The Cult are a musical institution who need no extravagant, exposition filled introduction but as always, one will come. One of the institutions of British rock, forged in the days of cutting your teeth abroad before coming home to perform with purpose, the band helped pioneer the burgeoning alternate and goth rock styles, commanded the hard rock and arena rock styles before drawing it all together across their long career and becoming a sort of musical chameleon, able to shift their sound and style in order to continue as an act. On their 11th full length album, “Under The Midnight Sun”, we see the iconic Astbury/Duffy pairing at work once again to bring their unique musical approach to us. Let’s see what mysteries lie ahead under this celestial occurrence.

Straight away, from the opening bars of “Mirrors”, you can feel the esoteric and mystical flair of the 80s era Cult. A more refined approach on the classic ‘Love’ sound, if this song was penned and released then, it would not sound out of place. The ringing chords laden with reverb and chorus create a big open space for the distinct vocals of Astbury to indulge in the spiritualist styled ramblings of a free form poet with all the power and presence his display commands. “A Cut Inside” has a dirty feel to its distortion and the pseudo-tribal drum feel has a hypnotic pull to it. Mental images of Peyote inspired midnight dancing round a fire in a desert drift like the imaginary smoke as the track weaves through punchy verses and full-bodied choruses. It’s a blend of ‘Love’ and ‘Electric’ at heart but with the more modern edge of ‘Hidden City’. Raw but rich in melody, it is vibrant with energy and loaded with melodic hooks which are hard to shake.

“Vendetta X” has a moody and atmospheric opening which slips into a huge bass groove verse. The thumping low end has an almost electronica inspired pulse and edge as it draws on the subconscious urge to dance to the pulse as the guitars flutter around to add flavour to the track. It’s loaded with attitude and the images of smoky nightclubs and neon lights are hard to shake with this moody number. “Give Me Mercy” keeps up the moody atmosphere with bright undertones. The big guitar presence of Duffy shifts in and out with a powerful presence when it lays down the chords and the little fills and fade in/out flourishes help augment the big bass driven nature of the track. So far, it’s been a solid start to the release and we are now hitting the second half of the album.

“Outer Heaven” is the first big departure from the rockier side of The Cult’s sound, going in a more avant-garde direction which is something the band have a tendency to do. Hammering drums and orchestral arrangements provide the main backbone of the track with the bassline rumbling away to give it that infectious groove. This leaves the guitar to add the flavour to the track with stylish flourishes and melodic licks which help augment the hypnotic vocals of Astbury. It’s very grandiose and at the same time, very Cult-like… The way the track is arranged into a simple structure but loaded with so much flair and still manages to be listenable and far from pretentious drivel is just a testament to the song writing prowess of the iconic duo. “Knife Through Butterfly Heart” keeps up the extravagance. Initially starting as a somber vocal and piano dominated track, it shifts through the gears, adding in the rest of the band to give it a strange kind of expressive gothic rock vibe. The ringing guitars and crisp distortion raises the volume and the slick bluesy solo has some shades of Pink Floyd in there. It’s definitely more prog-like than most Cult tracks, bringing forward shadows of ‘Life > Death’ from the ‘Choice of Weapon’ album.

“Impermanence” has a new wave edge to its classic 80’s alternative rock feel. The Mission, Killing Joke and Joy Division would sit well with this track. Compact and punchy, it does well to utilise the space around the drum and bassline. Hazy dialled back guitars in the verse which take a sinister tone at times before growing in presence and power for the chorus, lingering notes and chords help add suspense and the expressive vocals which range from commanding to hypnotic pseudo-whispers keep the atmosphere and momentum strong as the final track looms. “Under The Midnight Sun” starts off with acoustic guitars and orchestral arrangements before it slips to just guitar and Astbury for the verse. Gradually the bass comes in with an ominous tone and the string ensemble returns, picking up the atmosphere and allowing the vocals to come out louder. Again, it’s the kind of Bohemian nonsense we expect lyrically, but the music and the delivery makes the storytelling so captivating. A sense of suspense builds as the strings get louder and the bass gets more forceful. A haunting and moody lead line pierces through the mix, teasing at a big distorted breakout and it’s rather cinematic in how it comes across, you just expect something dramatic to come out of it and it has you anticipating it right to the end when it finally wraps up without that expected flourish of rock laden power.

In all, “Under The Midnight Sun” is what you expect from The Cult. Hard Rock, Avant-Garde posturing and dreamy 80’s flair all wrapped up into just shy of 37 minutes. The first half of the album is certainly more rock-orientated and for me, the stronger of the two whilst the more expressive and experimental second half balances it out, helping it sit in that ‘84-88’ era of the band’s sound which many fans will appreciate whilst not just being a carbon copy of the iconic years. Mystical ramblings, captivating soundscapes and that magic guitar tone… It’s classic Cult but at the same time, its own entity which can stand tall amongst the bands lengthy career.

(7.5/10 Fraggle)

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