SPECTRES

'Spectres' has long been one of my favorite Blue Oyster Cult albums. It's a notch below 'Secret Treaties' in terms of consistent quality and heavy progressiveness... but it's much deeper and more cohesive than it's pale and thin predecessor 'Agents of Fortune'.

The haunting and surreal album cover has intrigued me since i was a child... and the music carries a similar dark esoteric atmosphere.

This albums contains two of my very favorite Cult songs: the mystical ballad 'I Love the Night' and the grandiose epic 'Nosferatu'. Both of these songs are very close to my heart and hold enormous nostalgia. The music may be somewhat lighter than the Cult's first three hard rocking albums, but they make up for it with entrancing nocturnal atmosphere and lithe floating melancholia. Both songs feature amazing guitar leads from the genius Buck Dharma and truly beautiful and captivating vocal harmonies.

'Godzilla' is a classic piece of Heavy Metal with one of the most memorable riffs in Hard Rock history. Unlike some classic over-played rock-radio staples, this song has never lost it's luster or edge for me... i guess it will never grow old.

The rest of the album is hit-or-miss... but Spectres is still a good, above-average album with a handful of indispensable classics.

3.5 stars.