Of American metal's early pioneers, Blue Öyster Cult are among the most eccentric. Their records hide all manner of stylistic curves: tidy funk grooves slipping in between funereal organs and ghostly harmonies (“Morning Final”), New Wave-style sci-fi synths and crisp beats that rub shoulders with big power chords (“White Flags”), and—under their former name Stalk-Forrest Group—country twang layered atop beefy rock beats (“What Is Quicksand?”).