The Cult - 'Choice Of Weapon' (2012)
Cover pic.
Second acts are hard enough to deliver successfully in the pantheon of hard rock, so it's surprising then that the Cult, now well into their third go-round, still give their audience exactly what they crave. The brawny licks by guitarist Billy Duffy, conspicuously toned down on 2007's 'Born into This', are back with a vengeance on Choice of Weapon, the band's ninth studio album. Duffy reaches deep into his grab bag of riffs to echo the classic "She Sells Sanctuary" on "The Wolf," then rains down elegance in "Life > Death" and floors it on the powerful first single "For the Animals." Frontman Ian Astbury is resplendent in all his shamanistic glory, singing about his "wild Indian heart" ("Honey from a Knife") and doing his best Strange Days–era Jim Morrison ("A Pale Horse"). This is the longest the band has had the same lineup, which adds to the overall tightness from start to finish. Astbury infamously declared a few years ago that the Cult was finished making LPs, calling the album a dead format. Good thing he went back on that one — Choice of Weapon is a prime example of why the final nail hasn't yet been pounded into the coffin. And likely never will be.
This release also contains a bonus disc featuring tracks from the last two 'capsule' E.Ps released by the band in 2011.
Track listing:
Disc 1
1."Honey from a Knife" - 3:06
2."Elemental Light" - 4:45
3."The Wolf" - 3:33
4."Life>Death" - 5:32
5."For the Animals" - 4:28
6."Amnesia" - 3:02
7."Wilderness Now" - 4:33
8."Lucifer" - 4:40
9."A Pale Horse" - 3:14
10."This Night in the City Forever" - 4:45
Disc 2
1."Every Man And Woman Is A Star" - 3:26
2."Embers" - 5:01
3."Until The Light Takes Us" - 4:19
4."Siberia" - 3:36
Total Playtimes:
Disc 1 - 41:38
Disc 2 - 16:22
Personnel:
Ian Astbury - lead vocals
Billy Duffy - guitars, background vocals
Chris Wyse - bass
John Tempesta - drums
Additional Musicians
Jamie Edwards - keyboards, strings
Chris Goss - guitars, background vocals
A.J. Celi - background vocals (on Honey From a Knife)
Release date: 22/05/2012
Label: Cooking Vinyl
Format: Lossless FLAC
EAC/FLAC inc. CUE sheet, M3U & log
Size: 408 MB |