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Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains CD (album) cover

THE SYMBOL REMAINS

Blue Öyster Cult

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3 stars Nothing to proclaim, but also nothing to complain about this album. It has everything one have learn to expect from the Cult: Thunderous riffs, like the one in the opener. Effective (yet distinctive) vocal harmonies introducing a welcomed dose of strangeness, like in "Box in My Head". And, of course, the tasty and unmistakable electric guitar soloing by their long-time leader, Buck Dharma, like in "Tainted Blood".

The songs may not be the best among their considerable catalog, but certainly they are fine material, strong both in composition and execution: hard rock with a touch of creepy weirdness (never indulging in glam excesses, nevertheless, listen to "Nightmare Epiphany").

A good album to consider.

Report this review (#2463902)
Posted Saturday, November 7, 2020 | Review Permalink
3 stars It's been a long time, I believe 19 years since the last album from BOC. But they are finally back with THE SYMBOL REMAINS. There are 14 songs on this release, and, like most of their recent efforts, it is very hit and miss. I have always been a huge fan of BOC going back to their early "progressive" heavy albums and even through their more commercial albums from the 80's. While they are not all great, there was always enough meaty songs to make up for the ones to skip. Even albums like CLUB NINJA have some great tunes. With this current release the Cult has given us a mixture of excellent tunes, good tunes, and a few that I just can't get myself to find interesting. "Box in my head" is pure Buck Dharma and brings back memories of many earlier Buck tunes. I enjoy "Nightmare Epiphany", and "Tainted Blood" (another vampire BOC song to add to things like "Nosferatu", as well as "The Alchemist". I have issues getting into the more rocky, bluesy numbers like "Florida Man" and "Train True". So, this is not a stellar album like "Imaginos", "Secret Treaties", or "On Your Feet or On Your Knees" but it contains enough gems among the lesser pieces to rate 3 stars. No matter what, it's fantastic to hear something new from a classic band...
Report this review (#2474522)
Posted Tuesday, November 10, 2020 | Review Permalink
4 stars Yeah, if you had Blue Oyster Cult putting out one of the best albums in their entire catalog after nearly 20 years of silence and at 50 years(!) past their original album on your 2020 bingo card congratulations! I had no idea these guys were even making music, let along releasing a full-length album. More importantly the "band" features original key member Eric Bloom and Donadl Roeser and long-time member Richie Castellano.

Everything that has made BOC is here:

1. riff-heavy proto-metal 2. groovy pop-laden, mid-tempo rockers 3. bizarro sci-fi-tinged lyrics that somehow make no sense but also make cogent commentary on society today

Honestly, it's shocking how good this album is. Favorites include conspiracy-rocker Edge of the World, mega-shuffle Train True, sinister The Aldhemist and classic BOC rocker The Return of St. Cecilia.

But it's Stand and Fight that truly shines. A no-holds-barred, heavy metal rocker (think Cities on Flame heavy riffs) combined with an anthemic chorus and cool instrumental section that bludgeons the listener while simultaneously making us stand and raise our fist. Seriously, no band 50+ years into their career has a right to be making music this heavy.

A truly shocking and surprisingly enjoyable release that fits proudly amongst the band's best in their mammoth catalog.

Report this review (#2478113)
Posted Saturday, November 21, 2020 | Review Permalink
FragileKings
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Note: I wrote my review first for the MetalMusicArchives, so I did not mention any of the prog factor on this album. Actually, there is not very much that would get ticked for prog if anything. My opinion is that for a Blue Oyster Cult album, this is a surprisingly good release at this stage in their career. But for this site, I'm lowering the score by one star because this is after all the "prog" archives.

So here we have a classic band of the seventies whose fortunes declined in the eighties, who were in disarray throughout most of the nineties, tried to get back in gear in at the turn of the century and who then carried on mostly as a classic rock band playing their classic tunes. Then after 19 years of silence from the recording studio, Blue Oyster Cult drop a new release. The title, "The Symbol Remains" seems less like a victory shout and more like confident statement made through weathered and grim lips with a knife edge of a smile. "It's 2020. BOC is still here."

I was curious. I had never been a huge fan, but my musical travels brought me to BOC Base on a few occasions, allowing one or two more albums to nestle into my collection. My recent reacquaintance with the much-derided "Club Ninja" exposed me to the new album's cover. Somehow, I felt it had to be good.

Of the original line-up, only the two guitarists and principal singers, Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom remain. That's something important though as what defines a band's sound is mostly in the vocals and lead instruments, as well as the songwriting. And to my delight, I feel that this is very much a Blue Oyster Cult album!

The band's familiar heavy side opens the album with "That Was Me", a song that I thought was a reflection back on a "career of evil". At this age, I think this song is very suitable and it is executed in the familiar style of Blue Oyster Cult.

The next two, "Box In My Head" (about his brain), and "Tainted Blood" (a vampire song) continue that familiar sound and style. Obviously, the two legendary members are that much older and the sounds of the instruments and recording is very modern, but they deliver songs worthy of the legendary band name.

I'll confess, though, that partway through the album, it begins to sound more like a generic old dudes' rock album. While at the start I felt it was without a doubt a BOC album, by the middle I thought had I heard this without knowing who it was, I don't think I would have even suspected that I knew what band it was.

Fortunately, once we reach "Stand and Fight" we know who put out this platter. It is actually a heavy tune, perhaps in the sense of classic heavy metal of the seventies but again with a modern sound. "Florida Man" is pretty good, but "The Alchemist" is totally a Blue Oyster Cult track with the heavy guitars, some piano, and an epic tale of fantasy and a quest. Had the album ended here (and I expected that it would as I was listening while walking and not looking at the track list), I would have applauded the band.

However, there is yet another track, and another, and another. It became a game to guess if I had heard the final track yet. I would think, "Now there's a great conclusion to a song and a great way to finish up the album." But then another track would begin. Not that the last five tracks were bad or dull. There are still some very good ones there and some even better than those in the middle of the album where I was wondering if I would recognize the band. I suppose after 19 years, the band had enough material for a 60-minute album. But I personally feel the album could have been more cohesive and more like a BOC album if some of the songs - three or four - had been relegated to CD/download bonus tracks that were separate from the rest of the songs.

My impression is that Blue Oyster Cult have released a surprisingly good album for a mature band. They keep the BOC flame burning for us with songs that both musically and lyrically are congruent with the classic sound of the band.

Any disappointments would be in two or three tracks that could have been either left off or come after the main album track list. I think the album would have had more of a wow impact at somewhere around 10 or 11 tracks.

Overall though, it's a solid release!

Report this review (#2521611)
Posted Saturday, March 6, 2021 | Review Permalink

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