The Cult Unveil Video For "Elemental Light"

When The Cult frontman Ian Astbury had the idea for SALEM to remix a song off their new release Choice of Weapon, he reached out to the band as an admirer, using an email he found on and EP he had. The band responded and chose "Elemental Light" which resulted in an ethereal, beat-driven verison of the song. 

Ian then called in the cinematic prowess of director/acclaimed fine artist Kostas Seremetis to create a visual element for the remix, and the result is more short film than music video.

WATCH: THE CULT "ELEMENTAL LIGHT" 

(SALEM REMIX)

"The sentiment of this film captures the loss of wilderness, and a generation trying to make sense of the trash heap they have inherited," Astbury says of the project.  "It evokes nature versus man, that struggle [and] desire to control nature and ultimately death."

The film recently premiered on IFC.com.

The Cult Reveal Prequel To Choice Of Weapon Album

In an ingenious move often reserved for film, The Cult has announced they will be releasing a 'prequel' to accompany their latest critically acclaimed album, Choice of Weapon. The digital-only release Weapon of Choice reveals the songs at a stage of development that will be of interest to The Cult's fans and followers. Weapon of Choice is a document of a work in progress and offers a unique opportunity to hear The Cult's process. The material has not been previously released, and will be available exclusively on  iTunes for two months only beginning October 16, 2012.

Mp3| "Twisted and Bleeding"

"These songs were turned over and over, forged in long rehearsals and writing sessions, and emanated from challenges both personal and professional," said lead vocalist Ian Astbury.

The dynamic ten tracks that comprise Weapon of Choice were recorded when The Cult returned to the studio in 2011 with producer Chris Goss. The songs were conceived in New York, Los Angeles, the California desert and the band's Witch Mountain studio.

Weapon of Choice:

1. Aurora

2. Blackie

3. The Bones

4. Decado

5. Elemental

6. Gibraltar

7. Twisted and Bleeding

8. Militant

9. Supreme

10. Lucifer

"We put our guts into this; Goss was able to create an environment where the songs were born through playing and turning over lyrics, through hard work and intense sessions," continues Astbury. "These songs have an integrity and rawness of their own. In many ways it's a different album to the one we released and reveals the foundations of Choice of Weapon. We were able to close the doors and begin to explore spaces we had not been in for a while."

Now The Cult has revisited the Chris Goss material to unveil the creative process and foundation behind Choice of Weapon. Followers of The Cult can keep up with interactive countdowns leading up to the release and take down of Weapon of Choice on the band's website and social media properties. 

Pre-Order Weapon of Choice:  iTunes

 

Choice of Weapon: iTunes | Amazon

The Cult: Online | Facebook | Twitter

The Cult Premiere "Honey From A Knife"

Directed by Rick Rodgers and produced by The Cult's Ian Astbury and NYC based film company Mechanizedmules, the "Honey From A Knife" film clip was shot on location in the Washington Heights nieghborhood of Manhattan on a RED Scarlet camera with Super Speed lenses provided by ARRI.   

"Honey From A Knife," rooted in the seductiveness of addiction, was inspired by the following Buddhist precept, and Ian Astbury states that the accompanying film reveals a "desperate descent into a fractured psyche":  

"Wealth and beauty, to a man who will not relinquish them, are like a knife covered with honey which, even before he has had the pleasure of eating the honey, cuts the tongue of the child that licks it".  

The Cult are currently on tour in Canada before continuing on to Europe for dates in the UK, France, Netherlands and Germany. Full tour dates are below.  

8/24/12     EDMONTON         EEC     
8/25/12     MEDICINE HAT     ESPLANDE THEATRE     
8/26/12     CALGARY            COWBOYS     
8/28/12     REGINA              Event Plex at Evraz Place     
8/31/12     TORONTO          Phoenix     
9/01/12     MONTREAL         Métropolis     
9/02/12     Quebec City       GRAND THEATER     
9/10/12     MANCHESTER     APOLLO            
9/11/12     Newcastle         O2 Academy
9/12/12     Sheffield           Academy     
9/14/12     GLASGOW          BARROWLANDS     
9/15/12     BIRMINGHAM      ACADEMY     
9/16/12     LONDON            HAMMERSMITH APOLLO     
9/19/12     Paris                Bataclan     
9/20/12     Amsterdam        Melkweg     
9/21/12     Krefeld              Kulturfabrik

The Cult Tour Bus in Crash on Bridge in Croatia

The members of The Cult, currently on tour in Europe, experienced a terrifying crash just before 6:00AM local time earlier this week while in their tour bus traveling from Split, Croatia to Ljubijana, Slovenia.

