The Symbol Remains

The Symbol Remains is the fifteenth[note 1] studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on October 9, 2020.[3]

The Symbol Remains
Studio album by
Blue Öyster Cult
ReleasedOctober 9, 2020
RecordedFebruary 2019 – April 2020
StudioMercy College Studio A, Dobbs Ferry, New York[1]
GenreHard rock, heavy metal[2]
Length61:06
LabelFrontiers
ProducerEric Bloom, Buck Dharma, Richie Castellano
Blue Öyster Cult chronology
Curse of the Hidden Mirror
(2001)		 The Symbol Remains
(2020)

The title comes from a lyric on Blue Öyster Cult's 1983 LP The Revolution By Night in the song “Shadow Of California.“[4]

This is the band's first studio release since 2001's Curse of the Hidden Mirror, making it the longest gap between the band's studio albums. It also marks the recording debut by long-time members Jules Radino and Richie Castellano, as well as the first studio album since 1985's Club Ninja to not feature Allen Lanier, who died in 2013.

Background

The lack of retail success of the band's previous studio album, Curse of the Hidden Mirror (2001), contributed to the band's long disinterest in recording new music. Frontman Eric Bloom noted in 2017 that "it costs money to make a record," and that the time spent producing an album would be better spent touring "than making a record that nobody's going to buy." Although he did concede that some hardcore fans would be enthusiastic about such a release, it would likely not be a financially successful project. Nevertheless, he admitted that a new effort would eventually arrive.[5]

Lead guitarist Buck Dharma stated in another interview that the band had "tentative" plans to record in 2017, and noted that the then-current band was "so good it would be a shame not to."[6] Dharma had also revealed that he had originally intended to contact longtime band manager and collaborator Sandy Pearlman about ideas for the album, although Pearlman's death in 2016 from a stroke prevented that occurrence.[7]

In April 2019, Bloom further reiterated that an album would eventually arrive, and announced that the band would "soon" be signing a new recording contract.[8]

In July 2019, it was announced that the band had signed with Frontiers Records, and that the album would be released in 2020. Bloom noted that half of the songs were already written, with the remaining portion to be written during production of the album.[9]

The album art and track listing were revealed in August 2020.[3]

Songs

Several singles and music videos were released to promote the album. On August 28, 2020, "That Was Me" and "Box in My Head" were released for streaming on YouTube. Several days later, a music video featuring former member Albert Bouchard was released for the former. A video was released for "Box in My Head" on September 10. Additionally, the band released a video for "Tainted Blood" on September 25.[10] On the day of the album's release, the band released a video for "The Alchemist".[11]

According to Buck Dharma, "Box in My Head" is about "trying to intrigue a lady" and that the mind is an "enigmatic and curious place". It features lyrics by novelist John Shirley, a frequent collaborator of the band.[12] "The Alchemist" references the H.P. Lovecraft short story The Alchemist,[13] while "Florida Man" references the internet meme of the same name.[14] The Castellano-penned "The Return of St. Cecilia" references a song from the album that the band recorded for Elektra Records in 1970 under the name "Stalk-Forrest Group." Another Castellano contribution, "The Machine," is about cell phones.[15]

A different recording of the song "Fight" had been released by Buck Dharma in 2015, as a solo track. Additionally, demo recordings of two other songs, "Nightmare Epiphany" and "Secret Road" were released in 2000 in an archive compilation released by Dharma.[16]

"Edge of the World" is a song about conspiracy theories and references alien abductions.

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Louder Sound[19]

The Symbol Remains has received a positive reception from critics, and "The Alchemist" in particular has been the subject of particular praise. The album holds a 77/100 aggregate rating on Metacritic as of January 2021.

Dom Lawson of Blabbermouth.net gave the album a positive review, citing songs like "Box in My Head" and "The Alchemist" as high points on the album.[20] Scott McLennan of The Arts Fuse hailed "The Alchemist" as "a sprawling tale of a cursed monarchy, palace treachery, and sorcery", and noting that Bloom's performance on the track was at "peak harrowing form." McLennan also praised Dharma's "speedy country-rock riff" playing on "Train True (Lennie's Song)."[15] Thom Jurek of Allmusic hailed the album as a "thoroughly inspired" return for the band, and compared the sound of many of the album's songs to Blue Öyster Cult's back catalogue, as well as groups like Head East and Iron Maiden.[21] Writing for BraveWords Paul Stenning cited the material as "memorable" and marked out "Nightmare Epiphany", "Edge of the World" and "Stand and Fight" as standout tracks.[22]

Meanwhile, a more neutral review in Uncut cited the "metal tinged" "The Machine", "Stand and Fight" and "The Alchemist" as the album's best moments.[17]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."That Was Me"Eric Bloom, Richie Castellano, John ShirleyBloom3:18
2."Box in My Head"Donald Roeser, ShirleyRoeser3:46
3."Tainted Blood"Bloom, CastellanoCastellano4:17
4."Nightmare Epiphany"Shirley, D. RoeserRoeser5:30
5."Edge of the World"CastellanoBloom4:52
6."The Machine"CastellanoCastellano4:14
7."Train True (Lennie's Song)"D. Roeser, Zeke RoeserRoeser3:57
8."The Return of St. Cecilia"Castellano, Richard MeltzerCastellano4:12
9."Stand and Fight"Bloom, CastellanoBloom4:48
10."Florida Man"D. Roeser, ShirleyRoeser4:08
11."The Alchemist"CastellanoBloom6:00
12."Secret Road"Shirley, D. RoeserRoeser5:24
13."There's a Crime"Jeff Denny, Jules RadinoBloom3:37
14."Fight"D. Roeser, Ira Rosoff, James WoldRoeser3:12
Total length:61:06
Japan bonus track[23]
No.TitleLength
15."That Was Me" (acoustic remix) 

