| Heaven Forbid | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 24, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | Millbrook Sound Studios,Millbrook, New York, U.S. | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:07 | |||
| Label | CMC Frontiers | |||
| Producer | Buck Dharma,Eric Bloom, Steve Schenck | |||
| Blue Öyster Cult chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[2] |
Heaven Forbid is the twelfthstudio album by Americanrock bandBlue Öyster Cult, released on March 24, 1998. It was the band's first studio album with new material in a decade (not counting the 1992soundtrack toBad Channels). American science fiction and horror writerJohn Shirley wrote lyrics to most of the songs on the album. While he is primarily known as an author for hiscyberpunk stories, many of the lyrics on this album revolve around early science fiction and mystery motifs. The album's working title was 'Ezekiel's Wheel,' after the Biblical story that some take to reference an early visitation byUFOs.
The album's live song "In Thee" was originally featured onMirrors. "Still Burnin'" is a sequel to the song "Burnin' for You", which appeared onFire of Unknown Origin.
The inspiration for the alternative cover isMorgan Fairchild. This image also appears on the reverse of the insert, and was originally intended to be the front piece as indicated by advertisements from the period.
"Harvest Moon", "Power Underneath Despair", "Cold Gray Light of Dawn" and "Still Burnin'" were debuted live during the 1992 tour.[3][4]
The album was re-released on April 17, 2020, byFrontiers.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "See You in Black" | Eric Bloom,Donald Roeser,John Shirley | 3:17 |
| 2. | "Harvest Moon" | Roeser | 4:55 |
| 3. | "Power Underneath Despair" | Bloom, Roeser, Shirley | 3:29 |
| 4. | "X-Ray Eyes" | Roeser, Shirley | 3:48 |
| 5. | "Hammer Back" | Bloom, Roeser, Shirley | 3:35 |
| 6. | "Damaged" | Roeser, Shirley | 4:22 |
| 7. | "Cold Gray Light of Dawn" | Bloom, Roeser, Shirley | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Real World" | Roeser, Shirley | 5:11 |
| 9. | "Live for Me" | Roeser, Shirley | 5:19 |
| 10. | "Still Burnin'" | Roeser, Jon Rogers | 3:37 |
| 11. | "In Thee" (Live At Millbrook) | Allen Lanier | 3:40 |
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[5] | 29 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[6] | 30 |
| Studio albums | |
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| Live albums | |
| Other albums | |
| Songs | |
| Videos | |
| Related | |
