It's been a while since I listened to anything new by these veteran rockers. I "discovered" this band in the early 80's with albums like "Mirrors" and "Fire of Unknown Origin". I enjoyed that period of their music since I considered BOC to be more sophisticated hard rock. I eventually lost track with what this band was doing sometime during the late 80's, but I was very curious to check out this latest release. It's been some 18 years after I last purchased a release from this band. I've discovered that they continue to hit the mark on most of the material here, but tend to miss it terribly on a handful of others.
The two principle song-writers and singers are still with BOC. Guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser has always had a surprisingly soft voice that matches well with his diverse guitar playing. Dharma's voice is featured in many of BOC's more famous hits, such as "Don't Fear the Reaper" and "Burnin' For You". His counterpart, guitarist Eric Bloom, is the harder-edged member of the group. His wailing vocals are usually backed by more straight-ahead rock and roll with a heavy metal influence. What I find is that Dharma's writing is still solid and well crafted after all these years, yet Bloom's ability to write a song, with a few exceptions, is sophomoric and a literal parody of itself. "Showtime" shows promise with some nice guitar-work, but soon turns into a complicated mess of a song. Bloom forces too many lyrics into a simple melody: "I guess you never loved me, you used me like a tool. And that guy out there with you, must think that I'm a fool." I would think that after 25 plus years of making music that he would consistently come up with a better storyline and lyrics than on this tune. Bloom also sounds dangerously close to Spinal Tap on "One Step Ahead of the Devil". His vocal range can't quite hit the high notes on this particular song, which is almost embarassing to listen to. Bloom does save face a little bit on "The Old Gods Return". BOC sounds very much like they did in the 70's and 80's here. Where this album succeeds is when Buck Dharma takes over the writing and vocal duties. "Dance on Stilts" kicks off the cd with a great blues- inspired guitar riff that catches the listener's attention early. Dharma's vocals are smooth and effortless here: "You... elevate me. You lift me high... just high enough to see.". Dharma's writing works even better on the cd's best track; the radio-friendly "Pocket". Multi-tracked guitar, along with tight bass and drums, easily ranks this song up there with many of BOC's classic tunes. Dharma adds smooth acoustic guitar on the mysterious "Stone of Love". Once again, layered guitar-work creates an eloquent atmosphere on this song. Never over-produced, the sound from this track would appeal to any fan of Joe Satriani or The Who. It was songs like this that first attracted me to Blue Oyster Cult, and could possibly get me to continue to listen to them.
The diversity of singing styles between Bloom and Dharma are a welcome addition to this band, but I would rather hear more of Dharma's work. This could easily be a 3 and 1/2 or 4 star release if it weren't for the three or four sub-standard tunes on here. Regardless of these lesser tunes, listening to this classic rock band again brings back many memories. If you jumped off the BOC bandwagon back in the 80's, it might be time to jump right back on along with me! With three of the original members still in the band (Bloom, Dharma, and guitarist/keyboardist Allen Lanier) at least this band is more bona-fide than the half-assed line ups currently in Journey and Styx!
