Blue Oyster Cult: Occult Symbolism [PT 1]

Blue Oyster Cult is one of the most well known, and longest running American Rock bands in history, dating as far back as the late 1960s. And they show no signs of retiring anytime soon. In fact, they are currently on their "On Tour Forever!" tour as I type this out!

Although I am sure most of you reading this are familiar, or have at least heard of Blue Oyster Cult - a quick youtube search for the classic rock tunes "Don't Fear the Reaper," "Godzilla," and "Burning for You" might ring some bells.

Even if you don't recall the band, you might recognize their logo, which I remember seeing spray-painted on walls as a child. It remains one of the most iconic rock band logos ever, managing to be many things at once. Bold yet disarming, visually appealing yet subtly sinister, symmetrical yet abstract, vague yet curiously direct.

Much like Pink Floyd, the eccentric image of B.O.C. tends to eclipse the literal face of any individual member. There's no real "rockstar frontman" in the standard traditional sense. Sure, you could say Roger Waters "is" Pink Floyd, but David Gilmore's voice and guitar licks also could be said to "make" the band's biggest hits. And while one can stand right in front of Buck Dharma or Eric Bloom at a concert and sing along to all of the classics, there is something elusive which never seems to reveal itself. A certain palpable magic that they project or embody. Something perhaps bigger than themselves, but not always clearly defined or completely percieved. There is an uncanny mystique behind BOC, always has been.

In this blog, I will be looking mainly at the band's notoriously occult laden artwork to see if some kind of cohesive statement or story reveals itself. Lyrics and other anecdotal information may be explored where applicable as well.

"But why waste your time on this Joe???" - somebody out there

Same reason one might research ingredients contained within the food/drinks we consume. Sure, many things taste good, look good, and might make one even FEEL good for a time, but is it actually GOOD for you? Could it be BAD for you? Could it even be KILLING you?

For some reason, the MEDIA we consume daily gets a free pass directly into our heads, as if it is this inevitably benign influence with no possible detrimental effects! From the perspective of advertisers and propagandists, this makes bands like B.O.C. the perfect potential "Trojan Horse" into our psyche!

[Following their victory against the Axis forces in North Africa, the British had high hopes for the development of Allied strategy in the Mediterranean. They believed that an attack on Italy might lead to a breakthrough. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill even termed that nation ‘the soft underbelly of Europe’. - nam.ac.uk]

THE SOFT WHITE UNDERBELLY

The original name of the band that would later be known as Blue Oyster Cult was "Soft White Underbelly," given by a man named Sandy Pearlman. Pearlman allegedly took it from a Winston Churchill speech, which occured during WWII. The "Allied Powers," which included Churchill's Great Britain, were the countries united against Hitler and the Nazis. "The Axis Powers" referred to those alligned with Hitler, which included Italy. Churchill viewed Italy as the weakest spot, or the "soft white underbelly" of the Axis Powers, and therefore suggested attacking them first.

How do we interpret the concept behind a late 60s psychedelic band out of Long Island with a name like this? On its' face it would seem they had some sort of political agenda. Was the band a weapon of sorts, to be fired at the metaphorical weak spot of some unspecified target?

Although Soft White Underbelly [or that same group under a different name] did record 2 albums worth of material for Elektra Records in the late 1960s, neither saw the light of day until many years later, finally manifesting itself in the form of 2001's St Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings.

[Hey, who's that lady depicted in the background supposed to be?]

["Cecilia of Rome was a Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the patron saint of music and musicians, it being written that, as the musicians played at her wedding, Cecilia "sang in her heart to the Lord"."]

The band now known as Blue Oyster Cult [or BOC, or just "the Cult"] was operating under the moniker of Stalk-Forrest Group [and possibly "Oaxaca"] when they recorded what would later be known as the 2001 compilation "St Cecelia: The Elektra Recordings." Since this is the group's earliest complete set of recordings, we'll start here with breaking down the artwork.

The title of the compilation is obviously named after one of the songs included therein, entitled "St Cecilia," but I don't know that the female character depicted on the front of the album is necesarily supposed to be her or not.

While Saint Cecilia died in 230AD, the female on the album cover appears to be dressed as a harlot from the 1700s or so. Her right hand looks to be holding a mirror, since she is staring at it the way one would stare at a Smartphone as one takes a "selfie" today. This same right hand is subtly, but almost assuredly giving the "sign of the horns." In her left hand she holds what looks like a small sack, containing coins I presume. Why would she be holding coins in a sack? Because she just got paid! I'll leave it up to you to ponder what she got paid for...

Why would they reference the virgin St. Cecilia in the album title, but then depict some type of Baroque era whore on the album cover? Perhaps this is part of the "time traveling" aspect of Sandy Pearlman's "Imaginos" mythos, which came to permeate BOC lyrics to a larger or lesser degree over the years. Especially given the appearance of a mirror, which is a prominent symbol in this mythos [more on that later].

Without getting too far into the weeds here, I suspect these references were perhaps refined over time to fit into Pearlman's EVOLVING mythos, rather than something which was set in stone as far back as the Elektra recordings [although we are told Pearlman did indeed have this mythos worked out, at least in part, during the inception of the band].

The background depicts in somewhat lo-fi 60s art fashion, a light green forest sillouette. Stalk FORREST group. Get it? But what the hell does that really mean, and what kind of name for a band is Stalk-Forrest Group anyway?

[Sandy Pearlman (1943-2016) came up with the name Blue Oyster Cult while attending Stonybrook University in the late 1970s with other members of the band]

We are told Sandy Pearlman came up with S.F.G. [Stalk Forrest Group] while staring down at his Chinese food and noting that it looked like stalks in a forest. I tend to think that this is a bullshit explanation, but how would I or anyone else really know?

After some time struggling to find an alternative explanation as to where Sandy Pearlman REALLY got the name from, I took the first 3 letters of it and found that the group soon to be known as BOC was frequently referred to as SFG while assuming the role of prominant House Band at Stony Brook University in 1970. Then I asked myself what SFG might alternatively be an acronym for.

