Heaven Forbid

Heaven Forbid

Track Listings

1. See You in Black

2. Harvest Moon

3. Power Underneath Despair

4. X-Ray Eyes

5. Hammer Back

6. Damaged

7. Cold Gray Light of Dawn

8. Real World

9. Live for Me

10. Still Burnin'

11. In Thee

Heaven Forbid,Blue Oyster Cult,Cmc International,Album Rock,Hard Rock,Heavy Metal,Pop,Rock

Average customer rating:

exciting comeback

Hit or Miss, but overall worth owning

Worth Owning For "See You In Black" and "Harvest Moon" alone.

A dependable BOC recording

Great lost album

Heaven Forbid
Blue Oyster Cult
Manufacturer: Sanctuary Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music
General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Curse of the Hidden Mirror

The Revolution by Night

Mirrors

Cultosaurus Erectus

Fire of Unknown Origin

ASIN: B0000061RB
Release Date: 1998-03-24

Tracks:

See You in Black
Harvest Moon
Power Underneath Despair
X-Ray Eyes
Hammer Back
Damaged
Cold Gray Light of Dawn
Real World
Live for Me
Still Burnin'
In Thee

Customer Reviews:

exciting comeback .......2007-04-18

BOC was never a heavymetal band in the true sense but a far more melodic rockband with obscure lyrics, to say the least and an exciting liveshow, especially midway the seventies, when they used lasers, flares, dry ice, mirror balls etc. to give the audience what they came for and at those moments the band could be seen as a prototype metaloutfit, like for instance Steppenwolf. Musically its was more different, they could play anything within the rockvein, even towards pop. Their biggest hit in 1975 was "(Don't Fear) the Reaper", not very metallic, huh. Now (i.e. 1998) with still 3 of the original bandmembers around - after 3 decades that is - BOC returns with a new album and 10 brand new songs (plus a remake of an earlier released one) and it is terrific from the first to the last and even heavier than most of earlier material, however with a knack for clever melodies, in the same tradition as on older albums. The lyrics are this time more coherent and comprehensible (courtesy of author John Shirley), they tell a story, fantasy or more real happenings. Anyway, I always liked BOC very much and held them in high resteem, which is not getting lesser by listening to this tremendous comebackalbum. It stands in the top of their oeuvre, which is extinsive. They still have the gift for performe strong songs, in the studio and live. Check also out the latterday live CD/DVD "A Long Day's Night" and the newer studio "Curse of the Hidden Mirror", which can be compared with "Heaven Forbid".

Hit or Miss, but overall worth owning.......2007-01-29

BOC has travelled a long, long road since the seventies. Though the music has gradually changed from that classic rock of the 70's, the keyboard and synth usage of the 80's, and now the full rock sound of late, their lyrics have always had this dark, macabre side that makes you run the lyrics through your head over and over to decipher their cryptic meaning. Until this CD. BOC is not well known for rabbling a phrase over and over again during the song, but this CD is plagued with it. This is especially prevalent in "Hammer Back" and "Damaged" which rank at the bottom of the song ladder in BOC's extensive library. This kind of repetition correlates with a writer not having enough new ideas to fill a song without some catchy- but not cute- phrase. Some of the songs just feel forced.

BOC got a new lyricist, John Shirley, for Heaven Forbid. The ideas are mostly great and somewhat follow the traditional BOC lyrics: dark, spooky, intelligent- but Shirley drops the tray of goodies with poor linkage in the songs. These seem more fit for a band like Nickelback, where crappy songwriting is acceptable.

"See You In Black" was almost a killer song. Musically it is superb, lyrically it is in the "wanting" department. I think I lost it on this one with the line "You can't pretend he isn't beating you up". Come on. There has to be another way to convey the message without sounding like a 7th grade creative writing project. It gets a B.

"Harvest Moon" is one of BOC's finest, and here's why: Buck Darma on vocals and John Shirley didn't write it. Notice how your spine tingles and your hair raises on end while reading the lyrics and listening to the song. No spoilers here- you need to listen to it yourself and you'll agree. A+

"Power Underneath Despair" has a great song idea and music that is once again marred by Shirley's poor lyrics. Here comes the repetition pitfall. "Power underneith, power underneith, power underneith..." It gets old real quick. It's a Metallica song skipping. This one gets a D.

"X-Ray Eyes" recovers and manages to keep a little mystery in it. Shirley on the lyrics again but this time he manages to keep the cat in the bag a little. Musically, it's superb. This gets a B.

"Hammer Back" is just terrible. I think it's Collective Soul on steroids playing and Deftones writing. This one is just too cheesy to take seriously. "Maybe at a Seven-Eleven, maybe at a quick carjack... Keep the hammer back. Don't keep the safety on..." Wow. It tries so hard to be hardcore but misses an element of creativity. Don't deflower your speakers with this one. This gets a big F.

