That's right, another blog post so soon after the last one!
This time, a short write-up of my experience seeing The Cult live at the O2 Arena in Leeds on Sunday 20th October. The last time I saw a gig was Blue Oyster Cult in February which, despite high hopes, was kind of a letdown. Fortunately, The Cult put on a fantastic show which might be great from a viewing perspective but kind of screws me from a "making a joke about bad live experiences based around the word 'Cult'" one.
The warm-up act for the evening were a small band called Piston. They put on an entertaining show full of riff-based-rockers that may or may not have been subconsciously lifted from deep cuts from bigger Rock bands (I swear their song "Rainmaker" uses the exact same riff as "Nervous Shakedown" - AC/DC). Despite boasting a healthy collection of their own fast paced Rock songs and an engaging stage presence to match their energetic music, one of the highlights of their performance was probably their Rock cover of "Proud Mary", sounding like a heavier rendition of the Ike And Tina version.
Based on the glimpse into the band I got during their time warming up for The Cult, I'd recommend Piston to those who aren't aware of them and to those who are, I'd like to offer my congratulations on knowing these guys before me. Check them out, they have a self-titled album out and if you like bands/artists such as The Answer, Slash and (obviously) The Cult, you'll probably get some pleasure out of a bunch of their material. It's not incredible but for a debut album, it does a good job of introducing their abilities and giving you something to listen to on long drives.
Now, onto the main event, The Cult! As the name of the tour suggests, the majority of songs were from their 1989 album Sonic Temple. I missed my chance to see them play Electric in its entirety so I knew I had to see this tour, at least until 2027 when they do Electric again. The band kicked the evening off with a great performance of "Sun King" followed by a mix of Sonic Temple deep cuts and singles from different albums. It made sense for the band to shuffle the order of songs, otherwise they'd be playing the album's two biggest songs within the first half hour. Whilst the album order would've worked too, I'm glad they saved "Fire Woman" until later on, as that's an absolute killer of a track (especially when played live).
As for band performances, I'm thrilled to inform you that guitarist Billy Duffy and vocalist Ian Astbury still have it. Whilst Ian can't belt out lines with the same silver lined pipes he had during the recording sessions, he's still capable of performing new and old Cult tracks with gusto and his banter with the audience was entertaining without being preachy (at one point, there may have been a technical issue but Astbury responded with "Fuck it, you guys don't care, right?" causing a cheer to erupt from the audience before the band played the rest of the set flawlessly). He also seemed genuinely happy to be performing, dancing around on stage and kicking the shit out of his tambourine as opposed to remaining rooted to the spot and hurrying the rest of the band through the set like he had a train to catch.
New band members can play with the big boys too, as bassist Grant Fitzpatrick did an amazing job playing the heavy basslines and maintaining the song's melody during Duffy's solos. Aside from that, everything I thought would be awesome was indeed awesome and everything I thought would be kinda bland was actually pretty good. Favourite underrated gems from Sonic Temple ("New York City", "Sun King") were incredible live and even tracks I wasn't a fan of when I first heard them ("American Horse", "Automatic Blues") sounded fantastic live. The only things missing were a few extra songs off different releases of the album ("Soldier Blue", "Wake Up Time For Freedom", "Medicine Train") but I'm glad we got better songs off lesser known albums instead ("Spiritwalker", "Rise").
The band also made the right choice in choosing the final songs for the evening with "Love Removal Machine" rounding off the main concert and the extended version of "She Sells Sanctuary" closing the two-song encore. Most of the hits were played except for "Lil' Devil" and "Wild Hearted Son" but I'm satisfied with the songs I heard; there wasn't a performance where I felt the band weren't giving it their all and even though I'm sure these guys would've sounded better with slightly less mileage, they definitely didn't sound rusty or fit for the retirement home. Hell, if they keep practising and not releasing albums like Hidden City, they may still be going this time next year.
With that in mind, I definitely recommend seeing The Cult live. I wouldn't call it an incredible show that tops my Top 5 list of all gigs but if I had to place this somewhere on a spectrum of previous live shows (Iron Maiden and Tenacious D in Brighton towards the left on the better side, Judas Priest and Tenacious D in Leeds towards the right), I'd say it's somewhere between the first third and midway point of the line; a solid Great which accurately represents the quality of music The Cult put out during their golden years. That may change over time but I'm glad that the band appear to be enjoying their work as opposed to some musicians with "Cult" in their band name.
