First up is the title track. "Fire Of Unknown Origin" shows the influence of the declining "genre" of disco. Queen-like bass from "Joe Bouchard" is definitely funky. Synths provide the main riff in the song, and sound surprisingly modern and bright. A little too new wave for me, I have never really been crazy about this song. But I do enjoy the solo, quite spooky, setting the tone for this very occult-themed album. Next is "Burnin' For You". A pretty big hit for the band, it shows the influence of new wave bands such as The Police. A little too pop for me, but certainly not a bad song, and quite catchy. Also, producer Martin Birch shows that he is a top "knob turner", a genius of hard rock and metal production.
"Veteran Of The Psychic Wars" is very new wave. Synth washes cover thundering drums, very precise. The influence of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" can be heard all over the song. The lyrics are quite fantastical, and very introspective. The numerous chord changes in the chorus remind also of contemporaries Rush, both bands heading in similar new wave-like directions in the early 1980s. The backwards effect on the solo is very innovative, and has been replicated by many other bands. A great song. "Sole Survivor" is totally new wave, the most new wave on the album. Very mechanical-sounding, the cryptic lyrics tie the sci-fi, apocalyptic theme of the album. Not a big fan of the fade-out-fade-in 80s vocal effects, its certainly not bad, but somewhat typical of the age and fairly repetitive, especially the chorus. "Heavy Metal" brings back Blue Oyster "riffage". The heaviest song on the album, it lives up to the very bold title. My only real bone of contention with the song is that the vocals are covered in effects, I could do without them. Otherwise a fairly classic anthem of hard rock, and a classic riff.
"Vengeance (The Pact)" starts out a fairly standard-sounding and repetitive new wave song. But, the middle section of the song crashes with an "Iron Maiden" like gallop, and countless chord changes. The song is incredibly tight sounding musically, showing the often underrated musical "chops" of the band, they are certainly very talented musicians. A pretty interesting and unique song, musically speaking. "After Dark" is the cheesiest song on the album. Although played quite well, the keys remind of retro acts such as the B-52s. In my opinion, not a great sound for BOC. Angular-sounding guitars and punchy bass also reinforce the new wave/ retro sound of the song. Not a huge fan, and didn't even touch on the fairly laughable lyrics.
My favorite track on the album comes next. "Joan Crawford" is fairly well-known song by the band. Very creepy, the haunting piano solo at the beginning sets the macabre tone of this song about the famous vamp of an actress. The chorus in very catchy, yet morbid and horrific at the same time. It shows the band's ability to take all things dark, and make them slightly comical. I like the use of samples in the song, however they of course sound quite dated and lame in the digital age. A great song. "Don't Turn Your Back" closes out the album. The song could be mistaken for Rush during their "Grace Under Pressure" album. Very synth-heavy and metallic sounding, I find the song lacks any real low-end, sadly lacking the throbbing bass of most songs, also guitars just sound brittle and processed. Not a great song.
"Fire Of Unknown Origin" is a very good album. There are a few average songs, but the majority of the album is played flawlessly with a tight-sounding band full of very interesting sounds, and lyrical content. Their last classic album, the band would being a descent into mostly mediocre albums after this near-genius effort.
Rating-8/10
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