THE CULT

It’s been more than 20 years since the Cult achieved platinum success with Electric and Sonic Temple, records that appeared to establish the band as goth-metal’s reigning power. Unable to sustain the momentum, the group ultimately disbanded in the mid-’90s, with frontman Ian Astbury going on to gain notice as the fill-in for Jim Morrison in touring configurations of the Doors. The group’s latest album consolidates a solid comeback hatched with 2007’s Born Into This. Propelled by founding guitarist Billy Duffy’s searing riffs, Astbury sings like a doomsday prophet, issuing nightmare visions like a muscled-up version of Nick Cave. The song titles alone—“The Wolf,” “Lucifer,” “Life>Death”—signal this is not material for the faint of heart. Musically, Choice of Weapon conjures up an aural image of the early ’70s, when bands such as Deep Purple and Queen often mixed metal, prog and what today is considered classic rock into a simmering concoction. –Russell Hall