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Rating: After a phase of mixed fortunes and structural instability, but mindful of a glorious past culminating in the mid-'80s with a trio of very tough albums, the Cult of Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy began their resurgence at the start of the new millennium. And they did so with one of the most robust and determined works of their career: "Beyond Good And Evil."
Two elements immediately stand out upon the first listen to the album: the massive enhancement of the guitar sound and the ultimate reinterpretation of the Zeppelin-influenced style brought to its greatest brilliance.
It is no secret that the Cult had always looked up to Jimmy Page, and although in works like "Love" the dark nuances and mystical-epic cultural references had personalized the sound more significantly (also thanks to the dominant taste of the time), the compositional choice of riffs and the vocal setup of Duffy and Astbury have always evidently harked back to the distorted rock of the '70s. In "Beyond Good And Evil," this choice leaves no more room for doubt and grandly and fiercely celebrates a series of impressions that are hard to extinguish in the hearts of rockers.
What in recent times (especially from the mid-'90s onwards) other global musicians like Aerosmith or Bon Jovi have brought to a popular zeroing of easy appeal, where melody and an almost domesticated iconography prevail, the Cult have instead amplified in the opposite direction, with a sound of unprecedented power and saturation and a lyrical depth that, while at times slips into cliché ("The power," for example), elsewhere catapults into a dimension far from sunny ("American Gothic," "Speed Of Light"). Without straying from what were their warhorses of twenty years ago, Astbury and company re-enter the fray with all their experience and rely on a production that doesn't like half measures. Some instrumental finesse here and there, some nods to the less vulgate grunge, but above all, a lot of rock soul that aims to pierce the eardrums with stunning distortions and sharp choruses. From the splendid pounding "The Saints," to the killingjokian "Rise" and the poignant "Nico," to the dark plots of "American Gothic" and "Ashes And Ghosts," the new Cult play all their cards and create something that, while almost anachronistic on one hand, slaps you in the face with a truth never truly refuted (rock is NOT dead) and demonstrates that with a classic formula, a thrill can still be given.
We often wonder why a band that has already reached its peak of fame and style should resume the discourse years later, risking disappointment if not failure. In the case of the Cult, I believe that the rekindling was not illusory and that this album represents a fine chapter in their history; a chapter that does not shine for musical originality in the strict sense, but that engages with overwhelming rhythms and extraordinary compactness. I emphasize once again the devastating sound of the guitars, which make the ones of Guns 'n' Roses and Nirvana seem like mandolins by comparison.
Tracklist and Lyrics
02 The Saint (03:36)
Hail the guitar, all tuned down
In a power circle, obey the crowd
All ride a wave, crash right in
Lovers and fighters, adrenaline
The singer spits, our hearts all rise
Energy is visible, we all crush tight
All washed away, tsunami wave
Fragile human, all the same
And now, I face the sound
When all around is burning
I'm like Hermes, drifting down
I am the saint, your path into the light
I am the knife that cuts right through your life
I have found the path immortalized
I am the saint, the path into the light
Caught in a trap, the systems are down
Communication's broken, I feel underground
Weight of the storm, in sound, we all drown
You'll never understand what drives us all on
And now, I face the sound
And all around is burning
I'm like Hermes, drifting down, down, down, down
I am the saint, your path, the way, the light
I am the knife that cuts right through your life
I have found the path immortalized
I am the saint, your path, the way, the light
I am the saint, your path into the light
I am the knife that cuts right through your life
I have found the path immortalized
I am the saint, your path, the way, the light
I am the saint...
