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Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy have enjoyed finer hours. Maybe this is what happens when a band takes seven years off between studio recordings. Maybe their earlier material in the 1980s was so damned good that they had nothing left to spill into this age. Or maybe three consecutive "Greatest Hits" compilations in the past couple of years was the telling sign that The Cult, as we know it, is no more.
Whatever the case, Beyond Good and Evil suggests a brilliant career of classic gothic rock is in serious decline. The opening track, "War (The Process)," is sluggish and boring, never really finding the forceful steam of past works. The combination of towering Led Zeppelin riffs and Jim Morrison vocals has stood for years as The Cult's signature hard rock badge. Songs like "Take the Power" and "Ashes and Ghosts" do little more than fill what once was precious space on prized Astbury/Duffy creations. Even the first radio track, "Rise," would have likely been a forgettable moment on 1987's "Electric" or 1989's "Sonic Temple." "Nico" was written about their fallen heroes, The Velvet Underground, and stands as a modest yet sleepy success.
Fans will initially be tickled to find a new record from The Cult has hit the shelves. But it won't take long before they are blowing the dust off their earlier Cult records to try and recall what was once a stellar studio and live band.
~Red Rocker
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