The Cult Returns With First Album Since 1994

06/05/2001 1:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Neal Weiss

(6/5/01, 1 p.m. ET) -- The Cult returns to the rock wars today with Beyond Good And Evil, its Atlantic Records debut and first album in seven years. The release, which features the single "Rise," was produced by hard-rock studio master Bob Rock, who worked with the band on several of its earlier albums, including the popular Sonic Temple, as well as with Metallica, Aerosmith, and Motley Crue.

Cult frontman Ian Astbury tells LAUNCH that Beyond Good And Evil is an album that covers all the elements. "One of the nice things about being around for a while is you get naturally get better at what you do," he says. "I think my singing is a lot better, it's a lot more focused, I think lyrically it's a lot more focused. This record sounds like a cohesive work, it sounds like it's all related to each other, lyrical content is all related to each other, and it's a really good balance of aggression and intelligence, sarcasm, and pure, like, sexual rock energy. It's got all the right ingredients in it."

The Cult celebrate the release with a gig tonight (June 5) at the famed club Whisky A Go-Go, on L.A.'s Sunset Strip. The group will kick off a North American tour in Reno, Nevada on June 14.

-- Neal Weiss, Los Angeles

Got news tips, comments, or questions? Send them to newstips@launch.com.