Beyond Good and Evil
The Cult has made it safe to head-bang again with their first disc of new material since 1994. After penning 60 new songs, the reconstituted band went into the studio with longtime producer Bob Rock to chisel their brand of hard-rock bombast into the lean, mean dozen songs found here. Falling somewhere between the raw power ofElectricand the sophisticated message and melody ofSonic Temple,Beyond Good and EvilpairsIan Astbury's lofty themes of temptation and spiritual regeneration with Billy Duffy's fierce guitar attack and a antediluvian rhythm section that recalls the days when dinosaurs ruled the earth. Hard-won spiritual battles color the sometimes nightmarish lyrics on songs such as "American Gothic" and the spooky "Ashes and Ghost," but just when you're about to reach for the light switch to banish the shadows, he sings a simple love song to the late and sometimes great chanteuseNico.--Jaan Uhelszki