The next concert I'm seeing will be Ghost in November at the First Direct Arena, also in Leeds. I have astronomically high expectations for this, not just because their last album Prequelle was my favourite album of 2018. To find out my favourite album of 2019, keep an eye on this blog over the next couple of months! That's right guys, I'm sort of back for a bit!
Showing posts with label The Cult. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Cult. Show all posts
Sunday, 27 October 2019
Sunday, 12 February 2017
Rapid Fire: The Cult
I need to review more albums, as we're over a month into the year and so far I've only listened to Heavy Fire - Black Star Riders (review here). I could also do with writing more Rapid Fire posts covering three different albums with less analysis per record so let's start with three albums from the same band; The Cult.
I was tempted to pick a band like Deep Purple or Queen for this post due to their relatively diverse range of styles across the entire career but in the end, I opted to write about three consecutive albums by The Cult which arguably contain their best material. This was due to me not really dedicating a post to the band (whereas I have done with other big name Rock bands) and wanting to give these three albums some love on the blog.
Kicking the list off is their second album, Love.
1. Love - The Cult
Released in 1985, Love marks the beginning of The Cult's transition from Goth Rock to Hard Rock to a sort of amalgamation of the two that took four years and three albums. Most people would probably recognise this album's (and this band's) signature hit, "She Sells Sanctuary" as it's a fairly catchy tune that contains your typical hallmarks of The Cult. Standard 4/4 beat? Check. Clean guitar riffs? Check. Rolling bassline? Check. Ian Astbury's hauntingly raw vocals? Check CHECK!
It's probably the most "Cult" song in existence but don't think that this album doesn't try to create a couple more in the form of album opener "Nirvana", underrated filler track "Hollow Man" and additional single "Rain". There are also a few more gothic sounding tracks with some eerie guitarwork such as "Black Angel", "Phoenix" (a slightly heavier song possessed with the ghost of The Stooges) and title track "Love", a tune that owes a fair bit to "Lunatic Fringe" - Red Rider which came out about four years before.
As far as Goth to Hard Rock transition albums go, Love is pretty great. It's got a solid variety between both subgenres and it's a decent follow up to the band's debut, Dreamtime, that still echoes some of the spiritual vibes they were big fans of when they started out. I recommend it if you've ever heard a song by The Cult and enjoyed it, which is a phrase I imagine I'll be rewriting and regurgitating throughout this post.
I was tempted to pick a band like Deep Purple or Queen for this post due to their relatively diverse range of styles across the entire career but in the end, I opted to write about three consecutive albums by The Cult which arguably contain their best material. This was due to me not really dedicating a post to the band (whereas I have done with other big name Rock bands) and wanting to give these three albums some love on the blog.
Kicking the list off is their second album, Love.
1. Love - The Cult
Released in 1985, Love marks the beginning of The Cult's transition from Goth Rock to Hard Rock to a sort of amalgamation of the two that took four years and three albums. Most people would probably recognise this album's (and this band's) signature hit, "She Sells Sanctuary" as it's a fairly catchy tune that contains your typical hallmarks of The Cult. Standard 4/4 beat? Check. Clean guitar riffs? Check. Rolling bassline? Check. Ian Astbury's hauntingly raw vocals? Check CHECK!
It's probably the most "Cult" song in existence but don't think that this album doesn't try to create a couple more in the form of album opener "Nirvana", underrated filler track "Hollow Man" and additional single "Rain". There are also a few more gothic sounding tracks with some eerie guitarwork such as "Black Angel", "Phoenix" (a slightly heavier song possessed with the ghost of The Stooges) and title track "Love", a tune that owes a fair bit to "Lunatic Fringe" - Red Rider which came out about four years before.
As far as Goth to Hard Rock transition albums go, Love is pretty great. It's got a solid variety between both subgenres and it's a decent follow up to the band's debut, Dreamtime, that still echoes some of the spiritual vibes they were big fans of when they started out. I recommend it if you've ever heard a song by The Cult and enjoyed it, which is a phrase I imagine I'll be rewriting and regurgitating throughout this post.
