CULT, THE - PURE CULT THE SINGLES 1984 - 1995

The Cult are an English rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before adopting their current name in January 1984, the band performed as Death Cult, a name derived from Southern Death Cult, the previous band of lead vocalist Ian Astbury. The Cult developed a following in the United Kingdom during the mid-1980s with a post-punk and gothic rock sound, releasing singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary". In the late 1980s, they achieved mainstream success in the United States after incorporating hard rock into their music, particularly on songs such as "Love Removal Machine". The band have undergone numerous line-up changes since their formation. Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy have remained its longest-serving members and principal songwriters. The Cult released their debut studio album, "Dreamtime", in 1984. Its lead single, "Spiritwalker", reached number one on the UK Indie Chart. Their second album, "Love" (1985), reached number four on the UK Albums Chart and included the singles "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Rain". Their third album, "Electric" (1987), also reached number four in the UK and produced the singles "Love Removal Machine", "Lil' Devil" and "Wild Flower". Produced by Rick Rubin, the album incorporated a harder rock sound than the band's earlier work. After relocating to Los Angeles, the band continued this direction on "Sonic Temple" (1989), their first album produced by Bob Rock. It became their most commercially successful album to that point, reaching the top 10 in both the UK and the United States and featuring the single "Fire Woman". During the recording of their fifth studio album, "Ceremony" (1991), tensions and creative differences developed between Astbury and Duffy. The album was recorded without a stable band line-up, with session musicians contributing bass guitar and drums. The band released one further studio album, "The Cult" (1994), before disbanding in 1995. They reunited in 1999 and released "Beyond Good and Evil" in 2001, but its commercial performance and renewed internal tensions led to another hiatus in 2002. The Cult reunited again in 2006 and subsequently released four studio albums: "Born into This" (2007), "Choice of Weapon" (2012), "Hidden City" (2016) and "Under the Midnight Sun" (2022). The band's origins date to 1981, when Astbury formed Southern Death Cult in Bradford, Yorkshire. The name referenced the academic term for a group of pre-Columbian Native American cultural practices now associated with the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. It also reflected the band's interest in the perceived concentration of political, economic and cultural power in southern England, including the music industry. The original line-up consisted of Astbury, guitarist Buzz Burrows, bassist Barry Jepson and drummer Aki Nawaz Qureshi. They performed their first concert at Queen's Hall in Bradford on 29 October 1981. Southern Death Cult became associated with the emerging post-punk and gothic rock scenes. The band signed to Situation Two, an independent label affiliated with Beggars Banquet Records, and released the three-track single "Moya" in 1982. They toured England, including shows with Bauhaus and Theatre of Hate. The group played its final concert in Manchester in February 1983, after approximately 16 months of activity. A compilation titled "The Southern Death Cult" was subsequently released, bringing together the single, radio sessions recorded for John Peel's BBC Radio One programme and live recordings. In April 1983, Astbury formed Death Cult with guitarist Billy Duffy. Duffy had previously played in the Nosebleeds, Lonesome No More and Theatre of Hate. The new group also included bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Raymond Taylor Smith, later known as Ray Mondo, both formerly of the London-based post-punk band Ritual. Death Cult made its live debut in Oslo, Norway, on 25 July 1983 and released the "Death Cult" EP that month before touring mainland Europe. In September 1983, Nigel Preston replaced Mondo on drums. Preston had previously played with Sex Gang Children. Death Cult released the single "Gods Zoo" in October and undertook another European tour that included performances in the United Kingdom. In January 1984, the band changed its name to the Cult, partly to reduce the gothic associations of its previous name and appeal to a wider audience. The band made its television appearance under the new name on Channel 4's programme "The Tube". The Cult recorded their debut album, "Dreamtime", at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, in 1984. Joe Julian was initially hired as producer, but John Brand took over after the drum tracks had been recorded. Duffy later stated that Julian had produced the drum tracks because Preston's reliability had become a concern. The album sessions produced songs including "Butterflies", "(The) Gimmick", "A Flower in the Desert", "Horse Nation", "Spiritwalker", "Bad Medicine (Waltz)", "Dreamtime", "With Love", later known as "Ship of Fools" and "Sea and Sky", "Bone Bag", "Too Young" and "83rd Dream". An additional untitled outtake was also recorded, although its subsequent development is undocumented. The lyrics of "Horse Nation" drew on Dee Brown's 1970 book "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" and reflected Astbury's interest in Native American history and culture. "Spiritwalker" addressed shamanism, while the album's title and title track drew on Australian Aboriginal beliefs. The Cult released "Spiritwalker" on 4 April 1984. The single reached number one on the UK independent charts and preceded the release of "Dreamtime". The band followed it with "Go West (Crazy Spinning Circles)" during the summer. Released in September, "Dreamtime" reached number 21 on the UK Albums Chart and sold more than 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. On 12 July, the band recorded five songs at the BBC's Maida Vale studios for a session with Richard Skinner. After touring Europe and the UK, they released "Resurrection Joe" in December, which reached number 74 in the UK. The band then supported Big Country at a Christmas concert and toured Europe with the Mission, who were then known as the Sisterhood. Following its initial UK release, "Dreamtime" was issued in approximately 30 countries as the band's international audience expanded. In May 1985, the Cult released "She Sells Sanctuary", which peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and spent 23 weeks in the UK Top 100. The following month, Preston left the band after his behaviour became increasingly erratic. Mark Brzezicki of Big Country replaced him and appeared in the music video for the single. The band completed their second studio album, "Love", in July and August 1985. Its sound and visual presentation incorporated influences from 1960s psychedelic music, moving away from the band's earlier punk-oriented approach. The album reached number four in the UK and charted in several other countries. It sold approximately 500,000 copies in Europe, 100,000 in Australia and 500,000 in the United States, according to contemporary estimates. It also reached number 20 in the Netherlands, where it remained on the chart for 32 weeks. Worldwide sales were subsequently reported to have exceeded 2.5 million copies. From September 1985 to June 1986, the Cult toured internationally with drummer Les Warner, who had previously played with Julian Lennon and Johnny Thunders. Two additional singles from "Love", "Rain" and "Revolution", reached numbers 17 and 30 in the UK, respectively, but did not chart in the United States. The single "Nirvana" was released only in Poland. The album version of "Rain" and the remix "(Here Comes the) Rain" appeared in the Italian horror film "Demons 2" (1986). After returning to England, the band recorded new material at the Manor Studios in Oxfordshire with producer Steve Brown, who had worked on "Love". The resulting album was initially titled "Peace", but the band were dissatisfied with its sound. They travelled to New York to work with producer Rick Rubin, who was initially asked to remix the first single, "Love Removal Machine". Rubin agreed to work with them on the condition that they rerecord the song and eventually persuaded them to rerecord the entire album. Beggars Banquet had already spent approximately two months and £250,000 on the original recordings, but approved the new version after hearing the initial results. "Love Removal Machine" was released as a single in February 1987, and the album was issued in April under the title "Electric". It reached number four in the UK and eventually outsold "Love". The line-up during the subsequent tour included bassist Kid Chaos, also known as Haggis or The Kid, while Stewart switched to rhythm guitar. The band released "Lil' Devil" and "Wild Flower" as further singles in 1987. Some recordings from the original "Peace" sessions appeared on single releases associated with "Love Removal Machine" and "Lil' Devil". The complete "Peace" album remained unreleased until 2000, when it appeared as the third disc of the box set "Rare Cult". During the US leg of the "Electric" tour, the Cult were supported by Guns N' Roses, who were then at an early stage of their career. The Cult also performed at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark in June 1987. During the Australian leg, the band damaged equipment reportedly worth £30,000, which prevented a planned tour of Japan because replacement equipment could not be rented. By the end of the tour, "Electric" had been certified gold in the UK and had reportedly sold approximately three million copies worldwide. Relations among the band members had deteriorated, however, and Haggis left to form the Four Horsemen, who signed to Rubin's Def American label. Astbury and Duffy dismissed Warner and the band's management team, Grant/Edwards, and moved to Los Angeles with Stewart. Warner subsequently brought several legal actions against the band concerning his dismissal and what he considered unpaid royalties for his work on "Electric". The disputes resulted in extended court proceedings. The Cult signed a new management agreement and began writing material for their next album. Stewart returned to bass guitar for the