03 Rise (03:39)
You are the sun, I am the flame
You are the blood, I am the same
We are the love that rises again
They are the snake that bites on your veins
(We are not chained to the wheel)
You are the tear, I have no fear
You are so strange, I feel the same
Sorcerous mind, we ride again
(We are not chained to the wheel, to the wheel)
It's the way that you feel
It's the truth in your eye
You got wings upon your back and you can fly
It's the way that you feel
It's the truth in your eye
'Cause you're up against the world and still you rise
And still you rise
You are alive and high in my dreams
You are the stars that mystify me
And you are the wolf that frightens the thief
And you are the voice that they disbelieve
(We are not chained to the wheel)
And you are the spark that sets us all free
(We are not chained to the wheel, to the wheel)
It's the way that you feel
It's the truth in your eye
You got wings upon your back and you can fly
It's the way that you feel
It's the truth in your eye
'Cause you're up against the world and still you rise
And still you rise
Whoa, baby
It's the way that you feel
It's the truth in your eye
You got wings upon your back and you can fly
It's the way that you feel
It's the truth in your eye
'Cause you're up against the world and still you rise
And still you rise
Still you rise
Still you rise
04 Take the Power (03:55)
You love it, you need it
You taste it and you'd breathe it
You want it, you feel it
You gotta recieve it
You hate it, can't leave it
You shoot it, you cheat it
Reject it, respect it
Don't try to decieve it
Take the power, we're all free, yeah
Take the power, you gotta let it bleed, yeah
C'mon, take the power, you gotta just beleive, yeah
Take the power, it's all in me, it's all in me
You love it, you need it
You taste it and you breathe it
You want it, you feel it
You've got to recieve it
You hate it, can't leave it
You shoot it, you can't cheat it
Reject it, respect it
Don't try to decieve it
Take the power, we're all free
Take the power, you gotta let it bleed
C'mon, take the power, gotta just beleive
Take the power, it's all in me, it's all in me
Take a little leap of faith
Kiss the heart that hides this face, it never fades
Take a little leap of faith
Kiss the heart that hides this face, it never fades
You love it, you need it
You taste it, you breathe it
You want it, you feel it
You've got to recieve it
You hate it, can't leave it
You shoot it and you cheat it
Reject it, respect it
Don't try to decieve it
Take the power, we're all free
Take the power, you gotta let it bleed
C'mon, take the power, you gotta just beleive
Take the power, it's all in me, it's all in me
Take the power, we're all free
Take the power, you gotta let it bleed
C'mon, take the power, just beleive
Take the power, it's all in me, it's all in me
05 Breathe (04:59)
I don't wanna be myself
Yeah, baby, I just wanna run
You gotta breathe, you bastard, breathe
Whoa yeah, breathe, you bastard, breathe
Straight into the sun, oh
Fifty-five thousand flowers for the hero
Scattered at his feet to satisfy his ego
Fifty-five thousand flowers for the hero
Scattered at his feet to satisfy his ego
I shot the sun
This tear of God
I shot the sun, baby
I don't wanna be myself
Well, baby, I just wanna run, oh
You gotta breathe, you bastard, breathe
Whoa yeah, breathe, you bastard, breathe
Straight into the sun
Fifty-five thousand flowers for the hero
Scattered at his feet to satisfy his ego
Fifty-five thousand flowers for the hero
Scattered at his feet to satisfy his ego
I shot the sun, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
This tear of God, this tear of God
I shot the sun, baby, oh
This tear of God
A fact of life for all to see
That every heart's a part of me
A fact of life for all to see
That every heart's a part of me
Whoa, whoa yeah, yeah, whoa yeah
Fifty-five thousand flowers for the hero
Scattered at his feet to satisfy his ego
Fifty-five thousand flowers for the hero
Scattered at his feet to satisfy his ego
Fifty-five thousand flowers for the hero
Scattered at his feet to satisfy his ego
Fifty-five thousand flowers for the hero
Scattered at his feet to satisfy his ego
And I shot the sun
And I shot the sun
And I shot the sun, baby
And I shot the sun, oh yeah
Breathe you bastard, breathe
Fifty-five thousand flowers for the hero
Scattered at his feet to satisfy his ego
06 Nico (04:49)
Hey Nico, stay strong in this world
My girl, ignore their cold words
The song of your heart's so true
The sigh is a way for you
Hey Nico, stay strong in this world
I watched your spirit fly
Across the velvet sky
The secrets that you hide
I'm lost inside your sweet kiss
Hey Nico, the life that you missed
Sometimes you're so strange to me
Alone as your heart that bleeds alone
Hey Nico, stay strong in this world, my girl
I watched your spirit fly
Across the velvet sky
The secrets that you hide
Yeah, the secret that you hide, that you hide
Then you fell
And then you fell
And then you fell
And then you fell straight to hell
Straight to hell
Straight to hell
Straight to hell
Striaght to hell
The silence of your wings
The beauty that it brings
A kiss before we die
One kiss before we fry
I watched your spirit fly
Across the velvet sky
The secrets that you hide
The secret that you hide
Whoa-whoa, yeah
I watched your spirit fly
Across the velvet sky
The secrets that you hide
A secret that you hide, that you hide
Yeah, yeah...
08 Ashes and Ghosts (05:00)
Ashes and ghosts are all around me, yeah on
On the night of the assassins, they came, and I was ready
Do you beleive?
