The Cult

Fronted by vocalist lan Astbury and featuring guitarist Billy Duffy, the Cult evolved from a Gothic post-punk outfit in 1984, transforming themselves into England's leading hard rock revivalist act. Their image combined the pseudo-mysticism and Native American cultural obsessions of the Doors with the guitar orchestrations of Led Zeppelin, and the three-chord crunch of AC/DC, with blended traces of post-punk goth rock. Their 1984 debut Dreamtime performed well, but follow-up Love amplified their hard rock direction and chart success with breakout single "She Sells Sanctuary." 1987's Rick Rubin-produced Electric, was their hardest record yet and went Top 40 stateside thanks to the smash singles "Lil' Devil," "Love Removal Machine, and "Wildflower." 1989's, Sonic Temple became their most successful album, peaking at ten in America behind single "Edie (Ciao Baby)." The spoils of success began tearing at the members, and they disbanded in 1995. Astbury and Duffy resurrected the Cult for 2001's Beyond Good and Evil. Subsequent efforts included Born Into This (2007), Choice of Weapon (2012), and Under the Midnight Sun (2022).

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