"I was the only one awake," said the band's vocalist Ian Astbury, who was seated in the bus's front lounge.  "All of a sudden, the bus veered violently, hit the guard rail and tipped on a 45-degree angle, then righted itself and came to a halt.  The guard rail was the only thing that prevented us from going over an 80-foot drop."
 

Astbury was thrown into the aisle and suffered injuries to his neck, back and shoulder.  The rest of the band and crew were asleep in their bunks, so no one else was badly hurt. 
 

Limping down the highway, the driver was able to get the bus to a service station a few miles up the road.  Astbury's injuries were iced and he received pain medication.  After some temporary patching up of the bus, the band was able to make it to the venue for that night's show, and played a full concert.  But it wasn't until 5:00AM the next morning that their fully-repaired bus arrived to take them on the 20+ hour trip to the next gig.

 
"No one has had any sleep, so the guys are pretty beat, and we are still in shock, to be honest," admitted Astbury. "You never think something like this is going to happen to you, and it just did." 
 

The Cult - Astbury, guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Chris Wyse and drummer John Tempesta - are on tour to support their new release, Choice of Weapon, hailed as the band's best work in 20 years.  The remainder of The Cult's European tour dates are below.  Following this European trek, The Cult will kick off Leg Two of their North American tour.

 

The Cult's Official Website:  http://www.thecult.us/
 

JULY

 7     Zottegem, Belgium, Rock Zottegem Festival

 8     Weert, Netherlands - Bospop Festival (w/ Patti Smith)

10     Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli (headline)

13     Pizzola Sul Brenta, Italy - Contarini Festival (headline)

14     Rimini, Italy - Velvet Rock (headline)

15     Milano, Italy - Carroponte (headline)

17     Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz (headline)

18     Madrid, Spain - La Riviera (headline)

19     Porto, Portugal - Mares Vivas Festival (with Garbage)

 

AUGUST

18     Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA

19     Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion

20     Portland, OR - Roseland

21     Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre

22     Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom

24     Edmonton, AB - Edmonton Events Centre

25     Medicine Hat, AB - Esplande Theatre

26     Calgary, AB - Cowboys Calgary

28     Regina, SK - Event Plex at Evraz Place

31     Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre

 

SEPTEMBER

 1     Montreal, QC - Metropolis

 2     Quebec City, QC - Grand Theatre

The Cult's New Single At Radio This Week

"Honey From a Knife," the lead- off track from The Cult's critically-acclaimed new studio album Choice of Weapon, hits radio this week.  The song, rooted in the seductiveness of addiction, has been singled out in numerous media reviews for its raw energy, sexual rhythms, Duffy's knife-edge guitars and Astbury's impassioned vocals, all woven around the song's mesmerizing chorus, "We got the drugs, the drugs in here."  Click here to hear the track.

As one reviewer put it, "'Honey From a Knife' is pure rock and roll, as catchy as it is shocking."

"Honey From a Knife" will also be available as a ringtone via all carriers in the U.S beginning Tuesday, June 26.

Choice of Weapon, released May 22, has received stellar press reviews, the consensus being that it is The Cult's best album in years.  The UK's Mojo gave it a Five Star review, Entertainment Weekly tagged it with an A-, Magnet said it was "as epic and compelling as nearly anything in The Cult's catalogue," The UK's Q magazine called it "brilliant," the Phoenix New Times wrote "everything clicks," and MSN stated simply that it was "their best album in 20 years."

The Cult's recent live performances also created a stir with the Hollywood Reporter who observed the band live in New York as having "returned with a vengeance," and referring to Astbury as "a menacing tyrant of cool."  The band - Ian Astbury/vocals, Billy Duffy/guitars, Chris Wyse/bass, John Tempesta/drums - completed its initial assault on the U.S.A. at the Los Angeles Palladium this past Saturday with alt/rockers Against Me! in support.  The Cult heads to Europe later this week for a three-week tour of headlining dates and festivals where the band will share stages with Patti Smith, Garbage, Wolf Mother, and Jack White, among others.