Personnel

Band
  • Eric Bloom – guitars, keyboards, vocals
  • Buck Dharma – guitars, keyboards, programming, vocals
  • Richie Castellano – guitars, keyboards, programming, vocals
  • Danny Miranda – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Jules Radino – drums, percussion, backing vocals

[1]

Additional musicians
  • Albert Bouchard – backing vocals, cowbell and percussion on "That Was Me"
  • Andy Ascolese - keyboards on "Nightmare Epiphany" and "Florida Man"; piano on "The Alchemist"
  • David Lucas - Backing vocals on "Edge of the World", "The Machine", "Florida Man" and "Secret Road"; cowbell on "Fight"
  • Phil Castellano - harmonica on "Train True (Lennie's Song)"; gang vocals on "Stand and Fight"; backing vocals and claps on "Florida Man"; choir programming on "Secret Road"
  • Kasim Sulton - backing vocals on "The Return of St. Cecilia" and "There's a Crime"
  • Steve La Cerra - gang vocals on "Stand and Fight"; backing vocals and claps on "Florida Man"
  • Kevin Young - gang vocals on "Stand and Fight"; backing vocals and claps on "Florida Man"
  • John Castellano - backing vocal on "Florida Man"
  • Jeff Nolan - theremin on "Florida Man"

[1]

Production
  • Produced by Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma and Richie Castellano
  • Executive produced by Steve Schenk
  • Chief Engineer - Richie Castellano
  • Overdub engineering - Buck Dharma
  • Engineer - Sam Stauff
  • Assistant engineer - Steve La Cerra
  • Mixed by Tom Lord-Alge
  • Mastered by Ted Jensen

[1]

Charts

The album entered the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 192, making it their first album to chart in the United States since Imaginos in August 1988.

Chart performance for The Symbol Remains
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 186
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 27
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[26] 17
French Albums (SNEP)[27] 64
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 39
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 31
US Billboard 200[30] 192
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[31] 12

References
  1. The Symbol Remains liner notes. Frontiers Records. 2020. p. 14.
  2. https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-symbol-remains-mw0003419912
  3. "BLUE ÖYSTER CULT Unveils Details Of First Album In Nearly Two Decades, 'The Symbol Remains'". Blabbermouth.net. August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  4. Winterbottom, Roger. "Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains (Frontiers Music)". Yorkshire Times. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  5. Staff (July 14, 2017). "Blue Oyster [sic] Cult's Eric Bloom is a Road Warrior, but Says Albums Don't Pay". OC Weekly. Duncan McIntosh. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  6. Tatangelo, Wade (January 5, 2017). "Interview: Buck Dharma on writing Blue Oyster [sic] Cult's biggest hits". Heraldtribune.com. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  7. Hernandez, Raoul (August 9, 2017). "Buck Dharma in the 21st Century! Epic Q&A with Blue Öyster Cult's "Reaper"". The Austin Chronicle. Nick Barbaro. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  8. Lenker, George (April 8, 2019). "Blue Oyster [sic] Cult singer talks longevity, new music and that 'more cowbell' sketch before Northampton show". Masslive. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  9. Kielty, Martin (July 10, 2019). "Blue Öyster Cult Sign Deal for New Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  10. "Watch Music Video for New Blue Oyster Cult Song 'Tainted Blood'". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  11. "Watch Blue Öyster Cult's Music Video For 'The Alchemist'". Blabbermouith.net. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  12. "Blue Oyster Cult Talk First New Album in 20 Years 'The Symbol Remains' [Interview]". Youtube.com. Q104.3 FM. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  13. The Symbol Remains liner notes. Frontiers Records. 2020. p. 11.
  14. Cohen, Howard (October 9, 2020). "A rock group pays homage to its most frightful character yet. His name is 'Florida Man'". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  15. McLennan, Scott. "Rock Album Review: Blue Öyster Cult — Still Defying Norms". Artsfuse.org. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  16. "Buck Dharma - Archive Volume III". Discogs. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  17. "The Symbol Remains by Blue Öyster Cult". Metacritic. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  18. Jurek, Thom. "Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  19. Grinder, Sleaze. "Blue Oyster Cult echo past glories on The Symbol Remains". LouderSound. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  20. Lawson, Dom. "Blue Öyster Cult: "The Symbol Remains"". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  21. Jurek, Thom. "Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains". Allmusic.com. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  22. http://bravewords.com/reviews/blue-oyster-cult-the-symbol-remains
  23. "「That Was Me / ザ・シンボル・リメインズ」 | Ward Records". ワードレコーズ | Ward Records (in Japanese). Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  24. "Ultratop.be – Blue Öyster Cult – The Symbol Remains" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  25. "Ultratop.be – Blue Öyster Cult – The Symbol Remains" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  26. "Blue Öyster Cult: The Symbol Remains" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  27. "Top Albums (Week 42, 2020)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  28. "Offiziellecharts.de – Blue Öyster Cult – The Symbol Remains" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  29. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  30. "Blue Öyster Cult Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  31. "Blue Öyster Cult Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2020.

Notes
  1. This could be counted as either the group's fourteenth or fifteenth studio effort, depending on whether 1994's Cult Classic, an album consisting of re-recordings of some of the band's earlier music, is considered a proper studio album or not.
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