[For a number of years in the late 1960's, Miller Field, Staten Island, New York was home to the headquarters of the Army's 11th Special Forces Group. - militaryinsignia.blogspot.com]

Turns out, just 70 miles from Stony Brook University in 1970 was Staten Island's 11th Special Forces Group, AKA "SFG" [1963-August 1970]. Given the political/military connotations of the band's first name, Soft White Underbelly - it seems logical that elements behind the group were not just fans of 3 word names, but had an interest in the military. In fact Sandy Pearlman, the guy who came up with both names, had a known interest in military history and geopolitics.

Another name the group used briefly in the late 60s was Oaxaca, which is the name of a place in Southern Mexico [pronounced "Wahaka"]. Assuming Sandy Pearlman came up with this name as well, it might relate back to the mirror thing believe it or not, and the "Imaginos" mythos, by way of a Spanish Conquistador named Hernan Cortes. After invading the Aztec capital in 1581, he brought back loot to Europe and was dubbed Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca by the Spanish King. File that away into the back of your mind, because it will become relavant in a later.

While we still have 1 toe in the weeds here, I might as well note that while the name Blue Oyster Cult seems to relate to Pearlman's Imaginos Mythos, the name could also have something to do with a location. Specifically, Oyster Bay, the original location of Stony Brook University. Stony Brook is the university where all the band members came together and started writing the music which ended up on the St Cecilia Recordings. I also find it worth noting that Sandy Pearlman's name contains SAND [found at the beach] and PEARL [found occassionally in Oysters].

[Bill Gawlik, alleged artist behind the first 2 Blue Oyster Cult album covers, as well as their iconic logo]

[Astrological symbol for Saturn]

Regarding artist Bill Gawlik, little seems to be known. To quote hotrails.co.uk,

When was he born? Dunno... Where was he born? Dunno... What about his early life, junior and high schools etc...? Guess what - that's right, I dunno that either...

We'll probably delve a little more into this mysterious figure later, but for now let's just break down his most occult of cult logos, the Blue Oyster Cult cross and hook!

Actually, it's pretty commonly known that BOC's cryptic logo is merely an alteration of the astrological symbol for Saturn. Why Saturn? For starters Saturn is represented alchemically by the element lead, the heaviest of Metals in the elemental chart [nudge nudge wink wink say no more say no more...] Time/Kronos is also associated with Saturn. Death/the Scythe, and the color associated with Saturn is....get ready....wait for it....BLACK. Lead also happens to be black. What a coincidence!

What other "heavy" early 70s rock band had BLACK in their name? Yes, that's right, Black Sabbath! Note that the Sabbath is a Jewish tradition which happens on Saturday [whereas Christians typically go to Church on SUN-Day]. Well guess where the word "Saturday" comes from? It's short for Saturn's Day!

Apparently, Blue Oyster Cult was under some pressure from Columbia Records to be "America's answer to Black Sabbath." Could this common fixation upon Saturn and literal heavy metal be part of that endeavor? There's also the fact that Sandy Pearlman would eventually manage BOTH bands simultaneously, manifesting in the highly successful "Black and Blue" tour of 1980. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here...

THE BLACK AND WHITE ALBUMS

The first 3 BOC albums are sometimes referred to as the Black and White albums, for the obvious reason that they were rendered more or less in 2 colors: black and white. Some like to extend this out to the music, as though there is a particular "black and white era" BOC sound. Fair enough, but we are here to comment upon the artwork, so let's see what's going on here in this brilliant piece of hand-drawn minimalism...

BOC's 1972 debut album features symmetrical architecture, depicting what look almost like some kind of apartment complex units, extending out into an infinate horizon. The units all appear to be indentical, while a slight shadow indicates a light source is shining somewhere up from behind the viewer, where we cannot see. Above the horizon, we see the infinate blackness of space filled with stars, a crescent moon being the only notable anomoly among the stars. Of course, we can't miss the ominous symbol, seeming to sit about where the sun would normally be rising [or falling]. Yet the symbol is not illuminated, and even sits off into the distant shade, as if it is either approaching or fading away, rather than rising/setting as the sun would. The name BLUE OYSTER CULT sprawled subtly and nonchalantly across the top, with that infamous umlaut over the letter "O".

The reverse side of the album is similar but simplified. We see either a different angle or a variation on the "apartment complex" units, which look more like storage facilities alongside a classic railroad system. While it's all pretty cool, I don't get the feeling Gawlick had this world of his completely worked out. It sure does stimulate the imagination though...

["When [Sandy] Pearlman met Gawlick the artist [pictured above] was hauling around complex architectural drawings in scroll form. The drawings contained within were Gawlick’s version of the future of America. Pearlman and Gawlick unfurled the scrolls and they went the entire length of the school buildings at Stony Brook. Upon looking inside, Pearlman knew he had the man to create the first Blue Oyster Cult album."- pungerer.net]

[L: Architect Albert Speer R: Adolf Hitler...Apparently, Gawlick was inspired by the work of Nazi artist Albert Speer. Speer had been commissioned by Adolf Hitler to design all of future Europe. - pungerer.net]

The above information can be corroborated from several different sources, but ultimately it all sounds very mythic and pretty sinister doesn't it? I'm not going to spend a bunch of time here trying to confirm or deny any of it, I'm more concerned with the narrative as we have recieved it, and what it tells us. What is the message being imparted here?

Much like the work of Roger Dean, and some of his more imaginative album covers for the band Yes, artist Bill Gawlick seems to have been drawing inspiration from a wider conceptual vision. The result is an image which appears to be what it is: a snapshot of a vast world, either imagined or forgotten. But it's hard to shake the image of a restless artist running around with a huge scroll of psuedo-architectural artistic renderings inspired by a Nazi architect! This story is specific enough to assume a deep occult agenda within this first BOC album, yet vague enough to laugh it off and just rock out despite possible connotations.

Bloom speculates, "I can’t swear to this but I guess Sandy [Pearlman] got a budget from CBS and sent Gawlick to work and he came up with the front and back artwork for the first album cover. We saw it and I liked it right away. I don’t think there was too much ‘fix this or fix that.’ He got it pretty right, right away."

