BLUE ÖYSTER CULT

The debut Blue Oyster Cult album leans more towards a hard rock approach than the proto- metal that would be unleashed on the next disc, but in terms of atmosphere it occupies a very similar place - murky, moody, with dark shadows and sinister goings-on just out of sight. Certainly, material like Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll, Workshop of the Telescopes and Stairway to the Stars with their brooding, slow, sinister guitar and sneering, mocking vocals are a great start, though I'm On the Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep lacks power this time around and would return in a faster and punchier rendition as The Red and the Black on the next album. There's also a couple of slightly uncharacteristic songs on here which help vary things up a little - Redeemed is an unexpectedly sunny song for the band, whilst Then Came the Last Days of May is a blues-rock lament about a drug deal gone wrong with some beautiful, almost Clapton-like guitar work. On the whole, a fantastic start for the band.

Progarchives users should be warned that it's not very proggy - but, as I always say, if it were it wouldn't be categorised here in prog-related, so I won't mark it down for that. Taken by its own standards, it's a strong four-star album.