Blue Oyster Cult may have been the most important American band in the infancy of heavy metal. Formed in New York in 1967, they were known as The Soft White Underbelly until 1971. The name was changed just in time for their eponymous 1972 debut album which contained the hit single “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll.” Through constant touring, BOC became one of the biggest concert draws of the 1970s. Their popularity would begin to wane in the mid ’80s, but not before they had left an indelible mark on the metal world with classics such as “Don’t Fear The Reaper” (hilariously spoofed in the SNL “more cowbell” sketch), “Godzilla,” “Burnin’ For You,” “Harvester of Eyes,” “Black Blade,” “E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence),” “Joan Crawford,” “Astronomy,” and many more, including today’s featured Massive Metal Monday track “Veteran of the Psychic Wars,” which can be enjoyed below.