Of course, let's not forget who's watching...that old CBS "Eye in the Sky." I've spoken about the Columbia Broadcasting System before and recommend hunting down videos by Jordan Maxwell, where he breaks down the CBS "All Seeing Eye" symbolism well.

There's a peculiar sense of urgency to the image gracing the cover of BOC's 2nd album, almost producing the adrenaline rush of an imminent danger approaching.

"Sandy rehired Gawlick to do the second album cover. He had a couple of copies of album one in his apartment. He had an old record player that had an arm on top that would let you lower multiple albums down onto the platter of the turntable. He kept playing side one and side two of the first album over and over. Sandy went over to visit him one day to see how the artwork was coming. Gawlick had been up for twenty hours listening to side one and side two of the album over and over. He looked at Sandy and said, ‘This music is like tyranny and mutation.’ That is where the title came from."

At first glance, it has more seemingly masonic connotations than its predecessor, between the checkerboard floor and the pyramid capped with the "all seeing eye of Saturn." Instead of outer space we get endless rings [rings of Saturn?] with "stars" that look more like a bunch of bullet holes on a target board. The "3 steps" at the base of this somewhat truncated pyramid recall the 3 steps of Blue Lodge Freemasonry [which seem to be RED here], while the "pyramid" itself is equal parts masonic and abstract art.

The thought occurred to me that this is an abstract visual rendering of sound, broadcasting from some kind of obscure tower - powered by...Saturn? Especially given the band's frequent flirtations with Nazi themes, the Kraftwerk album "Radioactivity" comes to mind - which originally featured an authentic Nazi-era radio on the cover. [see my blog series "The Craft Work of Kraftwerk"]

This pyramid/tower is made up of rectangles which, if added up within all 3 dimensional levels, total 116. In terms of Gematria and numerology, I don't really see anything worth mentioning of note - but this number may become more significant later.

The reverse side of the album conjures up more classic Sci-Fi fantasy somewhere between 2001 A Space Odyssey and Star Wars [which had not come out yet]. The general feeling is of some type of off world intelligence. Almost looks like modern drive-up EV charging stations doesn't it?

The title of the album combined with the artwork seems to send the most specific message. Tyranny assumes an oppressive and controlling force. Mutation indicates an organic alteration. An organic alteration driven by a tyrannical force. Well, that sounds kind of scary, doesn't it? Combined with the subtle masonic themes, the Saturn logo /"eye of providence" riddle, and just a hint of blood red at the base - we've got something vaguely sinister enough to trigger bad acid trips for years to come!

Bill Gawlick, a taxi driver who allegedly kept a butcher knife under his seat, seems to vanish from the face of the earth after completing these 2 album covers for BOC in the early 70s. It has been speculated somewhere out there online that Bill was the inspiration for Robert DeNiro's character in the classic film Taxi Driver. But this is one of many rumors, like so many others associated with Bill Gawlick, which seem destined to remain enshrouded in mystery - including his current whereabouts. Rumor also has it CBS is in possession of Gawlick's huge scroll of drawings referenced earlier, and that it sits in some dark storage locker gathering dust.

"A treaty is a legally binding written agreement between sovereign nations or international organizations."

BOC's 3rd album "Secret Treaties" appears to be where they blatantly use the "occult hidden meanings theme" as a gimmick, as well as more than a touch of controversial subject matter. Sandy Pearlman seems to have handled most of the lyrics, while Richard Meltzer and Patti Smith [who was dating BOC's keyboardist at the time] also contributed.

Let's start with the plane depicted, which is the German WWII era Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe. "It was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft and one of two jet fighter aircraft types to see air-to-air combat in World War II"

The band is depicted cozying up to the aircraft, which has a grinning skeleton as a pilot. I assume Eric Bloom is the guy with the cape, attack dogs, and BOC shirt. The dogs happen to be German Shepherds. The plane also has the BOC logo on its rear wing.

Göring's on the phone from Freiburg
Says "Willie's done quite a job"
Hitler's on the phone from Berlin
Says "I'm gonna make you a star"

My Captain Von Ondine is your next patrol
A flight of English bombers across the canal
After twelve they'll all be here
I think you know the job
- ME 262 lyrics

I'm not going to sit here and take apart every line from the song "me 262" but when read in context with the album art and title, we've got quite a can of worms to deal with!

"Hermann Wilhelm Göring was a German politician, aviator, military commander, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which controlled Germany from 1933 to 1945."

Let me just state plainly what we have here: The band, who's chief lyricist Sandy Pearlman is a known military history buff, writes a song about a German WWII Nazi Jet from the perspective of the Germans. This plane is on the album cover, with members of the band standing next to it, as if it is their weapon which was just deployed. The singer wears a cape, as if he is a super hero, along side some German Shepards - Hitler's dog of choice, but also the preferred breed of Police in general.

Without attempting to exagerrate or promote wild conspiracies - I think a perfectly reasonable interpretation of BOC's album cover for "Secret Treaties" flirts heavily with pro Nazi themes, though somewhat ambiguis at the same time. I mean, where do you even start in trying to interpret the message here? I think the best way to sum it up is that someone is blatantly trying to be controversial and just piss people off. Maybe it's a desperate attempt to gain some attention, maybe it's flat out propaganda of some sort, or maybe it's a combination of the 2. Regardless, I think the general message is clear. The band is a type of weapon, and that weapon is Nazi aligned. This recalls the earlier section on "Soft White Underbelly," and Sandy Pearlman's apparent obsession with military history and WWII. The band is a weapon aimed at the "soft white underbelly" [the unsuspecting audience]. At least, that's my interpretation.

In defense of the band for a moment, I don't know that they were completely aware of the skope of this artwork - or that the 1974 context within which this album art appeared would have had the same impact that it would in today's politically reactionary world. In short - the band may have had very little to do with the concept here.

I could probably dedicate an entire blog just on Sandy Pearlman's "Imaginos" themes here, but summarized - the grinning skeletal pilot in the cockpit probably represents the shapeshifting Imaginos, which are agents of the otherworldly aliens known as "Les Invisibles," who are a nefarious alien force directing Earth's wars in order to feed off of the fear, trauma, and death. Where the Spanish names and Mexico come into play has to do with the mirror mentioned earlier.

