The Cult
Dreamtime

THE REVIEW

Many ignore that the term "gothic" was used for the first time by someone who had very little to do with gothic music, namely Ian Astbury.

His adolescence was marked by the fascination and admiration he felt towards the Native Americans, whose history and culture he passionately studied (after all, the first name of the band, "Southern Death Cult", referred precisely to the name of a Native American tribe that lived during the 14th century, Native Americans whom Ian rightly described as the true Americans), and by the shamanic figure of Jim Morrison, whose poses, truth be told, he tried to mimic until the dream became reality, that is when he was offered the opportunity to take Jim's place in the Doors for a while, with results, however, not exceptional.

Besides the Doors, Ian's background was heavily influenced by 70s hard rock and, particularly, by Led Zeppelin. The turning point for the intrepid American singer was meeting the guitarist of the English dark-punk formation Theatre of Hate, Billy Duffy. These were the years of the darkwave movement's greatest success, and the two tried to ride its wave with the birth of the aforementioned "Southern Death Cult", whose self-titled album, however, met with little success.

Freed from the strictly gothic chains of their beginnings, "Dreamtime", the debut album of the formation under the new name "The Cult", encapsulates all the musical and non-musical influences of the duo previously mentioned. The Cult's first work, in fact, overflows with references in the lyrics and image to the traditions of the Native Americans. The Cult, in fact, presented themselves on stage with a very particular scenic look, in a sort of gothic glam cowboys truly original. Also musically, in some episodes, particularly in the ballad "Bad Medicine Waltz" and in "Sea and Sky", sounds are heard that bring to mind desert places swept away by sandy wind, where one imagines witnessing a tribal ritual in front of the sacred fire. As for the rest, "Dreamtime", is an excellent compendium of gothic and post-punk sounds, with a marked Led Zeppelin-like hard-rock influence.

Songs like the opener "Horse Nation", and its always driving guitar lines, almost death rock, that stand out over the tribal percussion, "Spirit Walker" and "83^rd Dream", excellent dark-rock episodes, almost like Sisters of Mercy, but much less sepulchral, "Go West", the most Zeppelin-like track on the album, the hard rock-tinged title track, immediately strike for their pleasantness and ease of assimilation. Particular attention is due to Astbury's voice, always warm and filled with passion. The peaks of "Dreamtime", perhaps, are to be found in the darkest piece of the work, namely "A Flower in the Desert", very engaging with its typically eighties bass lines and melodic guitar arpeggios, and especially in the impelling danceable gothic of "Resurrection Joe".

After this album, the Cult recorded "Love", which brought them commercial success. Subsequently, Astbury and Duffy's dark vein ran out in favor of that hard rock heavily influenced by AC/DC and the much referenced Led Zeppelin, which kept them constantly on the crest of the wave until "Ceremony", but also brought them heavy criticism.

In any case, the importance of this debut work by the Cult in the development of what dark rock later represented cannot be overlooked (in this sense, for example, the Mission owe a lot to Astbury and Duffy), as well as the enormous influence the band exerted on the birth of the American street rock at the end of the 80s (Guns, Skid Row, and many others).

In conclusion, even if the Cult didn't invent anything, but simply reinterpreted and elaborated in an original way already explored styles and genres, it is still essential to recognize their historical importance, often not duly appreciated.