The Cult

The Cult is a self-titled work on which, under Bob Rock’s weighty production, THE CULT crossed hard-rock riffs with a 1990s alternative sensibility. Ian Astbury’s singing keeps its flair while showing a more urgent expression than before. It is a record on which the band took in, in its own way, the air of an era when grunge and alternative rock were rising. The songs push simple frames out with a thick sound, holding both a gothic air and physical rock ’n’ roll. By emphasizing not only past symbolic colors but the band’s hard, rough side, it has a different temperature within the discography. Following the fine noise before the big riffs and the moments the singing pulls slightly back conveys the depth of the sound craft. After this work, the band went on hiatus for a time. It is an intriguing record reflecting the band’s transitional period.