1. Nirvana
2. Big Neon Glitter
3. Love
4. Brother Wolf; Sister Moon
5. Rain
6. Phoenix
7. Hollow Man
8. Revolution
9. She Sells Sanctuary
10. Black Angel
ALBUM RATING - 7/10
2. Electric - The Cult
Two years later, The Cult returned with this categorically Hard Rock album. You can tell from the album opener, "Wild Flower", that the band weren't pissing about and were ready to cash in on the genre (even if they were about a decade too late). Billy Duffy's guitar is less mysterious and more crunchy, Jamie Stewart's bass is still present but has been buried under the mix, Les Warner's drumming is giving the cymbals a bit more voice and Ian Astbury's vocals...well, they're still amazing but then you don't fix what isn't broken, otherwise you end up with [INSERT "EXPERIMENTATION" ALBUM HERE].
This album also gave birth to two Cult classics, so to speak: "Love Removal Machine" and "Lil' Devil", both carrying the aforementioned qualities of a typical Cult song but with a few alterations to the guitar. Firstly, it's no longer as clean and secondly, the use of soloing is permitted. In fact, "Love Removal Machine" has two beastly solos and a double time section that the end that makes you wonder why this band didn't start out rocking the fucking house years earlier.
The album is full of guitar-heavy tunes but slightly less variety than Love. Sure, there are a few standout tracks that deviate from the band's cookie cutter material ("Bad Fun", "Memphis Hip Shake") and there is a cover of Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" which is easily one of the shittiest covers ever to ruin a classic hit in all of Rock music but aside from those niggles, Electric is brilliant. Definitely an album for Hard Rock lovers, even if it feels a little more corporate than the early AC/DC records.
1. Wild Flower
2. Peace Dog
3. Lil' Devil
4. Aphrodisiac Jacket
5. Electric Ocean
6. Bad Fun
7. King Contrary Man
8. Love Removal Machine
9. Born To Be Wild
10. Outlaw
11. Memphis Hip Shake
ALBUM RATING - 8/10
3. Sonic Temple - The Cult
The last of the unofficial trilogy, released in 1989 and containing the band's best album cover even if the guitarist is annoyingly off-centre. To paraphrase the opening line of album opener "Sun King", this is where The Cult's rise to power all ends. It might be because the band regressed slightly and went back to their mystical themes in both music and lyrics, it might be because the band decided to break into the Hard Rock genre about five years after the golden age of the genre had ended; all I know is this album still contains some killer tracks.
You've got epic stringed ballads ("Edie (Ciao Baby)"), remnants of Rock from a better album ("New York City") and of course, Cult classics ("Fire Woman"). It's an album perfect for fans of the last two but potentially a bit off-putting for purists belonging to either Goth or Hard Rock, not both. Fortunately, I love both genres so I can confirm that it's a damn good listen!
Sonic Temple could've been even better if the band decided to continue down the path they were headed with Electric but something tells me it wouldn't have been as unique. It would've been more of the same and could've spelled the end for the band so even if I didn't quite enjoy this album as much as the previous one, it's still an important part of the band's career, hence its inclusion in this Rapid Fire post. Much like Love and Electric, I recommend this album for lovers of Rock and The Cult as that's exactly what you get from start to finish.
1. Sun King
2. Fire Woman
3. American Horse
4. Edie (Ciao Baby)
5. Sweet Soul Sister
6. Soul Asylum
7. New York City
8. Automatic Blues
9. Soldier Blue
10. Wake Up Time For Freedom
11. Medicine Train
ALBUM RATING - 7/10
If you haven't heard them already, do yourself a favour and give each of these albums a listen. As for me, I'm going to go and do something Ian Astbury has never done; celebrate the fact that I made it the entire way through without referring to "shooting from the hip".
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Taster Session #3
Happy New Year!
2015 has given us some great material (which I'll be discussing next week) but to finish what's been a pretty decent year in music, it's time to dust off the Taster Session posts and take a look at five singles from albums that'll (hopefully) be released in 2016. If the year can be judged based on this snippet of music, we'll hopefully be in for another treat!
