It was with lowered expectations and a warm whiskey buzz that I walked into Janus last week for my second Cult show in a year. Last time I saw them, I felt a little let down because they didn’t sound like The Cult I had remembered from 17 years ago. I knew what I was walking into this time and was quite familiar with the new material, so I felt like I was gonna be in for a good show. Ian, Billy and crew took the stage and ran through an acceptable mixing of their new material, buffered with all the classics Cult fans wanted to hear. Time is a bitch, though, especially if you are a singer. With age comes vocal degradation. Ian still sounds like Ian, but he just can’t perform the songs in the same manner that he did 17 years ago. This put me off last year, but this year I went in knowing how it was gonna be, and like Jimi Hendrix said, “If you wanna hear it the way it sounds on the album, stay home and listen to the album.” That said, Ian performed the new material perfectly. Lucky for Billy, time is much kinder to guitarists and he was spot on. All in all, I am glad I went to see them even after being somewhat disappointed by the last show. I had a much better time and would recommend that any long time Cult fan go see them again. Enjoy it, but remember, you can’t do the shit you used to do 17 years ago, and neither can Mr. Astbury…but that doesn’t make it rock any less.

The Cult - King Contrary Man
The Cult - Edie
The Cult - I, Assassin
The Cult - Born Into This

The Cult’s Official Site, The Cult on MySpace, Buy Born Into This

Last year I wrote a Flashback Friday piece about how I first came to know The Cult. You can read it here if you wish. Last week saw the release of The Cults’ eighth studio album (and first in six years), Born Into This. Since I am and admitted Cult fanatic, I decided to go grab it during that first week and after reading bad review after bad review I decided to write something about it. Hell, the kids over on Blabbermouth were so down on it that I started to question if I really liked it or if I liked the band so much I was forcing myself to like it. I only had to think about how much I hated the Drive-By Trucker’s (my favorite band) last effort, A Blessing and A Curse, to know that probably wasn’t the case. Besides, Blabbermouth is a lot like Pitchfork, it is entertaining in small doses and most everything I like is completely reviled over there.

Now, I am not gonna sit here and tell you this is the best album The Cult has ever done, it simply doesn’t compare to anything circa Sonic Temple and before. However, it is the best thing they’ve done since Sonic Temple, IMO. The fact that it is their most rock album since Sonic Temple probably has a little to do with that. There, just one old time Cult fan’s opinion.

The Cult - Born Into This
The Cult - Diamonds
The Cult - Dirty Little Rock Star

The Cult’s Official Site, The Cult on MySpace, Buy Born Into This