next recording project, while John Webster was recruited to play keyboards. Chris Taylor played drums during rehearsals and demo sessions, and Eric Singer participated in a second round of demo recordings. Session drummer Mickey Curry was eventually recruited for the album, which was produced by Bob Rock, then known for his work as an engineer with Aerosmith. Recorded in Vancouver from October to December 1988, "Sonic Temple" was released in April 1989. It reached the top 10 in both the UK and the United States, where it received gold and platinum certifications, respectively. For the supporting tour, Matt Sorum replaced Curry on drums, and Webster played keyboards. The album's single "Fire Woman" reached number 15 in the UK and number one in New Zealand. Another single, "Edie (Ciao Baby)", reached number 25 in the UK and became a recurring part of the band's concert repertoire. In Europe, the Cult toured with Aerosmith. In the United States, they toured with Metallica during 1989 before embarking on their own headline tour later that year. The single "Sun King" reached number 42 in the UK, while "Sweet Soul Sister", released in February 1990, reached number 38. The music video for "Sweet Soul Sister" was filmed at Wembley Arena in London on 25 November 1989. The song was partly written in Paris and drew inspiration from the city's bohemian culture. It became another UK hit and was reported to have reached number one on the rock charts in Brazil. After a concert in Atlanta in February 1990, Astbury learned that his father had died of cancer. The remaining tour dates were cancelled, although the band performed a final series of shows in April. By the end of the tour, Stewart had retired from the band and moved to Canada to be with his wife, while Sorum left to join Guns N' Roses. In 1990, Astbury organised the Gathering of the Tribes festival in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The event featured performers including Soundgarden, Ice-T, Indigo Girls, Queen Latifah, Iggy Pop, the Charlatans, the Cramps and Public Enemy. The two-day festival attracted approximately 40,000 people. That year, two ten-CD box sets of rare material from the Cult's singles were released in the UK: "Singles Collection" and "E.P. Collection '84-'90". The discs were issued as picture discs with washi paper covers and packaged in either a white or black box. In 1991, film director Oliver Stone offered Astbury the role of Jim Morrison in the film "The Doors". Astbury declined, reportedly because he disagreed with the film's portrayal of Morrison. Val Kilmer ultimately played the role. Astbury and Duffy began writing material for their next album in 1991. Todd Hoffman and James Kottak played bass guitar and drums, respectively, during the demo sessions. For the album recordings, Mickey Curry returned on drums, Charley Drayton played bass guitar, and other musicians contributed. Reports indicated that Astbury and Duffy's working relationship had deteriorated to the point that they rarely recorded together in the studio. The resulting album, "Ceremony", was released in September 1991 and received mixed reviews. It reached number 34 in the United States but sold less than the band's previous three studio albums, with worldwide sales estimated at approximately one million copies. Its official singles included "Wild Hearted Son", which reached number 34 in the UK and number 41 in Canada, and "Heart of Soul", which reached number 50 in the UK. "White" was released as a single in Canada, "Sweet Salvation" was issued in Argentina in 1992 under the Spanish title "Dulce Salvación", and the title track "Ceremony" was released as a single in Spain. The Cult's Ceremonial Stomp tour took place in Europe in 1991 and North America in 1992. In 1991, the band performed at the Marquee Club in London. The concert was recorded and released in February 1993 as part of some vinyl editions of the band's first greatest-hits release. Only a small number of CD copies were initially manufactured, although the recording was reissued on CD in 1999. An incomplete bootleg video of the performance also circulated. The parents of the Native American boy pictured on the cover of "Ceremony" sued the band, alleging exploitation and unauthorised use of their son's image. They stated that the boy believed the band's burning of his image had cursed him and that the incident had caused him emotional distress. The image was also burned in the music video for "Wild Hearted Son". The legal action delayed the album's release in several countries, including South Korea and Thailand, where it did not appear until late 1992. The album was not released in Turkey until the Cult performed in Istanbul in June 1993. The band subsequently toured worldwide with drummer Michael Lee, bassist Kinley "Barney" Wolfe and keyboardist John Sinclair, who returned for the tour. The Gathering of the Tribes festival was also held in the UK, featuring artists including Pearl Jam. A warm-up concert at a small nightclub was dedicated to the memory of Nigel Preston, who had died several weeks earlier at the age of 28. The Cult released the single "The Witch", which reached number nine in Australia, and recorded "Zap City" for the soundtrack of the 1992 film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Produced by Steve Brown, "Zap City" had originally appeared as a B-side to "Lil' Devil". The band also released two volumes of remixes of "She Sells Sanctuary", titled "Sanctuary Mixes MCMXCIII". Their greatest-hits compilation, "Pure Cult: for Rockers, Ravers, Lovers, and Sinners", debuted at number one in the UK and later reached number one in Portugal. Astbury and Duffy dismissed the touring musicians and recruited bassist Craig Adams of the Mission and drummer Scott Garrett for European performances in 1993. Some shows also featured rhythm guitarist Mike Dimkich. The tour marked the band's first performances in Turkey, Greece and the Slovak Republic. The Cult released their self-titled fifth studio album, "The Cult", in October 1994. Produced by Bob Rock, the album contained songs that Astbury described as personal accounts of his life. Their subjects included sexual abuse he experienced at age 15, the death of Preston and his time living in Glasgow in the late 1970s. The album reached number 69 in the United States and number 21 in the UK. Duffy expressed doubts about its commercial prospects because of its lyrics. It briefly reached number one in Portugal before falling down the chart. The single "Coming Down (Drug Tongue)" was released to promote the album, followed by "Star", which the band performed on the UK television programme "The Word". "Star" originated in 1986 under the working title "Tom Petty" and was recorded during the "Sonic Temple" demo sessions as "Starchild". The band abandoned the song during rehearsals, but revisited it in 1993 and completed it for "The Cult" in 1994. For the Beauty's on the Streets tour, which began in winter 1994, James Stevenson joined the band on rhythm guitar. Although no further standard album singles were released, "Sacred Life" was issued in Spain and the Netherlands, while "Be Free" appeared in Canada and France in limited releases. The tour included the Cult's first concert in Norway. During the Black Rain tour of South America in spring 1995, the band recorded additional new material, but the tour was cancelled after a performance in Rio de Janeiro in March. The Cult then disbanded, citing unspecified problems arising during the tour. A few months later, Astbury formed the garage rock band Holy Barbarians. The group made its live debut at the 100 Club in London in February 1996 and released its only studio album, "Cream", in May. Holy Barbarians toured North America and Europe during the rest of the year. The group began writing material for a second album in 1997 but subsequently dissolved. Astbury then began work on a solo album, recording material during 1997 and 1998. Initially titled "Natural Born Guerilla" and later "High Time Amplifier", the album remained unreleased until June 2000, when it appeared as "Spirit\Light\Speed". Astbury performed a solo concert in 1999. In November 1996, the band's American record company released several CD compilations and reissues. "High Octane Cult", an updated greatest-hits compilation, was issued in the United States and Japan. A remastered edition of "The Southern Death Cult" contained 15 tracks. "Ghost Dance", a ten-track Death Cult compilation, combined the four-song EP, the single "Gods Zoo" and four previously unreleased songs from a radio broadcast. A remastered edition of "Dreamtime" included its ten original tracks in their original sequence, with different artwork. "Dreamtime Live at the Lyceum" was also remastered and issued on video and, for the first time, on CD, including the previously unreleased concert song "Gimmick". In 1999, Astbury and Duffy reformed the Cult with former drummer Matt Sorum and bassist Martyn LeNoble, formerly of Porno for Pyros. The reformed band made its first official concert appearance at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in June 1999, following a series of rehearsals and performances in the Los Angeles area. Their reunion tour, titled Cult Rising, sold out all 30 US dates and concluded with eight consecutive sold-out performances at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. In 2000, the band toured South Africa for the first time, as well as North and South America. They contributed "Painted on My Heart" to the soundtrack of the film "Gone in 60 Seconds"; the song was featured prominently in the film, with its melody incorporated into parts of the score. Astbury's solo album "Spirit\Light\Speed" was also released that year, although it achieved limited commercial success. In November 2000, the compilation "Pure Cult: The Singles 1984-1995" was released alongside a DVD. The DVD later received gold certification in Canada. The Cult and Astbury also contributed separate tracks to the Doors tribute album "Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors", covering "Wild Child" and "Touch Me", respectively. That month, Beggars Banquet released 15,000 copies of the six-disc box set "Rare Cult", with an additional seventh disc of remixes included in the first 5,000 copies. The collection included album outtakes, demos, radio recordings and B-sides. It also contained