["John Dee (13 July 1527 – December 1608 or March 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy."]

[Jon Dee's infamous obsidian Scrying Mirror sits in the British Museum in London. Yeah, I know it doesn't look much like a "mirror." Supposedly as you stared into it to find your reflection that's when things start to get trippy...]

John Dee, who sometimes signed his name as 007 in confidential letters, allegedly contacted spiritual entities using "scrying tools," including an obsidian mirror. This Obsidian mirror is thought to have been obtained by a Spanish Conquistador mentioned earlier, Hernan Cortes. After invading the Aztec capital in 1581, he brought back loot to Europe and was dubbed Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca by the Spanish King. [now do you see why the band was briefly called Oaxaca?]

Though this story of John Dee contacting otherworldly entities sounds outlandish, it is one of the more credible stories we have of the sort in modern recorded history. Sandy Pearlman seems to be riffing off of, and/or purporting to be an extention of this abstract history - which is noteworthy because if you are shocked to be hearing this right now in 2026, imagine what kind of person was not just fully aware of, but delving obsessively into this stuff in the 1970s or possibly earlier! Sandy Pearlman was clearly a guy that was digging deeply into occult history very early on, and clearly intended to use the band as a vehicle for this stuff from the get go. The question is, how much of his motivation was driven by money, an entheusiasm for rock and roll, or his abstract mythos - which could be percieved as propaganda from a certain point of view?

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Crimson Glory: Midnight [PT 2]

According to an artcle published by the Serasota Herald-Tribune on 7.10.2009, John Patrick McDonald Jr [aka. "Midnight," singer of Crimson Glory] succumbed to his "long battle with alcoholism," which took it's inevitable toll on his body on July 8th of that year. A band statement read, "As is the case with all truly great artists, Midnight was hounded by his demons...Despite his personal demons, we always loved him and hoped that one day he would get well."

In part 1 we looked at symbolism used by Crimson Glory, and whether there may be a cohesive theme to it all. I came to the conclusion that a vague "air of mystery" was really the only common denominator tying it all together, which Midnight seemed to take most seriously of all - possibly to the detriment of his own mental and physical health.

We noted Crimson Glory's status as early pioneers of "prog metal," and the ubiquitous comparisons to Queensryche over the years, which were not without merit. We'll explore the CG/QR connection further here, and how Midnight's death seemed to coincide with Queensryche's somewhat underwealming rebirth.

STRANGE AND NOT SO BEAUTIFUL

While Crimson Glory's 2nd album "Transcendence" is often cited by fans as their benchmark recording, the following 1991 album "Strange and Beautiful" was taken as a sharp nose-dive. It seemed to alienate their loyal die-hard heavy metal fanbase while also failing to reach a decidedly more mainstream audience, whom they appear to have been targeting. Whether this was a "musical failure" or a "promotional failure" is up for debate, but I would guess it was an equal combination of both - along with some unfortunate timing.

Midnight had a big influence on 'Strange and Beautiful'. On our first two albums, he contributed one song for each. However, he was very adamant about contributing more of his own songs on S&B; lyrics, guitars, arrangements, ect... And it completely changed our style and musical direction to the degree that Jeff and I refused to record any more albums until we could recapture the spirit and original direction we had envisioned for the band in the beginning. - Jon Drenning

It sounds to me like Drenning is blaming Midnight's selfish musical demands for the collossal failure known as "Strange and Beautiful," which probably wasn't too good for Mr McDonald's ego. Drenning even goes a step further, insinuating that him and Jeff Lords delivered a sort of ultimatum to Midnight, as a direct result of his apparent derailment of the band's "original spirit." Could this be what set him off into 7 years of self-imposed exile?

[Ravi Jakotia replaced Dana Burnell on drums just before the recording of "Strange and Beautiful." He has since worked with NBC, CBS, Mariah Carey, the NFL, Hugh Hefner, Gap, and all sorts of other mainstream entities.]

But was it really fair or even accurate to say that Midnight was mainly responsible for the musical direction, and ultimate failure of "Strange and Beautiful?" Drenning's quote above states him and Jeff refused to do any more recordings until they could capture the band's "original direction." Yet, the very next thing they did after replacing Midnight was take all of the most commercial aspects of S&B and fuse them into a typical 90s blend of Funk/Metal/Alternative, via the shortly lived project known as Erotic Liquid Culture [originally known as the Arizona based Crush].

["Astronomica," Crimson Glory's triumphant "return to form" album.]

THE LOST TAPE

Apparently the 90s Funk/Metal route did not pan out for the boys out in Arizona, and by 1996 they came back to Florida and knocked on Midnight's door. "but he was not interested nor was he in the right physical condition to record an album up to the band's standards." Note, this was just 5-years into Midnight's apparent 7-year self imposed exile. And while I don't like to assume the worst, stating that he wasn't in "the right physical condition" lends itself to the idea that he was hittin the bottle hard. I wonder why?

While David Van Landing [R.I.P] replaced Midnight for the Erotic Liquid Culture digression, Wade Black was chosen to fill Midnight's shoes for Crimson Glory's triumphant "return to form" album [Astronomica], which curiously did NOT include Mr Funkmeister Ravi Jakotia. And while Midnight seems to get the blame for the failures of S&B, it's noteworthy that the recording of that album coincided with Ravi joining the band, who's "more tribal" contributions to the music seemed to evade any negative scrutiny, eventually leading Drenning and co. knee deep into 90s Funk/Metal drudgery before abandoning ship and going back to square one without him. In other words, the percieved "decline" of CG seemed to start when Ravi joined, and ended when he left! To be fair though, Ravi may have just been a symptom of a larger flawed strategy concocted by the think tank at Atlantic records, but who knows for sure?

Although work on "Astronimica" probably started as early as 1996, the album didn't come out until 1999. Many fans were curious why it took 3 years for the album to come out?

