vellutogrigio

@ocram: too much grace, be careful they might accuse us of being the same person (see review for FOUO). Anyway, Max Webster need to be rediscovered, I believe only a few hundred people know them in Italy, most of them by "word of mouth," or because they are thanked in the credits of Rush albums!

No, unless I have a twin brother like Thad Beaumont in Stephen King's "The Dark Half."

Thank you for the compliments... perhaps our reviews also suffer from the curse of the Cult: ignored by most. It's better to be niche, after all, we understand each other.

Yes, I like them. This is the third review, justified by the fact that no one had ever written one, and I thought it was necessary to fill the gap. If someone thinks differently, that's not my business; there is freedom of expression.

@ocram: if you go to the group's website, you should find confirmation of what was said. But I don't rule out that P. Smith may have had some affectionate exchanges with the drummer ;)

Outstanding review for a fantastic album. In my opinion, T&M is the best studio recording by the 'Cult, devastating for its time and a notch above the competition (Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Uriah Heep were all on the decline back then). One note: if I’m not mistaken, Patty Smith was with Lanier and not with A. Bouchard (their business, anyway).

In my haste, I forgot to cast my vote: 5.

I am working on On your Feet or on Your Feet, Cultosaurus Erectus, and Fire of Unknown Origin. Feel free to take on Secret Treaties and T&M.

Errata corrige: "the pioneers of metal... are Black Sabbath etc.". Sorry, but I was in a hurry.

Thank you for the comments on the review: I see the possible connection to the musical trends of New York in the mid to late '70s in the network of collaborations initiated with artists like Patty Smith (Lanier's partner), Dictators (produced by Pearlman), and in the confessed influence that Blue Oyster Cult had on bands like Sonic Youth (there are interviews online where they mention them as a reference for their latest album). Certainly, their style influenced the emerging heavy metal, perhaps more in terms of iconography and culture than strictly musically: in that, I believe that the forerunners of heavy metal as we came to know it in the '80s and '90s are indebted to Black Sabbath and, above all, Judas Priest, considering that in its early stages it was primarily an English phenomenon. These are, of course, opinions.