With their ninth album, Choice
of Weapon, The Cult are back with a vengeance. After the lackluster
reception to 2007’s Born Into This. With
the aid of co-producers Chris Goss and Bob Rock, the band returns to their
urgent, fiery best. After all, Rock did produce Sonic Temple. 1994’s The
Cult and the criminally under rated Beyond
Good and Evil.
Singer Ian Astbury is back at his shamanistic best. His vocals, now deeper and more controlled,
have urgency to them. His lyrics, derived from Native American mythology,
Buddhist teachings and plain old life experience have taken on a maturity that
alternately soothes and provokes. Billy Duffy’s rousing guitar work is at its
blistering, seductive best on tracks like Lucifer
and The Wolf.
The adrenaline-pumping rhythm of “Honey from a Knife” starts
off the album, abetted by James Edwards’ chugging piano and the background
vocal chant “We got the drugs”. Ian channels Jim Morrison in Pale Horse (which reminds me a bit of “King
Contrary Man from Electric), and the hopeful poetry of “Elemental
Light.” For the Animals, the first
single, barrels through your speakers (or iPod) like a force of nature. The
driving immediacy of “Amnesia” recalls the Stooges’ Raw Power.
The hallmark of the band has always been the unique
chemistry between vocalist Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy. Duffy’s
earthy riffs meet Astbury’s pontificating shaman head-on, and the combination
has produced some iconic sounds since 1983. And this is one band that’s never
fit into a neat little genre. They wore make-up and sported poufy hair during the Love-era and before,
but they were new wave? Nope, not with that guitar sound. With the Rick Rubin-produced Electric, they were heavy, but not heavy
metal –the lyrics were too hippie-ish. Even Sonic
Temple, released during the waning days of the hair band era, was too smart
to be lumped in with other hard rock albums touted by MTV circa 1990.
Fans who’ve stuck with the band for better or worse will find Choice of Weapon as aggressive as Electric and as lyrically thought-provoking
as The Cult.
Even younger metal (and punk) fans will appreciate Choice of
Weapon’s take-no-prisoners approach. Against
Me and Icarus Line are opening their L.A. show, and the snarling, passionate riffs
of Choice of Weapon are just as aggressive as those younger fans are used to. This album has a
ramped-up, renovated sound. It’s not hard rock nostalgia for fans who prefer
their music in an unaltered state, regardless of the year.
The Cult’s line-up has remained steady since 2007, with John
Tempesta on drums, Chris Wyse on bass and touring rhythm guitarist Mike
Dimkich. The band’s U.S. tour runs now through June 23rd, with the
final “Hometown” show at the Hollywood Palladium. A European tour follows in
July and August.
