Veteran of the Psychic Wars
| "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Blue Öyster Cult | |
| from the album Fire of Unknown Origin | |
| Released | July 1981 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:49 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Martin Birch |
"Veteran of the Psychic Wars" is a song by the American
animated film Heavy Metal
.
The phrase "...veteran of a Thousand Psychic Wars" is from the
Eternal Champion and contained lyrics written by Moorcock.[2] Prior to that, the term "psychic war" appears in the poem "Far Arden" by Jim Morrison of The Doors.[3]
The song has been covered by
Arjen Anthony Lucassen (2012) and Ape Machine (2022), as well as in live performances by the Finnish metal band Tarot in 2004,[4] as a bonus track in their 2006 album,[5] Fleesh[6] and Metallica at the Bridge School Benefit in 2007 and later concerts.[7]
Critical reception
In an article published by The A.V. Club writer Jason Heller describes the song as a "pseudo-mystical post-Vietnam parable." Writing that "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" was the dead center of Heavy Metal’s admittedly amorphous core, he further stated "The drums are tribal. The synths hum like incantations. The guitar is minimal, applied with ritualistic precision"[8]
Personnel
- Eric Bloom – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser – lead guitar, percussion
- Joe Bouchard– bass
- Allen Lanier – keyboards
- Albert Bouchard – drums
References
- ^ "Fire of Unknown Origin". Blueoystercult.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
- ^ "Veteran of the Psychic Wars". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
- ^ "Far Arden". The Beat Patrol. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ "Tarot and Charon live in Finland". Metal-Rules.com. 2004-03-05. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
- ^ "Tarot - Crows Fly Black". Discogs.
- ^ ""Blue Öyster Cult - Veteran of the Psychic Wars (Fleesh Version)"".
- ^ "Chapter Inc.: The REAL Encyclopedia Metallica". Chapinc.com. 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
- ^ Heller, Jason. "Blue Öyster Cult's "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars" is even bigger than the movie that inspired it". AV Club. Av Club. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
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