Clearly something was brewing. The year 2000 saw no fewer
than three best-of collections, and one lavishly packaged box set
including enough unreleased material for an entire additional career. Not
to mention the car commercial prominently featuring the guitar riff from
"She Sells Sanctuary." After several years of hiatus, the Cult was coming
back. It's been a rocky road; the very public split between vocalist Ian
Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy seemed to dissolve the band forever. The
Cult's lineup has changed many times over the course of its decades-long
career, but this partnership was always central to the band's sound;
without Astbury and Duffy, it simply wasn't the Cult. Beyond Good and
Evil is the Cult, beyond a shadow of a doubt. All of the essential
pieces are there; however, there's also been some evolution, as things
like the distinctly heavy-metal sound of "Rise" and "Take the Power" make
clear. On the other hand, the opening track ("War (The Process)") is
classic Cult, despite the heavy riff, and "The Saint" could have been
written anytime between, say, Electric and Ceremony.
Nonetheless, there's more energy and confidence in Beyond Good and Evil
than the Cult has had since Sonic Temple. Listen and rejoice, Cult
fans: the magic is back.
-- Originally appeared on Gothic.net, August 2001