The Cult – Hidden City

The fact that there's a band able to come up with an album like "Hidden City" thirty two years after the release of its debut it's almost a rarity, a sign of hope and, basically, a "shut the fuck up" to anyone out there saying that rock is dead.

From the primal, abrasive guitar tone and relentless, almost martial rhythm of "Dark Energy", all across the album we get our share of Billy's best no-nonsense, basic (in the good sense of the word) huge and gritty guitar tone, together with some of Ian's most honest vocal deliveries ever, like in "Birds Of Paradise" where his voice breaks at some points to a great emotional effect.

"Hinterland" is an in-your-face, dark and twisted statement filled with a unique electric energy that bleeds on "GOAT", a badass song filled with to-die-for breaks and an attitude that floods me every time, and later in the thunderous spirit and drumming of "Avalanche Of Light" and the urge of "Heathens".

"Deeply Ordered Chaos" is a brave political statement dressed with an almost hypnotic slow paced rhythm where Ian effectively summons his ceremonial persona as he poetically undresses some of the first world's political and social incoherences and hypocrisy.

The closer is an unexpected twist in the band's spectrum through the naked and almost elegiac "Sound And Fury", where a tamed, almost introspective band backs Astbury's fragile wails, while showing the guts to expose a rarely shown vulnerability.

All in all, "Hidden City" is a solid and brave take on the sound of a band that has never shied away of redirecting its sound while staying relevant and true to its core stylistic foundations.

Great album, the Cult are a more than excellent rock band !