"Dark Energy" - The Cult (listen here)
From the album Hidden City (5/2/16)
Our first taste of the new year comes from The Cult bringing us a song that definitely doesn't sound like The Cult I know! Don't get me wrong, it's still Hard Rock but their typical clean-toned Guitar and 4/4 rhythms have been replaced with crunching riffs and tribal drums. Luckily, Ian Astbury is still with the band and he's certainly still capable of carrying a top notch vocal line so it doesn't sound like a tribute act yet. Based on this song, I'm definitely looking forward to their new album, even if the album cover is a bit Prog Metal-ish for The Cult.
"Victorious" - Wolfmother (listen here)
From the album Victorious (19/2/15)
If the previous song was a good example of a band straying away from their typical sound and producing something awesome, this is a great example of a band sticking with their guns and also producing something awesome. I've yet to listen to Wolfmother's third album that I'm guessing the band weren't exactly proud of when they essentially leaked it online with no announcement or anything BUT this title track is exactly what I expect when I listen to the band. A bouncing rhythm, heavy Guitar riffs, Andrew Stockdale wailing away and a catchy chorus, all wrapped up in a neat package.
I'm not sure if the band intentionally broke into a cover of "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath mid-song or if it just sort of happened during a particularly good recording take but I'm glad they left it in! Unlike several previous entries on Taster Session posts, I've actually listened to another tune teased from the upcoming album entitled "City Life". Let's just say that those two tracks combined have made me VERY excited for February 19th. VERY excited!
"Fatal Illusion" - Megadeth (listen here)
From the album Dystopia (22/1/16)
When Super Collider was released, Metalheads all over the world felt like Megadeth had gone too commercial and accidentally recorded a Hard Rock album instead of a Metal one. Can't say I blame them, as it only really had one song worthy of Megadeth's name ("Kingmaker"), even if there were some decent tunes peppered throughout. However, this track sounds like the band have sorted themselves out and gone back to proper Thrash!
There's a strong "Peace Sells" feel about this track, whether it's in the opening bass riff or tempo change mid-song. If that was the band's intention, good on them! Hopefully the rest of the album will have the same energy and aggression, even if the band have pretty much said that they don't just want to write Rust In Peace over and over again. Yeah, consider me pumped for this as well!
"This City Made Us" - The Protomen (listen here)
From the album Act III (??/??/??)
I'm not sure when their third album will come out but since a single's been released, I'm guessing it'll be 2016. Anyway, as I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of these guys but every now and then, they nail it. This is one of those songs that they've nailed! If you like late 80's Queensryche, do give this one a listen. It may not have a memorable solo or any of the frills of 80's Metal but it does have each band member giving it their all and coming up with something that actually makes me want to listen to more of their material, even if I thought their earlier work was a little pompous for video game inspired Rock opera.
"Lords Of Summer" - Metallica (listen here)
From the album ???? (??/??/??)
Remember how Metallica were going to release a new studio album this year? Even Iron Maiden got The Book Of Souls out this year and their lead vocalist was busy kicking cancer's arse so I'd love to hear their excuse! So far, the closest thing to a new album tease is a demo version of a song which may or may not appear on the (as of yet) untitled 2016/17 album. Much like Megadeth's "Peace Sells" tribute, this sounds like Metallica's way of saying "So you want more ...And Justice For All, huh?" and even though this is just a demo track, I'm liking what I'm hearing.
It's full to the brim with heavy riffing and even if the mix isn't perfect or even acceptable for a studio album release, it's given me faith in the band's ability to deliver a suitable follow up to Death Magnetic that'll hopefully make up for Lulu. Hopefully the band will turn this track into a fleshed out studio version and not just keep it as a B-side that they'll occasionally play live. Also, I know this song was first heard in 2014 but the way I see it, it's to promote something that'll likely come out in 2016. Therefore, it counts!
So yeah, looks like the "Next Time..." trailer for 2016's album releases is full of action, at least on the Rock/Metal side. There are also a few albums from 2015 I've yet to listen to like the last ever Motorhead album (RIP Lemmy) and a new one from ELO...or should that be Jeff Lynne's ELO?
Once again, have a Happy New Year and I'll see you all in 2016!
2015 has given us some great material (which I'll be discussing next week) but to finish what's been a pretty decent year in music, it's time to dust off the Taster Session posts and take a look at five singles from albums that'll (hopefully) be released in 2016. If the year can be judged based on this snippet of music, we'll hopefully be in for another treat!