the complete previously unreleased "Peace" album. In 2001, the Cult signed with Atlantic Records and began recording "Beyond Good and Evil". Mick Jones of Foreigner initially served as producer but withdrew to tour with Foreigner. Astbury and Duffy co-wrote a song with Jones, an uncommon arrangement for the band. Bob Rock ultimately produced the album. LeNoble and Chris Wyse played bass guitar during the recordings, while Sorum returned on drums. Dimkich played rhythm guitar on tour. Although Sorum had toured with the band during the "Sonic Temple" era in 1989, "Beyond Good and Evil" was his first studio album with the Cult. "Beyond Good and Evil" reached number 37 in the United States, number 22 in Canada and number 25 in Spain, but its sales declined rapidly, with worldwide sales estimated at approximately 500,000 copies. Its first single, "Rise", reached number 41 on the US singles chart and number two on the mainstream rock chart. Atlantic Records subsequently removed the song from its radio playlists and stopped promoting the album. Astbury later described the experience with the label as "soul destroying", citing disagreements over the lyrics, album cover and choice of singles. The second single, "Breathe", was released as a radio promotional recording, while "True Believers" appeared on a compilation sampler in January 2002, after the tour had ended. "True Believers" received some radio airplay in Australia, but both releases had limited impact. Astbury and Duffy eventually ended their working relationship with Atlantic. LeNoble returned for the initial tour dates in early 2001, and Billy Morrison played bass for most of the tour. The band's planned European tour in 2001 was cancelled, largely because of security concerns following the September 11 attacks. The group returned to the United States and toured with Aerosmith. The eleven-week tour featured a relatively short set of the band's best-known songs and received criticism from some fans. In October 2001, a concert at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles was filmed for a DVD release. After the tour ended in December, the band took most of 2002 off, apart from several US performances promoting the DVD, with Scott Garrett and Craig Adams returning to the line-up. Despite the commercial performance of "Beyond Good and Evil" and its accompanying tour, readers of Metal Edge voted the Cult "Comeback of the Year" in the magazine's 2001 Readers' Choice Awards. In late 2002, Astbury announced that the Cult were "on ice" indefinitely after a short series of performances promoting the DVD "Music Without Fear". During the hiatus, Astbury performed with members of the Doors in a group initially known as the Doors of the 21st Century. It was later renamed D21c and subsequently became known as Riders on the Storm. The group faced legal disputes involving Jim Morrison's family and Doors drummer John Densmore. Astbury also worked on material that later contributed to the Cult's album "Born into This" (2007). During this period, Duffy played in Coloursound with Adams and former Alarm vocalist Mike Peters, then in Dead Men Walking with Peters and later in Cardboard Vampyres. Sorum joined the hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver. In 2003, the Cult's albums were reissued on CD, with some editions in Russia, Belarus and Lithuania containing bonus tracks. These Eastern European editions included printing errors in some packaging and lyric inserts. In October 2004, the albums were remastered and reissued in Japan in cardboard foldout sleeves. The song "She Sells Sanctuary" appeared in the 2001 video game "Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec" in its North American version and in the 2002 video game "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City", where it played on the fictional radio station V-Rock. In January 2006, the Cult announced that they would reunite for a limited number of concerts, despite Astbury having said in 2004 that a reunion was unlikely. The band made its first live appearance in three and a half years on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" the following month. The line-up consisted of Astbury on vocals, Duffy on lead guitar, John Tempesta on drums, Dimkich on rhythm guitar and Wyse on bass. Their first concert of the reunion took place at the Fillmore in San Francisco in March 2006. The tour was recorded by Instant Live, with recordings sold after individual performances. In May, the band played eight dates in Canada, followed by concerts in central and eastern Europe, including their first shows in Bulgaria, Poland and Serbia. An eleven-date UK tour and further US concerts followed, before a South American tour in December. In 2006, Duffy also formed the band Circus Diablo with Morrison, Sorum, Brett Scallions and Ricky Warwick. During the reunion tours, the Cult occasionally performed extended sets that included songs they had not played for many years. "King Contrary Man" and "Hollow Man" returned to the set list for the first time since 1987. "Libertine" was performed approximately three times after last being played in 2000, while an abridged version of "Brother Wolf, Sister