SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE CULT – HIDDEN CITY

The Cult
Hidden City
Dine Alone Records

As the final piece of a trilogy of work beginning with Born Into This in 2007, and reuniting with producer Bob Rock at the helm, The Cult’s Hidden City doesn’t greatly depart from their AC/DC sound that began back in the day with their Electric album.

After a second breakup, The Cult reunited in 2005 to tour worldwide and then hit the recording studio, producing Born Into This in 2007 and Choice of Weapon in 2012.

It’s a long way from the British band’s high-energy clean goth-rock 1985 hit, “She Sells Sanctuary,” but songwriters Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy are out to prove they haven’t slowed down and are ready to continue rocking.

“GOAT”’s opening heavy riffs pay homage to Australian AC/DC’s Angus Young while one of the more melodic tracks, “Lilies,” features guitar wails à la Slash from L. A. group Guns ‘N Roses. The guitar sound on “Birds of Paradise” does hint to the Love album days while Astbury’s vocals and political views remain bold, bluesy and even Bowie-esque.

Astbury laments, “I’m a European/Blood for holy water/I’m a European/Africa my mother/Is this the western dream/Defend our liberty/I’m a European” on “Highly Ordered Chaos,” the lyrics of which were partly inspired from the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.

Astbury and Duffy intended Hidden City as a metaphor to reflect our spiritual and inner lives. And their spirits just want to keep rocking.

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