Well, it is true that we completety lost all of our original source data as well as all of our backup data while recording the album the first time. We were also missing cartridges which contained data for the songs...it was very strange indeed. It caused us a lot of concern... We even contemplated leaving the state of Florida and going somewhere else to record the record to prevent this from happening again. We didn't know 'who' or 'why' anyone would do this - but whoever it was 'intentionally' did this to us. . Unfortunately, we never discovered who the culprits were. In any event, we had to completely start over. - Drenning

Now let's check back in with our friend Midnight around this time...his Wikipedia entry lists a recording called "The Lost Tape." Why does that ring a bell? Oh that's right, the guys in Crimson Glory also "lost a tape" around the same time! More specifically, they lost source "data" and "cartridges" for the as yet unreleased "Astronomica" album. According to Drenning, this theivery was done "intentionally" by someone they were never able to identify, nor could they understand the motive behind it. Drenning and co. even contemplated leaving Florida in order to avoid the same thing from happening again. Well it just so happens that Midnight moved from Florida to Texas right around this same time, just after having "lost a tape" containing 6 months worth of recordings! That is the story behind the mythical "Lost Tape" listed on Midnight's Wiki profile for 1998, which was just a year before CG released "Astronomica." In other words, right about the time Drenning says THEIR "tapes" went missing. Now I don't want to jump to any wild conclusions here, but what are the odds that the recordings CG "lost" and the ones that Midnight "lost" right around the same time, just when they were considering recording an album together again, was THE SAME RECORDING?

There are many stories about this recording. Midnight had teamed up with a local blues band and recorded Pain, Boxes, Seven Angels, Black Sheep, Monkey Song, and Tea For Two at Beyond Sound Studios in Sarasota with a guy named Angus. Full band recording. On a trip to Texas, Midnight lost the actual reel to reel multi track tape. No back ups were made and so the tape is presumed lost for good. At the time Midnight was trying to get a record deal and losing the tape was a huge setback. - allsoulsmidnight.com

Midnight eventually released a limited number of mostly acoustic oriented recordings, first under the "Songs from the Attic" moniker and then later "M," which added a few additional songs and effects. Apparently many of these were limited CD-R recordings, and are pretty rare.

Midnight again kept a pretty low profile until his trip to Greece around March, 2005, for the final mastering/production process of his album "Sakada," which we spoke of in part 1. The picture of him above playing acoustic guitar was taken from an intimate performance he gave there at a small bar or something. While the Sakata recording itself is descent enough for what it is, the footage for the above performance is not very flattering. In fact, it's kind of sad.

[The above image was taken from a video filmed in Greece in 2006. It was either the last, or one of the last performances of CG with Midnight on vocals]

[Midnight's [final?] photo session, taken for Headache Magazine. It captures a decidedly darker and somber countenance, contrasting his wild blonde look of the 80s]

METATRON, LUCIFER, AND THE DIVINE CHAOS

In April of 2006, CG announced that Midnight would be re-joining the band and singing on a new album, with the understated working title of "Metatron, Lucifer, and the Divine Chaos". It was also announced that Midnight would re-record vocals upon a newly remixed version of "Astronomica," which was supposed to be their big comback album in the late 90s. The band also announced they would be appearing (presumably with Midnight on vocals) at Rockway Festival in Greece, on May 1st. All of this seemed to coincide with Midnight and CG's connection to Greece's Black Lotus Records. But the hype was short lived, when Black Lotus abruptly announced they were bankrupt and dropped all existing contracts with bands. Although this must have taken quite a bit of wind out of their sales, CG seemed initially committed to tour Europe despite the setback.

[Apparent mugshot photo, taken of Midnight in 2007 after having been arrested for driving under the influence]

"On January 22, 2007, Midnight was arrested and charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of .20 or higher. Four days later, the band parted ways with Midnight, saying it would be difficult to work with him "as his current state of mind and his present physical condition would impede plans we have in place for future appearances, releases and recordings.""

John Patrick McDonald Jr.'s dark and obscure journey ended on July 8th, 2009, when he died at 3:30am "in hospital with family, friends and bandmates by his side...Although the press initially stated total kidney and liver failure, the real cause of death was a stomach aneurysm." Plans to record the "Divine Chaos" album seemed to have been abandoned at that point. A "tribute show" was announced on July 5th 2009, where the band would headline the ProgPower 10 festival in Atlanta, Georgia. The date? September 11, 2009.

["my dream was always to be a famous rock drummer" - Todd La Torre, who assumed vocal duties in Crimson Glory after the death of Midnight, and later joined Queensryche, replacing Geoff Tate.]

IT JUST HAPPENED

I'm not saying it isn't plausible, but it's pretty extraordinairy when some drummer playing full time in Florida's cover band circuit for 20 plus years suddenly finds himself on stage doing the lead vocal parts of a singer some think rivaled Geoff Tate in the 80s. It's even more extraordinary when that same drummer - er, I mean, SINGER, resigns from that band while en route to REPLACE Geoff Tate himself in Queensryche!

The short version of this extraordinary journey is summed up by Todd thusly: "It just happened." The long version starts with ProgPower 10 in 2009, where Crimson Glory was apparently asked to play. They ended up headlining, and promoting it as a Memorial Show to Midnight, with a series of guest vocalists. On 9/11/2009. Todd "was added a few weeks prior by Matt LaPorte [RIP]."

"It is both a privilege and an honor to perform at this well-established and highly respected American metal fest, and we see this as a beautifully serendipitous opportunity to pay a final and meaningful tribute to Midnight in a truly special manner by including the fans, as well as a stretching of our collective wings in anticipation of a new era of CRIMSON GLORY." - Statement by the band"

The list of guest vocalists who sang on this "serendipitous" occassion included Wade Black (Crimson Glory/Leatherwolf), Zak Stevens (Savatage/Circle II Circle), Lance King (Pyramaze/Balance of Power), Nils K. Rue (Pagan's Mind), Chris Salinas (Zero Hour/Power of Omens), Ronny Monroe (Metal Church), Andy B. Franck (Brainstorm/Symphorce/Ivanhoe), Sean Peck (Cage), Danilo Herbert (Mindflow), Joakim Brodén (Sabaton), Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus), Urban Breed (Tad Morose), Rob Rock (Impellitteri), Mark Boals (Royal Hunt), Clay Barton (Suspyre), Kelly Sundown (Beyond Twilight/Darkology), David Van Landing (Crimson Glory/Michael Schenker Group), and of course, Todd La Torre.

