"The Cult" ...Bad Album or Bad Timing?

Prior to this album's release in 1994, the last invitation into The Cult was 1991's "Ceremony" and the tumultuous tour and break-up that followed. The drama that surrounded "Ceremony" developed a culture about The Cult that precedes them to this day. Difficult recording session followed by difficult tour followed by blow-up and break-up and date cancellations. It's simply the nature of Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury - a love/hate relationship that is extremely talented and creative and explosive. By the time "Ceremony" hit, hard rock and it's breathren heavy metal were hemorrhaging from all veins and response to the album was flat. So, would a reinvented Cult in 1994 find anymore success? When I purchased "The Cult" and it's preemptive single "Coming Down", it seemed pretty clear to me that the band was paying attention to trends and took pages straight from the Seattle post punk/late 70's metal/grunge play book. It took a few years before I realized how dismissive that was and wholly inaccurate. The tip off that The Cult were treading a different path was evidenced by the 1992 single, "The Witch". Many of the elements that comprise that track are mixed with the lo-fi/garage elements of Ian's Holy Barbarians to flesh out "The Cult". What lacks on this album is any sense of cohesion despite that it's been described by Ian Astbury as a deeply personal and emotional journey. It's a difficult question as to whether or not this album was simply bad or released at the wrong time. We all know the culmination of events that resulted in the band breaking up amid their performance in Buenos Aires. As I mentioned - a pattern they established on the previous efforts and subsequent efforts to hold it all together. "The Cult is by far not a bad album, though tracks such as "Universal You", "Real Grrrl", and "Emperor's New Horse" are a mess. The band sounds scattered and uninspired. The contrast to these tracks are, "Be Free", "Star", "Black Sun", & "Joy" are strong, cohesive and flat-out rocking. The songs collectively are full of swagger and dirty grooves... oozing with plenty of sleaze and sex appeal. Musically it's a rollercoaster, the electronic undulation of "Gone" is an companion to tracks like "Be Free" which is inspiring, upbeat and rocking. "Sacred Life" is a droning anooying memoriam to fallen musicians, writers and artists - and is like putting a speed bump in the middle of a freeway. Bob Rock brought this album to fruition, made it happen, and for the most part - succeeded in allowing The Cult to do what they do best- rock! The apparent trapping of following the trend is only superficial and the proof lies in tracks like "Gone" and "Coming Down" - The Cult slither beneath the veneer of expectations and provide strong tracks. Sadly, their efforts, are clouded by the perceptions that the public has of them;the drama that follows them on every tour; and the ideas that once a hard rock band, always a hard rock band. "The Cult" is anything but another hard rock album and deserves a listen, hell, I think everyone should own it - it's rife with undiscovered gems for the average Cult fan. ore over, it stands alone in the collective that is the Cult's discography. It's closest comparison is, "Electric" in it's sleazy, lecherous appeal.