Artist: Blue Oyster Cult Album: Club Ninja

Year: 1985
Duration: 0:0-1

A of Blue Oyster Cult's Club Ninja Album

Blue Oyster Cult, also known as BOC, is an American rock band that originated in Long Island, New York. They were formed in 1967 by Eric Bloom and Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser. From the 70s to the early 80s, they produced several hits that were a blend of hard rock, heavy metal, and psychedelic rock. In 1985, the band released their eleventh studio album named Club Ninja, which received mixed reviews. In this post, we'll review the album, explore its genre, highlight the best songs, discuss its innovative parts, and share our opinion on it as music critics.
Club Ninja is often categorized as a hard rock album, but it incorporates new wave and pop elements as well. The music on the album is more polished compared to BOC's previous work, which might not sit well with hardcore fans. However, keeping in mind that it was released during the peak of MTV music culture, the production value and commercial appeal of the album make sense. The songs have a catchy feel to it, yet they still manage to hold on to the band's signature sound.
The album features 9 tracks with mixed emotions for fans. The song balance between hard driven rock, and synth pop. The first track White Flags introduces you to a wall of instrumentation within the first 20 seconds. Followed by an epic chorus, White Flags is a promising start. The song Dancing in the Ruins is a perfect illustration of the band's blend of new wave and hard rock. The chorus gets stuck in your head instantly, and the song's blend of phasing guitars with prominent synths makes for a fitting nostalgic track.
However, the album has its weaker moments, with some songs feeling half-baked and disconnected with the rest of the album. The song Perfect Water is a slow, meandering track that feels like it was added as filler to the album. The songs Beat 'Em Up and Make Rock Not War go over-the-top with their cheesy lyrics and feel like a parody of the band's work.
Despite its mixed reception, Club Ninja does feature some of BOC's strongest material. The track Shadow Warrior is an intense, hard-rocking song with a driving rhythm, scorching guitar solo and an epic chorus. Madness To The Method is another highlight with a great guitar riff that will have headbangers thrashing. That being said, none of the tracks come close to the band's most significant hits, such as (Don't Fear) The Reaper.
In conclusion, Club Ninja is not Blue Oyster Cult's best album, but it isn't their worst either. The album showcases a polished sound and incorporates new wave/pop elements to BOC's hard rock sound, which may be its biggest strength and weakness depending on your perspective. It's also evident that some tracks suffer from being cheesy and half-baked. The highlights of the album include Shadow Warrior and Madness To The Method, while some tracks like Perfect Water should have been left out. Club Ninja is an album that's more suited for fans of new wave and pop elements in the rock sound, but it's still worth a listen for hardcore BOC fans.