On May of 2010, CG announced to the world that Todd was their new singer. His first show with them occurred on October 30th of that same year, and a tour, dubbed "Phoenix Rising," commenced on 4.28.2011.

RISING WEST

Red gates of iron cast their black shadows on this land, dividing souls far below. The gathering winds, the army's watch are RISING from the WEST, fortelling news of freedom's hand - Before the Storm, from Queensryche's "The Warning" album

Crimson Glory seemed fairly stable for the next couple of years after recruiting their new drum - I mean SINGER--- but a new album remained evasive [was kind of wondering if they'd revive the old "Metatron, Lucifer, and the Divine Chaos" idea]. Then something very interesting happened in May of 2012. The ubiquitous comparisons to Queensryche throughout the years seemed to manifest into a bridge, connecting the 2 bands via Todd La Torre, who was asked to join the side project of Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, and Scott Rockenfield. The latter 3 individuals had just fired Geoff Tate from Queensryche, and needed to do something while legal court proceedings were in process. Hense - Rising West was born.

With Todd La Torre as their vocalist, Crimson Glory was working on a demo entitled "Garden of Shadows." But I guess the SHADOWS grew too long on this GARDEN, and Todd announced he was leaving the group at some point in 2013, approximately 3 years into his tenure with them. On 4.28.2014 Todd's bandmates in Rising West won the legal rights to the Queensryche trademark and Rising West effectively BECAME the new Queensryche, with Todd La Torre formally taking Geoff Tate's vacant position.

PERSONAL DEMONS

This journey into the history of Crimson Glory and their time with Midnight has left me significantly unsettled and unresolved with regard to my attempts at an interpretation of what it all means. More than anything, there's a palpable feeling of sadness and wonder. Why couldn't someone or something extract Midnight from whatever dark abyss pulled inexorably at him? I suppose the most conclusive statement I've read on the topic is right at the top of this page, taken directly from the band:

"As is the case with all truly great artists, Midnight was hounded by his demons..."

Of course, there's always more to the story. And if you've read my blogs or watched my videos regarding Queensryche, then you are probably familiar with my loose theory that a "proper sacrifice" was never made for their fame and fortune, at least not in any form I can conclusively detect. This seems to me, a possible explanation for the band's painfully long decline over the years, followed by a decidely messy and well publicized implosion. Without a suitible sacrifice, the band abandoned any hopes at recapturing whatever mystical energy pushed them into mild mainstream success in the early 90s, and settled back, for a time, into whatever was left of their loyal "prog metal" fan base.

With all of the comparisons to Queensryche and the passing of Midnight, Crimson Glory has perhaps been doomed [or blessed, depending on who you ask] to inhabit the sacred halls of underground progressive metal for eternity, never to see their own "Silent Lucidity" or "Jet City Woman" rise to the top of the charts.

Maybe the true purpose of Crimson Glory was to provide a sacrificial altar, upon which their enigmatic singer would be offered up, not necessarily for his own band, but for another. I don't know about you, but that would probably turn me into an emotional wreck and I'd need to do something about it. Midnight "did something about it," and it destroyed him.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia, Epigram for the last straw, Blabbermouth, Bravewords.com, heartofmetal.niceboards.com, www.allsoulsmidnight.com, alchetron.com, metal-temple.com, youtube, google, www.heraldtribune.com

RELATED:

The Queen's Reich

This blog was researched, written, and continues to be maintained by 1 person. If you enjoyed it and would like to encourage more of them, donations can be made by clicking the button below.

Crimson Glory: Midnight [PT 1]

Back in 2022 I did a couple blogs on the band Queensryche, and considered whether they were some sort of propaganda/social engineering vehicle sponsored by England's EMI records. In response to these blogs, some had suggested I look into a band called Crimson Glory, who is often compared to Queensryche. This was especially true in the 1980s, when a particular style of music which would later be labeled "progressive metal" was in its early stages.

I've never been a big fan of the "Prog Metal" label because it seems to be less about musical "progress," and more about emulating a band like Queenryche or Dream Theatre. One could take the view that Crimson Glory was indeed trying to embody the particular sound/aesthetic of Queensryche in the 80s, among other bands. But this is not uncommon, many bands model themselves after a certain sound or band during their formative years [they just don't always call it "being progressive"] Queensryche themselves can be heard emulating the Iron Maiden/Judas Priest stylings on their 1982 EP. But in the case of CG being constantly compared to Queensryche, I believe there is more to it than meets the eye.

Before getting into my "wild conspiracy theories", let's look at some of the symbolism and imagery CG have used over the years.

'Crimson Glory' is a highly influential Hybrid Tea rose developed by German breeder Wilhelm J.H. Kordes II. It was released in 1935, following the cross between 'Cathrine Kordes' and 'W. E. Chaplin'. Known for its deep, velvety crimson color and intense damask fragrance, it is a classic rose variety...

"A rose is NOT a rose by any other name... Only the original lineup is CRIMSON GLORY (the rose that is so beautiful that all others pale in comparison)" - Midnight, as quoted by Blabbermouth

Could it be that an aggressive underground 80s Heavy Metal band would name themselves after a fragrant rose? The inclusion of 2 roses on the cover of Crimson Glory's 1986 debut album would seem to indicate, YES.

[Crimson Glory in the 80s]

[Slayer, circa 1983]

[Neil Turbin, circa 1984]

The chrome colored masks CG wore initially were presumbly used as a way to stand out and create an air of "mystery," which they all, especially Midnight, seemed so fond of projecting. Although this was not a new concept in heavy metal, these types of theatrics were typically found more often in glam metal, which the harder 80s bands were usually opposed to outwardly. Slayer, for example, wore make-up initially "in the wicked sense." But when they played outside Los Angeles they got made fun of and took it off. Kerry King later said "it was dumb and we only needed it in L.A." Similarly, original Anthrax singer Neil Turbin got heckled for wearing chainmail on stage. He was not in the band much longer after that. Nevertheless, CG trotted right out onstage with their elagant masks and roses flying about, seemingly without a care in the world what tough guy metalheads might think. This was, after all, PROGRESSIVE metal. It wasn't for the average Joe. This was THINKING MAN's metal...

