Beyond Good and Evil

1	War (The Process) 4:12
2	The Saint 3:36
3	Rise 3:39
4	Take the Power 3:55
5	Breathe 4:59
6	Nico 4:49
7	American Gothic 3:56
8	Ashes and Ghosts 5:00
9	Shape the Sky 3:29
10	Speed of Light 4:22
11	True Believers 5:07
12	My Bridges Burn 3:51

Barnes & Noble

Once upon a time, there was a gloomy little goth band called Southern Death Cult who posed and preened -- and then decided it would be a lot more fun to toss aside those bits of lace and those minor chords and become an arena rock band. That worked out well enough, leading to hits like "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Love Removal Machine," but Ian Astbury and company (now known simply as the Cult) faded into the background with the coming of grunge. With the dawning of a new millennium, however, they seem fully prepared to claim the throne of rock spectacle with a disc full of outsize, far-reaching tunes. The crunching riffs that explode from songs like "Rise" (which resells a bit of "Sanctuary") and the Zeppelin-flavored "Speed of Light" make it hard to believe that more than a decade has passed since the full band (with guitarist Billy Duffy, that is) last strutted across the stage. Yes, some things have changed: Duffy has revamped his bag of tricks to include some postmod dissonance (showcased on "War (The Process)") and some undeniably spooky doom-mongering (on the eerie "Ashes and Ghosts"). But, as the old saying goes, a zebra can't change its stripes, so there's plenty of old-school portent in heady Astbury concoctions like "American Gothic" and the menacing "Black California." And just to prove he hasn't lost touch with his sensitive side, Astbury offers up yet another homage to Warhol's Factory -- serenading "Nico" in much the same way he once eulogized "Edie." David Sprague

All Music Guide

During their late-'80s heyday, the Cult were known for their Doors-meets-Zeppelin-meets-Love and Rockets style, combining mysticism, solid three-chord guitar progressions, and goth rock stylings. In their 2001 incarnation, the Cult may be more accurately described as the Doors meets Zeppelin meets Tool. Guitarist Billy Duffy seems to have discovered distortion in the seven years since their last album. Not warm fuzz tones, but bone-crunching, mind-numbing distortion. While the music has changed, it still sounds like the Cult thanks to singer Ian Astbury's consistent wails and moans. In the opener, "War (The Process)," Astbury hollers "whoa" just like the old days, except now he does it over Duffy's Metallica-like rifts and frenetic drumming by Matt Sorum. The band also shows they've been listening to Trent Reznor with the industrial overtones of "Speed of Light," but even with heavy vocal effects, they remain the Cult, thanks to a catchy chorus. For classic Cult fans, the band throws in a couple tunes reminiscent of their Sonic Temple days -- "Breathe," a rocker in the tradition of "Fire Woman," and "Nico," the equivalent of the power ballad "Edie (Ciao Baby)." Old fans may have trouble adjusting to the Cult's updated sound, but the band manages to maintain the energy of their music, creating heavy metal for the new millennium without lapsing into the pure cliché that waylays so many angry young (and old) men. ~ Michael Gowan, All Music Guide