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THE CULT
Choice Of Weapon

Cooking Vinyl (2012)
Rating: 8/10

I have to say, that ever since the Americanized gloss of Sonic Temple (1989) I’ve been disillusioned with The Cult. To say they’ve been inconsistent is an understatement. The last time I felt entertained by the band was on the heavier Beyond Good And Evil platter in 2001, and so the release of Choice Of Weapon didn’t exactly have me scrambling to the shop to purchase it. However, after a few spins, I can safely say this is The Cult’s best album for a long while. Choice Of Weapon is a sonic, almost glam-orientated rocker, that at times mixes the stardust riffs of T-Rex along with that typical Cult swagger we came to love all those gothic years ago. Of course, Ian Astbury can’t refrain from a few of those moodier rambles, such as ‘Elemental Light’, but in general the tracks are kept short and sweet.

Opener ‘Honey From A Knife’ snaps at the heels with Billy Duffy’s cool licks and those almost cheerleader style chants, while ‘For The Animals’ and ‘The Wolf’ could easily be something off one of the UK band’s early classics, harbouring killer riffs, crashing drums – courtesy of John Tempesta (ex-Testament / Exodus / Rob Zombie) – and Astbury, thankfully, is on dark form.

But the glam comes to the fore on the spaced out ‘Life>Death’ which is part cosmic David Bowie, part James Bond-style theme, featuring a mournful piano. It’ll be interesting to hear how songs of this ilk shape up live, but on wax they exist as moody, melodic mini-classics, especially the vibrant ‘Lucifer’ with its Marc Bolan ‘Children Of The Revolution’ riff steal. This is the pivotal point of the album; a solid, metallic groove blessed with soul and strut and that distinctive Astbury rasp.

The same could also be said for the galloping ‘Amnesia’, which I keep expecting to break into ‘Born To Be Wild’ at any moment. Mind you, the album isn’t just a collection of glam stompers. ‘Wilderness Now’ is a pensive and sombre track that never rears its head above a plod.

But most of the time the band are keen to rock, keeping the riffs thick and the drums pounding. ‘A Pale Horse’ has a southern 70s groove and reaches a hip-shaking crescendo as Astbury bellows “Behold a grey horse, death rides a pale horse” amidst the cool bass line and, again, those swaggering riffs.

Album closer ‘This Night In The City Forever’ is a slow build, reminding me of Velvet Underground, especially the vocal tone, before slipping into a brooding dreamscape. It’s a shame the track takes some three or so minutes to get going, and it wouldn’t have been my choice as album closer, but this is a minor flaw, because as long as the guys can keep producing songs like the shuffling bonus track ‘Every Man And Woman Is A Star’, then I see no reason for The Cult to become simply a nostalgia act.

Choice Of Weapon is a solid rock ’n’ roll record that boasts a handful of top-notch tracks. Those who fail to be moved by a cut like ‘Lucifer’ are clearly in the wrong place. The Cult isn’t firing blanks just yet.

Neil Arnold

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