The Cult emerged in 1984 as one of England’s leading post punk rock revivalists. With a nod to the mysticism of the Doors, the psychedelic guitars of Led Zeppelin, and the three-chord crunch of AC/DC, the Cult culled a rabid following in their native Britain with hit singles like “She Sells Sanctuary” from the classic LOVE album. The band broke into the American hard rock market with “Love Removal Machine,” from the Rick Rubin produced Electric. But the groups largest commercial success came in America with Sonic Temple, which reached the Top Ten of the Billboard Charts.
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Track: She Sells Sanctuary
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Track: Wild Flower
The hit single “Fire Woman” helped propel the album into an American Top Ten record, and within no time the Cult were hanging out with the likes of Aerosmith, as well as supporting Metallica on the Damaged Justice tour. Though the group was experiencing its best sales, it was fraying behind the scenes, due to infighting and substance abuse.. The resulting album, Ceremony, was released in the fall of 1991 to weak reviews and disappointing sales. Following the release of Ceremony, the group took a break for the next three years. In 1993, the band released the U.K.-only hits compilation Pure Cult, which debuted at number one. By summer 1993, the Cult had a new rhythm section and recorded The Cult, which was released in late 1994 to poor reviews and sales.
In spring 1995, the Cult disbanded, with Ian Astbury forming the Holy Barbarians later in the year. Billy Duffy briefly played with Miles Hunt’s Vent 414 before leaving to pursue a solo project. In 2000, the band’s catalog was remastered and reissued, and Pure Cult was released in the U.S.. It was followed by Rare Cult, a six-disc box set of rarities. The Cult resurfaced in June 1999 at the Tibetan Freedom Festival. This version of the band recorded the 2001 album Beyond Good and Evil before the Cult was retired again, as Astbury joined former Doors members Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek in the Doors of the 21st Century.
In 2007, it was announced that Astbury had left the band to rejoin Duffy in a new version of the Cult, with Chris Wyse on bass, John Tempesta on drums, and Mike Dimkitch on rhythm guitar. They signed to Roadrunner Records and released Born into This later that year. The album received critical acclaim and re-established the Cult as an artistic force in the new millennium. In the summer of 2007, the first single “Dirty Little Rockstar” was the number one ad across the board at all rock radio formats in the U.S. The record did equally as well overseas as it did in the US. The band embarked on a full tour throughout 2008 to support their latest release.
2009 saw the band revisit the LOVE album with a series of sold out shows across the globe. Retracing the footsteps of tours from their origin, The Cult played to sold out theaters, and standing ovations. They performed the LOVE album in order, finishing the set with the haunting Black Angel, which up until this tour had only been played live a handful of times. The band had planned to end the special concert series as 2009 came to a close. But due to demand they will perform LOVE LIVE in both Australia & Japan in May 2010.
The band recruited producer Chris Goss in early 2010 to produce the next Cult release. The next music will be delivered in a series of capsules, heralding in a cutting edge delivery of music that is sure to help redefine music delivery for years to come. Four tracks have been captured, and are earmarked for a late Summer release. The music will be packaged with original short film, conceptual photography, and modern art.