The Cult – Hidden City
Cooking Vinyl/V2 – 2016
Rock
Rated: **
For obvious reasons I was definitely smitten with their former album Choice Of Weapon and had the pleasure of talking with Mr. Astbury about that record, his time in the desert and the collaboration with the honorable Mr. Goss. Listening to the new, tenth album Hidden City, we have to conclude Mr. Goss was of even more importance then we had assumed. His autograph was definitely all over certain, say the best, songs. Cause even if Hidden City starts off pretty promising, it soon becomes a bit stale and overused. And to be honest, some tracks can almost be classified as simple. Most of the tracks are just not there, they refuse to nestle anywhere in your mind, body or heart. The biggest problem perhaps is the build-up of the songs. Almost all of them opt to go for the dramatic arc, and growing towards a refrain that just does not deliver. We can surely dig opener Dark Energy and follow-up No Love Lost, and there are moments of sparkle here and there. But overall it is not the awakening Mr. Astbury said the album would be. In fact, it more often seems to lull one to sleep. It has lost all those raw edges we loved on Choice Of Weapon and has therefor turned into some background rock album. Which is definitely strange to conclude about an album comprised out of twelve songs, high in tempo and that seem to want to celebrate all the magnificence that the guitar can deliver. I would advise Mr. Astbury to move back to the desert, do another shamanistic ritual with Mr. Goss and give us the album we all know that still resides within the majestic masters of The Cult…
(Written by JK)
