Curse of the Hidden Mirror is the twelfth studio album by the American hard rock

Hard rock

Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 band Blue Öyster Cult

Blue Öyster Cult

Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...

, released in 2001. The only single from the record was the poorly received "Pocket". Lackluster sales led to the band being dropped by their label, Sanctuary Records

Sanctuary Records

Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...

. BÖC has not recorded a studio album since.

The title of the album is taken from a song contained in the unreleased album

St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings

St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings is an album by the American rock band Stalk-Forrest Group, which would later become the successful hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult. It was recorded in 1970, but it was not officially released until 2001.-Overview:...

 by the Stalk-Forrest Group, the band that would later become Blue Öyster Cult, recorded in 1970.

John Shirley, a renowned author of cyberpunk

Cyberpunk

Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...

 science fiction, wrote the lyrics for many songs of the album.

Track listing

1. "Dance on Stilts" (John Shirley
   John Shirley
   John Shirley is an American fantasist, author of noir fiction, and science-fiction writer. Shirley is a prolific writer of novels and short stories, TV scripts and screenplays who has published over 30 books and 10 collections...
   
   , Donald Roeser) - 6:05
2. "Showtime" (Eric Bloom
   Eric Bloom
   Eric Bloom is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the main vocalist, and "stunt guitar" for the long-running band Blue Öyster Cult, with work on over 20 albums...
   
   , John Trivers
   John Trivers
   John Trivers is an American songwriter and musician, the recipient of gold and platinum records for his involvement with Blue Öyster Cult and Tina Turner, and the co-writer with his wife and partner Elizabeth Myers of several popular themes for commercials, television programs, and film scores.-...
   
   ) - 4:38
3. "The Old Gods Return" (Shirley, Bloom, Roeser) - 4:36
4. "Pocket" (Shirley, Roeser) - 4:15
5. "One Step Ahead of the Devil" (Shirley, Bloom, Roeser, Danny Miranda, Bobby Rondinelli
   Bobby Rondinelli
   Bobby Rondinelli is a rock drummer best known for his work with the hard rock/heavy metal bands like Blue Öyster Cult, Rainbow, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, The Lizards, and Rondinelli.-Background:...
   
   ) - 4:16
6. "I Just Like to Be Bad" (Shirley, Bloom, Bryan Neumeister) - 3:54
7. "Here Comes That Feeling" (Dick Trismen, Roeser) - 3:21
8. "Out of the Darkness" (Shirley, Miranda, Bloom, Roeser) - 5:06
9. "Stone of Love" (Richard Meltzer
   Richard Meltzer
   Richard Meltzer was one of the earliest rock music critics. His first book, The Aesthetics of Rock, evolved out of his undergraduate studies in philosophy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and graduate studies at Yale University...
   
   , Roeser) - 5:49
10. "Eye of the Hurricane" (Shirley, Bloom, Neumeister, Roeser, Rondinelli) - 4:40
11. "Good to Feel Hungry" (Shirley, Miranda, Bloom, Roeser) - 4:12

Band members

• Eric Bloom
  Eric Bloom
  Eric Bloom is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the main vocalist, and "stunt guitar" for the long-running band Blue Öyster Cult, with work on over 20 albums...
  
   - lead vocals on tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, guitars, keyboards, associate producer
• Donald "Buck Dharma
  Buck Dharma
  Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967...
  
  " Roeser - guitars, lead vocals on tracks 1, 4, 7, 9, keyboards, producer
• Allen Lanier
  Allen Lanier
  Allen Lanier was an original member of Blue Öyster Cult. Lanier played keyboards and rhythm guitar. He currently resides in Manhattan....
  
   - guitars, keyboards
• Danny Miranda - bass, keyboards, background vocals
• Bobby Rondinelli
  Bobby Rondinelli
  Bobby Rondinelli is a rock drummer best known for his work with the hard rock/heavy metal bands like Blue Öyster Cult, Rainbow, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, The Lizards, and Rondinelli.-Background:...
  
  - drums