Track Listing

1. Born Into This
2. Citizens
3. Diamonds
4. Dirty Little Rockstar
5. Holy Mountain
6. I Assassin
7. Illuminated
8. Tiger In the Sun
9. Savages
10. Sound Of Destruction

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55991 in Music
• Released on: 2007-10-02
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
The Cult promised a re-imagining of heavy metal in 1985 when they fringed raging guitar riffs with psychedelic tassels and shoegazer moodiness on Love. But by the time of their next album, Electric, they had shed their paisleys in favor of biker leather, and swapped surging, impassioned anthems in favor of plodding metal riffs. On their latest album, Born Into This, the Cult slathers on the rock-rebellion attitude like a teenager slathering on Brut. Ian Astbury remains one of the great power singers, but now that he's in his mid-forties, I'm not sure I'm buying him singing about "Dirty Little Rockstars." It's one of the many fist-waving tirades on Born Into This that also includes an anti-war screed, "Tiger in the Sun." They take a stab at a rock ballad with the Elvis Presley-meets-Johnny Cash brooding of "Holy Mountain," but it comes off as a genre exercise. Despite having Youth at the production desk, and deploying some ferocious guitar by Billy Duffy across big, piston shredding beats, the Cult ultimately sound like a good metal band, when they initially prophesied so much more. --John Diliberto

Album Description
Legendary Alternative Rock band The Cult return with all guns blazing on their eighth studio album 'Born Into This', their first in six years. Reminiscent of earlier works 'Love' and 'Electric', the album sees the band returning to their rock roots while embracing several modern sonic elements in many of the songs. With 'Born Into This', The Cult have created an album that not only speaks to their rabid fanbase, but seeks to put them squarely back on the map as one of the greatest straight-up rock & roll bands in the World. Quintessential Cult songs like 'Dirty Little Rockstar' and 'I Assasin' and their enormous hooks will allow them to do just that. Produced by Youth (Killing Joke, The Verve) and mixed by Clive Goddard (Primal Scream, Madonna), the album is instantly recognizable Cult from Billy Duffy's first guitar chord to the first notes that escapes Ian Astbury's lips. A classic album from The Cult that features everything the band is known-for: groove-laden guitar riffs, searing leads, giant choruses, soaring vocals and a whole load of attitude. Over twenty years into their career and over 10 million albums sold, 'Born Into This', shows one of rock's first true Alternative bands delivering a seminal album at the top of their game.

Customer Reviews

Lacking that definitive hook, solo, or melody
Before I get to Born Into This, I must get something out of the way that bothers me about this great band: one reviewer stated about the 1994 album that The Cult doesn't have an ear for their own best tunes. I agree. For most of their albums, they leave off tunes I consider better than the ones to make the cut, and I am left scrambling for the imports or singles. It happened as early as Dreamtime(Bonebag is a great tune and should have been on the US version), likewise for Electric, when The Manor Sessions were first recorded (Love Trooper and others from Manor are among my all time faves of theirs), it happened again with BG and E (Libertine was amazing), and, yes, it happened again for this album. In my opinion, Stand Alone and War Pony Destroyer are the two best songs and most Cult-like that only made the Savage Edition. Something MUST change!

Now, to this album. As others have stated, the band is tight and plays well as a unit, but we have a lack of composition here. Something is just missing. There is energy. Energy needs to be harnessed and directed. That added touch that defines vintage Cult isn't present. There are hints of potential, but it's ultimately a misfire. Billy's leads are sparse; I only counted 3 songs with any soloing. Lest' the boys not dare follow Metallica's St. Anger goof of no solos! The drums are a bit hollow, too. Even Ian's lyrics could use some catchier choruses. Some nice bass lines, but that's it. Chris Wyse is the best bass player they've had in a while. Ian was proud of the quick studio time it took to cut the tracks. True, 2 years in the studio to over produce is not good, but neither is a 2 month rush job when the band has 2-3 singles and decides to make a full album. What matters is the final product, and it just isn't quite up to this great duo's standards. If War Pony Destroyer and Stand Alone were included and a couple of the lesser tunes axed (Dirty Little Rockstar, Citizens, Holy Mouintain), we'd have a little more promise here.

Beyond Good and Evil was red-hot, but this one's a little pink. More time in the fire, Ian and Billy. You can do much better!

"radioholics" go home!!!
Put this in a multi-cd changer along with the other Cult cds and LISTEN! Holy Mountain could be off "The Cult" cd. If you are a real Cult fan and not just a radiohead, you'll "get it". The only album where the boys came close to selling out was the "Temple" and Ian has stated he tired of the material quickly. Billy and Ian don't care about you, man, it's about the music!! The Cult sound remains unique. Buy 'em all.

Beautiful Album
From an Amazing Band, I was truly impressed with these powerful, gorgeous sounding, deeply lyrical songs. Born Into This manages to stay true to The Cult sound, what we have always loved about them, Duffy's guitars, Ian's tremendous vocal prowess and attitude (a mix of holy reverence and defiant individualism), and yet, pushes some boundaries, successfully experimenting into some new directions. The best four songs on this album are nothing short of amazing, the middle ones pretty damn good, and the lessers are not total losers, just not wildly impressive; a pretty good scorecard for a band that's been around this long. Thank G-d they can still rock and still be relevant, musically and ideologically. A Powerful Album for those with ears to listen.
Punk Cookery, The Punk Rocker's Cafe Cookbook, Vegetarian Specialties