Moon" was performed once, its first performance since 1986. In February 2007, Astbury announced that he was leaving Riders on the Storm to concentrate on his own music and the Cult. In March, the band announced that they would tour Europe with the Who. The tour began in Rotterdam in June and included concerts in the UK and continental Europe, including the Cult's first performances in Romania and Croatia. On 29 May 2007, the band signed with Roadrunner Records. Their eighth studio album, "Born into This", was released on 16 October and produced by Martin "Youth" Glover, bassist of Killing Joke. The album appeared in standard and limited-edition formats, with the latter including a five-track bonus disc containing "Stand Alone", "War Pony Destroyer", "I Assassin (Demo)", "Sound of Destruction (Demo)" and "Savages (Extended Version)". Before its release, the band played festival appearances and headline concerts and supported the Who in Europe. A US headline tour followed. A concert filmed at Irving Plaza in New York City in November 2006 was released in 2007 as "The Cult New York City". Issued by Fontana North, it was the band's first high-definition DVD release. Astbury also contributed vocals to two tracks on UNKLE's 2007 album "War Stories", including its first single, "Burn My Shadow". The Cult toured the UK and Europe in February and March 2008, followed by a North American tour beginning on 24 March that included 13 Canadian dates. They played several concerts in the northeastern United States in September and toured Brazil in October. By May 2008, reports indicated that the band were no longer contracted to Roadrunner Records. In October, the Cult were announced as headliners for the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Antonio, held on 16 November. The band subsequently announced a tour centred on their 1985 album "Love", with performances in the United States and the UK. The tour coincided with a remastered edition of "Love" and the four-disc box set "Omnibus". At each concert, the band performed the album in full, beginning with "Nirvana" and ending with "Black Angel", followed by additional songs that varied by venue. These included "Sun King", "Dirty Little Rock Star", "Electric Ocean", "Illuminated", "Fire Woman", "Lil' Devil", "Wild Flower" and "Love Removal Machine". At the Royal Albert Hall in London on 10 October 2009, the band performed a second encore featuring original bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Mark Brzezicki, who had played with the Cult during the recording of "Love" in 1985. The band also sold USB drives containing concert recordings during the tour. The "Love Live" tour continued through 2010 with performances in the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. The band recorded a four-track release with producer Chris Goss as part of a planned series of releases called "Capsule". The first instalment, "Capsule 1", was released on 14 September 2010 in several formats, including CD-DVD DualDisc, 12-inch vinyl, digital downloads and a USB drive. It included a short film made by Astbury and Rick Rogers. The band released the single "Every Man and Woman Is a Star" digitally on 31 July 2010, marking their first new studio recording since 2007. They performed it at the Sonisphere festival on 1 August, their first UK performance since the "Love" tour. On 26 October, the Cult and Aderra Inc. announced that the song "Embers" would be released on 1 November and that "Capsule 2" would become available through the band's web store on 16 November. On 17 September, the band had also performed at the Fall Frenzy concert at Tempe Beach Park in Arizona, alongside Stone Temple Pilots, Shinedown and Sevendust. On 4 December, they recorded a live performance for "Guitar Center Sessions" on DirecTV, which included an interview with presenter Nic Harcourt. At a concert at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 21 January 2011, Astbury announced that the Cult would begin recording a new studio album after completing their tour. The band planned to work with Chris Goss, who had performed with Masters of Reality as the opening act that evening. In May 2011, they signed with Cooking Vinyl Records, which announced plans to release the album in early 2012. The band wrote and recorded demos at a studio in the Hollywood Hills before beginning album sessions at Hollywood Recording Studios. In October, Wyse said the album was nearly finished and expected to be released in April 2012, describing its sound as a combination of Led Zeppelin and the Stooges. In November 2011, the band announced that Bob Rock would produce the album. "Choice of Weapon" was released on 22 May 2012. The band premiered the song "Lucifer" through Rolling Stone on 30 January. In February, "She Sells Sanctuary" was used in a Budweiser commercial during Super Bowl XLVI, in a segment featuring a mash-up with Flo Rida's music. In May, the Cult appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and performed "For the Animals". In September 2012, the band announced "Weapon of Choice", a digital-only release containing earlier versions of songs that had subsequently appeared on "Choice of Weapon". Available