Sub rosa is a Latin phrase meaning "under the rose," used as an adverb or adjective to describe something done in strict confidence, secrecy, or clandestinely. Originating from Roman mythology where the rose symbolized secrecy, it commonly implies private, confidential, or hush-hush matters.

Between the mask and roses which grace the cover of CG's debut LP, the common denominator is SECRECY [or mystery, if you will]. Masks hide one's identity and the rose is a traditional symbol of secrecy.

There's also the singer's stage name, Midnight [real name John Patrick McDonald II]. Midnight is the MIDDLE of the NIGHT, when people [with day jobs] are presumably deep asleep, dreaming away. In traditional fairy tales midnight is when the monsters come out and when spells get cast by warlocks invoking black magic by the full moon. So while the rest of the band went by their given names, John Patrick McDonald II chose to go by Midnight. Ok, Mr Mysterio!

Some articles out there on the internet say that the group's name was taken from the bible, but I believe this was denied by the band members. In fact, the phrase "crimson glory" does not appear in the King James Bible [at least not mine]. However, that doesn't mean the phrase isn't Christian derived. A book of Christian Hymns for "church, Sunday schools, and conventions" was published in 1938 entitled, Crimson Glory. Did one of the band members read from this book growing up in the church choir? Or maybe one of the band members is simply an anthophile...

TRANSCENDENCE

To transcend means to rise above, exceed, or go beyond normal limits, boundaries, or expectations. This was the title of Crimson Glory's 2nd, and most popular album. It also happens to echo Queensryche's stated credo when they were asked why they "sound so different lately?" The answer was usually something like, "well when we formed the band we always said the only rule was "no limits.""

The album art reflects the music very well. Etherial and evocative, but somewhat vague, naive, campy, and a little too convinced of it's own profoundness. Somewhat pompous, you might say. Not that the music isn't very well executed, but when your peers are on the level of Queensryche and Savatage, the bar is quite high indeed. So for a band like CG to even approach that level is saying something. But I'm not here to judge the music per se, I'm here to comment upon the symbolism. So let's start with this lady swimming around in a giant sperm cell ejected from some green thing hurling through outer space, while shooting light rays out her eyes...

You might recall the hilariously campy "Queen of the Ryche" video by Queensryche, a band you may have heard of recently. The plot involves some Queen from the post W.W.4 future, who uses crystals and computers to enslave the human race. But Geoff Tate figures out how to ricochet her lazer beams back at her, and she is then paralized. He then decides to tear off her awesome mask, unleashing a blinding light which causes the band to wince and stagger back. The words "to be continued..." end the video.

Loyal fans of early Queensryche have been waiting in veign ever since, for the anticipated sequal to the Queen of the Ryche video. I postulate in an earlier blog that this sequal takes the form of their debut album cover for "The Warning," where we see a mysterious face upon what appears to be a tarot card, green light blazing from the eyes.

I used to think this was just some random humanoid an artist drew, but if you look closely, it appears to be wearing lipstick! It also appears to be draped in a cloth or veil of purple, which is a symbolic indicator of royalty [think Prince: Purple Reign or the purple Crown Royal sack]. Is this supposed to be "the Queen" from the video? Note the other tarot cards have what appear to be crown motifs [crown = royalty]. Also note that we are in outer space and that the light projecting ftom the veiled Queen's eyes is green. Now go back and look at the album cover of CG's Trancendence, and contemplate the similarities in theme and symbols to The Warning, and tell me what it all means - because I have no clue! What I do know is that they are oddly similar.

Outer space = check
Mystical Lady shooting light rays out of her eyes = check
Green light = check Planet resembling Earth = Check

Lyrically, the first couple CG albums cover much of territory you'd expect prog metal pioneers to tread upon: a good dose of Tolkienish fantasy, war, and of course romance. The latter usually involves what seems like different iterations of the lady who wore black in Queensryche's iconic etherial fantasy ballad, "the Lady Wore Black." I mean, it really seems like that particular Queensryche song is what the band was going for in multiple places, which is fine but somewhat distracting in a way. Especially when you hear what sound like lines taken directly from Queensryche's tune.

On a lonely walk this morning
A light mist in the air - The Lady Wore Black

The snow was gently falling
A white mist filled the air - Transcendence

I should have listened to the wind's cold warning
And walked the other way - The Lady Wore Black

I hear the cold wind calling
Something's waiting there - Transcendence

We sat for sometime together in silence
Never speaking in words - The Lady Wore Black

I stand alone in silence
Upon the mountain high - Transcendence

The wind song whispered a warning
Telling me to beware - The Lady Wore Black

They whisper in my visions
They haunt me in my dreams - Transcendence

Am I losing my mind or are there lyrical similarities between the above lines? These were all taken from the same 2 respective songs, mind you.

While the album "Transcendence" is generally considered CG's greatest achievement, the following album is regarded as a sharp nose-dive. Where "Transcendence" covered most of the Heavy Metal bullet points, 1991s "Strange and Beautiful" generally loiters around lines like this:

Come dance with me my virgin child
To the haunting sound of my dark magic lullaby

I'm guessing that the band signing to Atlantic Records had something to do with the dumping of the Lady who wore Black in favor of the Virgin Child. But to be fair, the album Queensryche put out the previous year had some decidedly tacky lyrics as well:

Skin-tight leather provides my pleasure.
Wake my fear, surge with the pressure. - The Thin Line

On one level it seems Crimson Glory was chasing the coattails of Queensryche into that treacherous terrain known as "80s Metal Bands trying to remain valid through the 90s." Many just couldn't pull it off, and it seems Crimson Glory was one of these casualties. Or more specifically, John Patrick McDonald II, aka Midnight.

