in Blues Rock factors almost make it sound like a lost Led Zeppelin album, something many Rock fans would kill for.

It's not the best Rush album but it definitely doesn't deserve to be forgotten about, which is its current fate. Seek this album out if you like 70s Rock, particularly early 70s Hard Rock. Whilst I'm at it, you might want to listen to the first half of Caress Of Steel too. I know it's often regarded as Rush's worst album but it only really gets dull when it gets to the 11 minute tracks. As for Rush (album)? It starts and ends strong, which is more than I can say for Moving Pictures.

1. Finding My Way

2. Need Some Love

3. Take A Friend

4. Here Again

5. What You're Doing

6. In The Mood

7. Before And After

8. Working Man

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

3. Machine Head - Deep Purple

The only album on this list which is generally regarded as the band's "best" or at least a standout effort. It's probably my favourite Deep Purple album out of the ones I've listened to and it's definitely got a solid collection of great Hard Rock tracks starting off with the absolute belter of an album opener "Highway Star". It's not just one of Deep Purple's greatest songs but it's quite possibly one of the greatest Hard Rock tracks in the history of the genre, boasting awesome work from each band member from Ian Gillan's roaring vocals to Richie Blackmore's Classical-inspired guitar solo.
The rest of the album never quite reaches that same high, in my opinion, but that's not to say it fails to impress. By this point in the band's career, they'd established themselves firmly in the Hard Rock category after a Psychedelic Rock start and if you like your Hard Rock with epic riffs and organs, there's bound to be at least a couple of other tracks up your alley here. Chances are those tracks are the other two well known songs off the album, "Space Truckin'" and "Smoke On The Water", the band's signature song with quite possibly Rock's most iconic riff (even if the rest of it is largely uneventful).
For me, this album could've done with another track containing the same amount of power and pure Rock as the album opener, as the closest Machine Head comes to that again is seven minute Blues number "Lazy" and even that's pushing it. They probably chose "Highway Star" to kick things off with a bang but neglected to think about whether they were prematurely blowing their load. If you haven't heard any of the previously mentioned tracks, I'd recommend listening to this album. Otherwise, you're unlikely to get much out it.

1. Highway Star

2. Maybe I'm A Leo

3. Pictures Of Home

4. Never Before

5. Smoke On The Water

6. Lazy

7. Space Truckin'

8. When A Blind Man Cries

ALBUM RATING - 6/10

If there are any albums you'd like me to discuss or if you have any suggestions for decades, genres and/or bands to cover on the next Rapid Fire post, let me know in the comment section or via Twitter.

I'll be posting again this week (probably not another Rapid Fire post though) so keep your eyes peeled for more from me!

Tenology: Songs That Sound Better When Sped Up

Bonus Post!
This is to make up for the week I missed in March and I figure you might want to read this short little post over a random video game one.

Recently, I learned that you can speed up or slow down videos on Youtube so naturally, I gave several slower songs a listen with the speed increased to 1.25x. Many tracks didn't work at all but surprisingly, quite a few songs actually sounded pretty awesome when sped up slightly.
I've created a playlist of some of these songs on Youtube but the problem with keeping track of things via Youtube (especially when it's a music playlist) is that videos get deleted quite frequently. As a result, I've chosen to list ten of my favourite sped up songs here so that I can find them again even if some prick deletes them off Youtube.
If you have any suggestions for songs that'd sound just as good (or arguably better) when sped up, let me know in the comments or via Twitter. Also, feel free to let me know if any of the embedded Youtube videos get removed and I need to replace them.

WARNING! YOU MAY NEED A COUPLE OF LISTENS TO THE ORIGINAL/SLOWER VERSIONS OF THESE SONGS IF YOU EVER WANT TO HEAR THEM THE SAME AGAIN!


1. "Night Moves" - Bob Seger
(wait until the drums come in, it sounds like The Doobie Brothers)




2. "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N' Roses
(I finally found a way to fix Axl's voice...sort of)




3. "Man In The Box" - Alice In Chains
(less Alice In Chains, more Velvet Revolver. I love it!)




4. "Nothing Else Matters" - Metallica
(it almost sounds like a Christmas song or sea-shanty, SO much better!)




5. "Bad Company" - Bad Company
(it may not sound less powerful and more...broadway, but it sounds alright enough for this list)




6. "Everything About You" - Ugly Kid Joe
(the Poison vibe is strong with this one!)




7. "Time Is Running Out" - Muse
(I can imagine a band like Paramore rocking a sped up cover of this)




8. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - Blue Oyster Cult
(obviously I prefer the original but it's cool to hear this song if covered by The Ventures)




9. "Crazy Train" - Ozzy Osbourne
(the rest of the song is kinda...yeah...but at least the riff sounds cooler!)




10. "Do You Feel Like We Do?" - Peter Frampton
(closest I can get to creating a studio version of the Frampton Comes Alive version, although shame about the Disco sound)




Honourable Mentions

"Green Tinted Sixties Mind" - Mr. Big
"Jump" - Van Halen
"Hot Blooded" - Foreigner
"Rosalie" - Thin Lizzy
"Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground" - The White Stripes*
"Don't Stop Believing" - Journey
"The Zoo" - Scorpions
"Same Old Song And Dance" - Aerosmith


Thanks for reading/listening! I'll see if I can find something to review either next week or the week after.


* Fun fact! You can hear Meg White changing the tempo between 1:28-1:34 due to being a shit drummer a lot clearer when everything's sped up.

Fire Of Unknown Origin - Blue Oyster Cult

I wasn't sure what to write about this week as the only posts I could think of were video game related. In the end, I had a think about classic albums that I could review and since Halloween is coming up, I decided to revisit the "spookiest" album I've listened to as I've got next week's post planned already. I mean, just look at this fucking cover and tell me you're not even a little bit unnerved!

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!