exclusively through iTunes for two months from 16 October, the release documented an earlier stage of the album's development. Astbury described the recordings as the product of extended rehearsals and writing sessions, while noting that they differed from the finished album. The song "Twisted and Bleeding" was made available as a free download before the release. On 20 June 2013, the band announced "Electric-Peace", which combined the complete "Electric" album with the previously unreleased "Peace" album. The collection was released in the United States on 30 July. That year, Dimkich left the band to join Bad Religion, replacing guitarist Greg Hetson. James Stevenson, who had played with the Cult during the 1994 tour, replaced Dimkich on rhythm guitar. In March 2013, Duffy said the band had begun work on another studio album intended for release in 2014. The group planned to record it after completing a 2013 world tour during which they performed "Electric" in its entirety. In August 2014, Duffy said the album would not be released before 2015 and described its intended sound as more guitar-oriented. On 5 November 2015, the Cult announced that their next studio album, "Hidden City", would be released on 5 February 2016. The band described it as the final part of a trilogy that began with "Born into This". It was the fifth Cult album produced by Bob Rock. The band also announced that Australian bassist Grant Fitzpatrick, formerly of Mink, had joined as a replacement for Wyse. Chris Chaney and Rock played bass during the recording sessions. To promote "Hidden City", the Cult opened for Guns N' Roses on the Not in This Lifetime... Tour. In an October 2016 interview, Duffy discussed the band's approach to choosing songs for concerts. He said the set list depended partly on the audience and the length of the performance, but that the band aimed to include at least one newer song. During the Guns N' Roses tour, the Cult included "Deeply Ordered Chaos" from "Hidden City" in their ten-song set. In an April 2018 interview with Guitar World, Duffy said that he and Astbury continued to write and record new material but had not decided whether it would be released as a full-length album, a series of singles or an EP. In the same month, the Cult were announced as one of three headlining acts on the Revolution 3 Tour of the United States, alongside Stone Temple Pilots and Bush. In April 2019, the band announced a world tour commemorating the 30th anniversary of "Sonic Temple". The tour began in Houston, Texas, on 2 May and was initially expected to continue into 2020. In June, Astbury said the band had been working on new music but had not yet released it. Later that year, he said the group planned to review its unfinished material and determine how to proceed in 2020. On 6 May 2020, the Cult announced that they had signed with Black Hill Records. On 15 August, Duffy said the band were recording their eleventh studio album with producer Tom Dalgety at Rockfield Studios, where they had recorded "Dreamtime" in 1984. The sessions progressed slowly over the following two years, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of remote recording, with some musicians working at Rockfield Studios and Astbury recording in the United States. In May 2022, Duffy said that most of the album had been completed and mastered. On 7 July 2022, the Cult announced the title of their eleventh studio album, "Under the Midnight Sun", and released its first single, "Give Me Mercy". The album was released on 7 October 2022. Before its release, the band undertook a six-date UK tour with Alice Cooper and Creeper in May and June, followed by a North American tour with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Zola Jesus in July. On 14 August 2023, Astbury and Duffy announced a 12-date UK tour and one concert in Los Angeles under the name Death Cult 8323. The performances focused on material from Death Cult and also included songs associated with Southern Death Cult and the Cult's first two albums, "Dreamtime" and "Love". In October 2023, The Spokesman-Review reported that the Cult were working on new material that might be released in 2024. In February 2025, Astbury confirmed that the band were developing new music but expressed uncertainty about releasing another full-length studio album, saying that he preferred releasing new music when individual pieces were ready. On 15 July 2025, the Cult announced a North American tour featuring songs from Death Cult alongside material from the Cult. On 23 October 2025, the band announced an indefinite hiatus from touring, stating that they intended to focus on writing and recording new music and pursuing other projects. On 29 September 2026, the Cult announced that they would return to touring and serve as the opening act for A Perfect Circle on the band's 2027 US tour. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cult Studio albums Dreamtime (1984) Love (1985) Electric (1987) Sonic Temple (1989) Ceremony (1991) The Cult (1994) Beyond Good and Evil (2001) Born into This (2007) Choice of Weapon (2012) Hidden City (2016) Under the Midnight Sun (2022) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.