"Dark Energy" - The Cult (listen here)
From the album Hidden City (5/2/16)
Our first taste of the new year comes from The Cult bringing us a song that definitely doesn't sound like The Cult I know! Don't get me wrong, it's still Hard Rock but their typical clean-toned Guitar and 4/4 rhythms have been replaced with crunching riffs and tribal drums. Luckily, Ian Astbury is still with the band and he's certainly still capable of carrying a top notch vocal line so it doesn't sound like a tribute act yet. Based on this song, I'm definitely looking forward to their new album, even if the album cover is a bit Prog Metal-ish for The Cult.
"Victorious" - Wolfmother (listen here)
From the album Victorious (19/2/15)
If the previous song was a good example of a band straying away from their typical sound and producing something awesome, this is a great example of a band sticking with their guns and also producing something awesome. I've yet to listen to Wolfmother's third album that I'm guessing the band weren't exactly proud of when they essentially leaked it online with no announcement or anything BUT this title track is exactly what I expect when I listen to the band. A bouncing rhythm, heavy Guitar riffs, Andrew Stockdale wailing away and a catchy chorus, all wrapped up in a neat package.
I'm not sure if the band intentionally broke into a cover of "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath mid-song or if it just sort of happened during a particularly good recording take but I'm glad they left it in! Unlike several previous entries on Taster Session posts, I've actually listened to another tune teased from the upcoming album entitled "City Life". Let's just say that those two tracks combined have made me VERY excited for February 19th. VERY excited!
"Fatal Illusion" - Megadeth (listen here)
From the album Dystopia (22/1/16)
When Super Collider was released, Metalheads all over the world felt like Megadeth had gone too commercial and accidentally recorded a Hard Rock album instead of a Metal one. Can't say I blame them, as it only really had one song worthy of Megadeth's name ("Kingmaker"), even if there were some decent tunes peppered throughout. However, this track sounds like the band have sorted themselves out and gone back to proper Thrash!
There's a strong "Peace Sells" feel about this track, whether it's in the opening bass riff or tempo change mid-song. If that was the band's intention, good on them! Hopefully the rest of the album will have the same energy and aggression, even if the band have pretty much said that they don't just want to write Rust In Peace over and over again. Yeah, consider me pumped for this as well!
"This City Made Us" - The Protomen (listen here)
From the album Act III (??/??/??)
I'm not sure when their third album will come out but since a single's been released, I'm guessing it'll be 2016. Anyway, as I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of these guys but every now and then, they nail it. This is one of those songs that they've nailed! If you like late 80's Queensryche, do give this one a listen. It may not have a memorable solo or any of the frills of 80's Metal but it does have each band member giving it their all and coming up with something that actually makes me want to listen to more of their material, even if I thought their earlier work was a little pompous for video game inspired Rock opera.
"Lords Of Summer" - Metallica (listen here)
From the album ???? (??/??/??)
Remember how Metallica were going to release a new studio album this year? Even Iron Maiden got The Book Of Souls out this year and their lead vocalist was busy kicking cancer's arse so I'd love to hear their excuse! So far, the closest thing to a new album tease is a demo version of a song which may or may not appear on the (as of yet) untitled 2016/17 album. Much like Megadeth's "Peace Sells" tribute, this sounds like Metallica's way of saying "So you want more ...And Justice For All, huh?" and even though this is just a demo track, I'm liking what I'm hearing.
It's full to the brim with heavy riffing and even if the mix isn't perfect or even acceptable for a studio album release, it's given me faith in the band's ability to deliver a suitable follow up to Death Magnetic that'll hopefully make up for Lulu. Hopefully the band will turn this track into a fleshed out studio version and not just keep it as a B-side that they'll occasionally play live. Also, I know this song was first heard in 2014 but the way I see it, it's to promote something that'll likely come out in 2016. Therefore, it counts!
So yeah, looks like the "Next Time..." trailer for 2016's album releases is full of action, at least on the Rock/Metal side. There are also a few albums from 2015 I've yet to listen to like the last ever Motorhead album (RIP Lemmy) and a new one from ELO...or should that be Jeff Lynne's ELO?
Once again, have a Happy New Year and I'll see you all in 2016!
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