The Cult – A Legendary British Hard Rock And Gothic Rock Band

The Cult (originally known as Death Cult between 1983 and 1984) are a legendary British hard rock and gothic rock band which was founded in 1983 in Bradford, England. The band started out under the moniker Death Cult given the fact that lead vocalist Ian Astbury’s former band was called Southern Death Cult (a name which is inspired by Native American history). They established themselves as a solid post-punk and gothic rock band in the United Kingdom prior to becoming popular overseas in the United States during the late 1980s.

Throughout the passage of time, the band had various line-up changes, with lead vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy being the only longtime constant members. They were initially active between 1983 and 1995, then once more between 1999 and 2002, before resuming playing since 2006 onwards. Their debut solo studio album entitled ‘Dreamtime’ which covered themes pertaining to spirituality (naturally inspired by Australian Aboriginal lore and mythology) gained a moderate degree of commercial success, but their later LPs such as Love from 1985 (my all time most favourite studio album from their entire discography), Electric issued in 1987, or Sonic Temple from 1989 were far more successful both in commercial and critical regards.

Regarding their influences, lead vocalist and frontman Ian Astbury enlisted, most notably among others, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Who, or Siouxsie and the Banshees. Furthermore, according to an interview with Ray Manzarek (legendary keyboardist of The Doors and Rick & The Ravens or proto-Doors if you will), Ian Astbury was perceived by him as a very ‘Morrisonesque’ musician, much like Iggy Pop if I’m not mistaken.

While their initial sound was a mixture of post-punk and gothic rock, subsequently the band’s music tilted more towards hard rock as they became more and more popular. Aside from being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the group, Ian Astbury is also a percussionist.

Throughout the passage of time, the British band released a total of 11 studio album as follows (enlisted in chronological order):

1. Dreamtime (released in 1984)
2. Love (1985)
3. Electric (1987)
4. Sonic Temple (1989)
5. Ceremony (released in 1991)
6. The Cult (released in 1994)
7. Beyond Good and Evil (2001)
8. Born into This (2007)
9. Choice of Weapon (2012)
10. Hidden City (2016)
11. Under the Midnight Sun (2022)

Aside from their LPs, so far The Cult also released 22 EPs, 2 live albums, 6 compilations, 38 singles, 7 video albums as well 5 box sets.

On a personal note, I must really mention the fact that this band was among my sturdy favourites as I was growing during the early 2010s. As a teenager back then, their music seemed so cool to me. Not only that, but I was really fascinated by the ethereal sound of the guitar on She Sells Sanctuary (from their well-known studio album Love), particularly by the ancient Egyptian influence that it carried, musically and conceptually (as the frontal cover artwork of the LP itself for that matter).

Below you can listen to a personal selection of some of my most favourite songs by this amazing, fascinating, and cool hard rock and gothic rock English band. All the best, take care, stay safe, and rock on! Thank you very much for your time, attention, and readership!

Note: This very beautiful song, both lyrically and instrumentally, is inspired by physical love, to put it elegantly, as I later found out as part of my research process on the band on YouTube. Previously, I thought it was about spiritual love, platonic love, or just the feeling of being love, and the protection of a woman (i.e. sanctuary, naturally). The song’s title is a beautiful metaphor for physical love, I believe. And, indeed, if a woman truly loves you and you are a man you are very lucky, because she will protect you and you should do the very same. But, as a man, I still think that, if that love is indeed true, you are actually the luckiest one (and for this particular aspect you should really be very grateful).

Note: Both Native American as well as Aboriginal spirituality are two important influences for the band’s music.

Note: This particular song references the Aboriginal Australian concept of Dreamtime, a sacred spiritual concept which stands at the origin of creation in their complex lore and mythology.

Note: This particular great song references the ancient spiritual Indian concept of Nirvana, found in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. This particular concept and state of being actually predates Buddhism. It essentially means liberation from samsara or māyā (i.e. the cosmic illusion in Sanskrit), i.e. the illusory world and the eradication of all personal desires as well as the need of rebirth, being stuck on the wheel of karma.

Documentation sources and external links:

• The discography of the band on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
• The band’s page on www.wikipedia.org (in English)