"Damaged" is a good song at first. Lyrics are decently written and the music is good. But... the song loses everything it ever had when "Damaged" is spelled out... "D-A-M-A-G-E-D. Damaged! That's what I am. D-A-M-A-G-E-D. Damaged! That's what I am..." Just terrible. I can't listen to this the whole way through. If it's accidentally on and someone comes in while I'm listening, it is instantly off. Try explaining why BOC is one of your all time favorites and why you're listening to this garbage song. It's like getting caught watching Oprah or Dr. Phil. You'll want to die. This one gets an F as well.

"Cold Gray Light of Dawn" has simple 5th grade lyrics but there is nothing here that destroys the song. Shallow lyrics aren't good, but not necessarily bad either. If you just listen to the music and not what they're saying you won't even notice. This gets a B.

"Real World" is the most unique song on the album. Buck Dharma picks away and the song goes on a leisurely path. I really like this song. It doesn't sound like anything BOC has done (Think "Perfect Water"). It's probably the heavy use of the accoustic guitar. This gets an A.

"Live For Me" is well written and the music is emotion-provoking. The music and lyrics sync at the right parts where if you're reading the words and listening at the same time, you almost feel as if you're there. I love the hard rock that BOC provides, but every once in a while, they treat us with one of these little masterpieces that are beatifully written (like "Astronomy"). This gets an A.

"Still Burning" is one of those songs I don't particularly like or dislike. It's a lukewarm song that you'll never remember. I guess it's a "Part 2" of "Burning For You". The music is fast paced and the stanzas are short. It gets a C.

"In Thee" is a poor remake of the original (and a live version too). The original was a great song. They changed a few parts that throws the song off kilter. Examples: it used to go "Winning, it makes losers of us all, 'cause the dice roll so indifferently." This version has "'cause the dice roll much too easily." And "Love it makes strangers of us all, when we part oh so thoughtlessly." This version has "when we fall oh so thoughtlessly." Some of the lines on this album don't really make sense. I think what really annoys me is that the first time I listened to the album, I knew the lyrics of "In thee" by heart and when I sang along they didn't match. It's frustrating. This gets a C.

So all in all, 6 out of the 11 songs make this album worth buying. You may want to plan on making your own verion of the album by omitting 3,5,6,10,and 11.

Don't make this your first BOC album.

Worth Owning For "See You In Black" and "Harvest Moon" alone........2006-10-24

BOC's first new album in over a decade and a winner it is. The album opens with a bludgeoning "I'd Like To See You In Black" which is pure unadulterated metal. Probably one of the heaviest things BOC has ever recorded. In fact the song could just as easily be Metallica as Blue Oyster Cult, but with it's trademark Eric Bloom howl and twisted lyrics this one is vintage BOC all the way. The line "I'd like to see you in black....it'd make me feel like your husband's dead" is a classic BOC lyric. If radio had given this one a chance it could have been huge. Another highlight of this album is Buck Dharma's "Harvest Moon". I honestly rate this song write up there with the best stuff Buck has written and had it been given a chance by radio I think it could have been as big a hit as "Reaper" was. "Moon" is classic Dharma storytelling all the way with a song about a farm and it's history......or is it.......the song rolls along nice and breezy with a cool guitar solo thrown in as well, but then we get to the last verse the lyrics talk about bodies that wont be found until the snow melts in the spring. The first time I heard it I got to the end of it and had a truly `what the....." moment and had to go back and listen to it again. BOC has always had a knack with turning what appear to be innocent situations into mysterious and macabre outcomes and "Harvest Moon" ranks right at the top of BOC's best works of this nature. Simply stunning. The rest of the album is more hit and miss. Other highlights include "Live For Me", "Power Underneath Despair", and "Cold Grey Light Of Dawn". They even throw on a very nice live acoustic version of "In Thee" from the "Mirrors" album as a bonus track. "Heaven Forbid" is not the best BOC album, but it was a solid comeback after so many years with nothing new and is worth owning for "See You In Black", and "Harvest Moon" alone.

A dependable BOC recording.......2006-02-28

those people who denegrate this recording are comparing it to other BOC offerings. I don't think thats right. It should be compared to the rock recordings of the same time.in the late 90's, what rock CD was better than this one? None. "Harvest Moon" is a great song in the Burning for you vein, and the later live version is even more stunning. there's 2 or 3 other songs that are worthy of the great rock seal of approval as well. it rates a 4. I once owned it, but it was stolen. (at least the thief had good taste)

Great lost album.......2005-09-24

I am an avid follower of BOC and did not know about this cd. This cd was produced during the period that I consider was when BOC were not at their finest. But after playing this album I was surprised that I really liked it. Then the cd grew so much on me by repeated playing that I highly suggest all BOC fans get this great cd. You will not be disappointed. the opening song "See you in Black" is classic old type BOC to me. There are many gems on this cd and I love the last song on this cd which is a live version of the song "In Thee". BOC fans this cd is a must!