I must say though, in defense of "Strange and Beautiful," that it really isn't a bad album - it just very obviously ditches the loyal fan's expectations in favor of potential radio hits. And if I may further digress into opinion, the ballads on that album are FANTASTIC. So much so, the thought occurred to me that Crimson Glory may have fared better as a straight up Glam Metal band! But I'll quit while I'm ahead here...

SAKADA

[Note that the individual rendered in the above image appears to have insect wings, and is emerging from a stylized hole in the ground.]

After Crimson Glory's "Strange and Beautiful" album was recorded, the group was preparing to tour, when Midnight announced that he was retiring from the music business. He re-emerged a good decade later under the Midnight moniker, and released a decidedly acoustic album entitled "Sakata."

Cicadas are loud, winged insects, often mistaken for beetles or locusts, known for the buzzing songs produced by males during summer. They live underground as nymphs for 2–17 years, feeding on tree roots before emerging to molt into adults, which live for only a few weeks to mate.

The country of Greece is known for their dedicated fans of Heavy Metal, and it seems they showed great interest in Crimson Glory and their enigmatic singer Midnight, to the degree that Midnight chose to "re-emerge" like the mythic Cicada in 2005, 14 years after "retiring from the music business." This entheusiasm for Crimson Glory manifested most prominently in the form of a record label, now defuct, called "Black Lotus Records."

The black lotus is a powerful symbolic flower representing self-mastery, resilience, and transformation, embodying the ability to bloom (rise) from dark, challenging, or murky circumstances. It often symbolizes mystery, deep creative power, and the embrace of one's own "darkness" or hidden strength, representing an earthy, untamed spirituality.

There doesn't seem to be much information online regarding Black Lotus Records, but the name itself, symbolizing a flower, is of note in reference to Crimson Glory, for the obvious reason that Crimson Glory itself is apparently named after a flower! Not just that, but the theme of a Black Lotus aligns with Midnight's "emergence" from hibernation thematically, and in the broader sense, Crimson Glory - who seemed to be mostly on pause when Midnight checked out. Sure, they squeezed out Astronomica with an alternate singer, but the tentative plan to re-record vocals on it with Midnight points towards an acknowledgement that the band had him in mind originally for it.

Black Lotus released Midnight's solo record and seemed primed to finance both Midnight's re-recording of vocals over the "Astronomica" album and the new, tentatively titled Crimson Glory album, "Metatron, Lucifer and the Divine Chaos" (later shortened to Divine Chaos).

[Metatron's cube]

Metatron is a prominent archangel in Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) and esoteric traditions, often described as a mediator between God and humanity, the "lesser YHWH," or the transformed prophet Enoch. As a high-ranking heavenly scribe, he is believed to manage divine records, guide souls, and oversee cosmic energy through sacred geometry.

Metatron's Cube originates from medieval Kabbalistic texts and sacred geometry, representing a complex figure derived from the "Fruit of Life"—13 circles within the Flower of Life pattern. Named after the Archangel Metatron, it is believed to map the fundamental patterns of creation, containing all five Platonic solids.

When speaking about the concept of Metatron, it's important to bear in mind that this phrase does not appear in canonised biblical text. It appears in what is referred to as "apocrypha," which are Judao-Christian writings roughly contemporary with the canonized bible, but aren't necesarily considered "official" or "valid" scripture, though Enoch is mentioned in the canonized bible.

The role of "Lucifer" in all of this is unclear to me, but is probably based upon some individual's mish mash interpretation of the above mentioned writings.

A tradition of mystycism, which seems to be rooted in geometry advanced by Greek Mathmetician Pethagoros, gives us "metatron's cube," which is quite an impressive image to ponder. The flower aspect in this context again recalls the Crimson Glory Rose, but also the Rose Cross of the Rosecrucians and Crowley's Rose Cross Tarot deck image.

Anyway, regarding the cryptically ambitious working title "Metatron, Lucifer and the Divine Chaos", we can probably assume that someone here has a keen interest in the occult. There is also a subtle reference to the number 13 here. 13 circles are the apparent basis of the Metatron cube, which brings us to the song "Triskaideka." "Triskaideka" appears on Crimson Glory's most recent album, "Chasing the Hydra." The song seems to be about Triskaidekaphobia, which is the fear of the number 13. [funny enough, I brought this word up in a fairly recent blog concerning the 13th Floor Elevators] I'm not saying there is some kind of profound mystical continuity here, just highlighting the band's obvious interest in occult mysticism - which seems to continue well beyond Midnight's exit from this earthly plane of existence.

Anyway, back to Midnight and his 2005-ish comeback in Greece...

When the interviewer in the above image, possibly from Black Lotus, asks Midnight "where have you been?" he replies "hiding." The interviewer presses further - "from who?" Response: "Everyone." Interviewer: "What for?" Midnight then pauses for a second and replies "well...that's why they call it hiding, cause you don't tell!"

Midnight then gets into his album that was being promoted at that time, "Sakada" - which he explains is an intentionally misspelled version of Cicada, a winged insect that lives underground for many years. Midnight then compares his own 14 year absence from the music scene to the underground life of the Cicada, who create "buzzing songs." This seems to all fit well within the mysterious image Midnight fostered over the years, if somewhat vague in terms of its ultimate purpose [death?].

DEATH OF THE BLACK LOTUS

With all of these plans of re-recording vocals, recording a new album, and a triumphant Midnight reunion upon the horizon, Black Lotus Records seems to suddenly announce they are no-more. All bands are released from contacts, and all plans with Crimson Glory seem to be off. It's all kind of vague and mysterious, as if a great plan was either cut short or completed in secret.

Midnight seemed to rapidly decline after this, being arrested for a DUI in 2007, then fired from the band shortly thereafter due to an apparent chronic deteriorating condition. He died in January of 2009 from a "stomach aneurysm."

I've attempted a few times to sift through Crimson Glory's lyrics for some kind of grand interpretation of all this mystery and references to the occult. Ultimately, I don't think the "big secret" is revealed within the lyrics or even the band's iconography. But the idea that there IS a "big secret" here is a valid one I think, which will be explored in part 2.

RELATED:

The Queen's Reich

This blog was researched, written, and continues to be maintained by 1 person. If you enjoyed it and would like to encourage more of them, donations can be made by clicking the button below.