Oh, yeah
Do you beleive?
I look around the world and see
The winged waifs powdered on petal dust
I can't believe the sorcerer's dream has come
And never chosen one of us
All around, the atoms raging
I can see your magic's failing
I do believe they're gonna get you
I do believe, can't cast a spell on me
Ashes and ghosts are all around me
I don't believe in what you're saying, no, no, no, no
Ashes and ghosts, they fill my heart
Can't cast a spell on me
Ashes and ghosts are all around me
You broke the truth and now you're fading
Ashes and ghosts, they fill my heart
You're a fake, yeah, you're a fraud
The assassin's hand has planned
To pull the wings off every one of us, yeah
Cracked fairy head's are spinning down
The blood shot eyes, nostrils flared at us
All around, the atoms raging
I can see your magic's failing
I do believe they're gonna get you
I do believe, can't cast a spell on me
Ashes and ghosts are all around me
I don't believe in what you're saying, no, no, no, no
Ashes and ghosts, they fill my heart
Can't cast a spell on me
Ashes and ghosts are all around me
You broke the truth and now you're fading
Ashes and ghosts, they fill my heart
You're a dog, you're a fake, you're a fraud
Can't cast a spell on me
Ashes and ghosts are all around me
I don't believe in what you're saying, whoa, oh-oh
Ashes and ghosts, they fill my heart
Can't cast a spell on me
Ashes and ghosts are all around me
You broke the truth and now you're fading
Ashes and ghosts, they fill my heart
You're fading, yeah, you're fading, fading
Don't believe in what you're saying
Can't cast a spell on me, oh-whoa, no, no, no, no
You broke the truth and now you're fading
Yeah, you're fading, yeah, you're fading, yeah, you're fading
10 Speed of Light (04:22)
Black California
Crush the innocent mind
Girl, I oughta warn you
My reputation's unkind
But you knew that anyway
Black California
Black California
Change your lives at the speed of light, yeah
Show them fear and they'll show you the knife
Change your lives at the speed of light, yeah
Show them fear and they'll show you the knife
I've been down in dirty black water
Poison feeds the mouth of disorder
(Who pays the devil?)
Obey the law, obey the disorder
(Who pays the devil?)
Obey the law, obey the disorder
(Who pays the devil?)
Black California
(Who pays the devil?)
Crush the innocent mind
(Who pays the devil?)
Who pays the devil?
Who rides the devil?
They change your lives at the speed of light, yeah
Show them fear and they'll show you the knife
Change your lives at the speed of light, yeah
Show them fear and they'll show you the knife
Come on, come on, come on, my children
Come on, come on, come on now
Come on, come on, come on, my children
Come on, come on, come on now
Come on, come on, come on, my children
Come on, come on, come on now
Come on, come on, come on, my children
Come on, come on, come on
Black California
Black California
Change your lives at the speed of light, yeah
Show them fear and they'll show you the knife
Change your lives at the speed of light, yeah
Show them fear and they'll show you the knife
Come on, come on, come on, my children
Come on, come on, come on now
Come on, come on, come on, my children
Come on, come on, come on now
Come on, come on, come on, my children
Come on, come on, come on now
Come on, come on, come on, my children
And they'll show you the knife
12 My Bridges Burn (04:08)
Shaking your fist, yeah
Do you feel like a man?
Got a rock in your pocket
Got the girl by the hand
Flick the bird to the world, yeah
'Cause the world is your plan
Don't stand still for no one
Don't take it, take it, take it
All my life, I never learned
My bridge is raised, yay-yay, my bridges burn
And all my dreams seem faded away, yeah
My bridge is raised, yay-yay, my bridges burn
Hang your head 'till tomorrow
Look to the stars for your muse
Yeah, the world's better mellow
Yeah, you're judged by your shoes
Yeah, your mouth is so dirty
Since you were a kid
Rise up like a flame
Don't take it, take it, take it, take it
All my life, I never learned
My bridge is raised, yay-yay, my bridges burn
And all my dreams seem faded away, yeah
My bridge is raised, yay, well, my bridges burn
Don't be a zero, be a hero
A sex pistol, guitar hero
Don't be a zero, you gotta be a hero
A sex pistol, guitar hero
All my life, I never learned
My bridge is raised, my bridges burn
And all my dreams seem faded away, yeah
My bridge is raised, well, my bridges burn, yeah
Be a hero, oh
A sex pistol, oh
An alert atomic bomb, yeah
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