Every year the process of compiling this list throws up albums by veteran acts that are a lot better than they deserve to be. This year’s winner of the “bloody hell are they still around” award is none other than Blue Oyster Cult. It is hard to believe, but they were already seen as a spent force back when I was first getting into Metal in the mid to late eighties. However here we are forty-four years on from the seminal “Agents of Fortune” with them not only still ploughing their unique furrow but also managing to produce a warm, engaging and highly enjoyable record.   

“The Symbol Remains” is their first record in nineteen years, and the lay off seems to have done them the world of good. Whilst their sound is distinct and very much intact, this is not a treading water type of record. All the tracks here are unmistakablyBlue Oyster Cult, however they do have a thorough modern feel. The band have taken note of how music has evolved since their last album and have ensured that “The Symbol Remains” is not purely a nostalgia fest.   

The album works because the songs are well crafted and well-constructed. There are bits of power pop and slices of psychedelic rock n’ roll and rather a lot of melodic Metal. All done with remarkable panache and professionalism. “The Symbol Remains” has not been made to fulfil the terms of a contract, it is the sound of a band revelling in being creative and re-finding their voices. I really did not expect to find myself in 2020 heaping praise on a Blue Oyster Cult album, but boy does it deserve it!