TYRANNY AND MUTATION

This album sounds heavier than its predecessor. The wild opener sets the pace: an infectious hard- rocking song of the best vein. Great beat, straight to the point riff: ''The Red & The Black'' is a killer song IMO.

The band is actually building up on the roots of their debut and are marching in the same footstep. Basic mainstream rock music. Here and there tinted with a bluesy accent (''O.D. 'd On Life Itself'') or fully heavy rock oriented (''Hot Rails To Hell).

Keyboards are not really setting the tone on this work. Guitars are more prominent and it definitely dominates most of the tracks. The relation to prog is very thin IMHHO on this work. But for those of you who have the capability to turn on the hard (heavy)-rock button in your head, there are some fine moments to expect from ''Tyranny & Mutation''.

At times, this album reminds me of the early days of ''Alice Cooper''. The most noticeable of such moment is felt during ''7 Screamind Diz-Busters''. A jolly good rocking piece in which Donald Roeser shows all his talent on the lead guitar.

This ''black'' side of the original vinyl (I own the remastered CD version) is quite good and fun. It is by far the best of this album which offers a pale B-side to be honest. Some glam-rock a la Moot The Hoople during ''Baby Ice Dog'' is pleasant but not more.

Some childish and heavy psychedelia is available with ''Wings Wetted Down'', but again, we are not talking about a jewel. A certain Sabbath flavour can be felt during short moments as well. Nothing wrong but nothing great either.

''Tean Archer'' is the first track in which the keyboards can clearly be identified (but this is almost the last song from this album). But don't expect bombastic keys of course, they are there to sustain the powerful rhythmic section (which is excellent BTW all along ''Tyranny'') while offering some good solo notes as well.

The more tranquil and sophisticated closing number ''Mistress of the Salmon Salt'' sounds as a hard psychedelic track. There is even a brief atmospheric passage! But don't worry, the band remains in the known territory of hard-rock music in all its splendour.

What I lack in this album is an anthem, an outstanding track like other great rock bands of the era. But the Cult never played in that division IMO.

What is very interesting on the CD released in 2001, is that several bonus live tracks are available. Not that they are essential for the music history, but the comments from Eric Bloom during the second part of ''Screaming.'' are quite explicit in terms of the type of music BÖC was playing at the time. While you listen to the kilometric version of ''Screaming Diz.'' (fourteen minutes!), there is no doubt about their heavy orientation. But I like this.

The extended guitar riffs are there (hi Ritchie), the long bass-guitar-drum section as well. An archetype of a classic live set from a hard-rock band in those early middle seventies days which I had witnessed with Purple and Sabbath on stage.

If you are looking for prog here, I just can tell you that it is next door. Maybe for the next release? Three stars (seven out of ten) for ''Tyranny & Mutation''.