Band:	The Cult
Album:	Born Into This
Style:	Hard rock, Heavy metal
Release date:	October 2007

Disc I
01. Born Into This
02. Citizens
03. Diamonds
04. Dirty Little Rocks
05. Holy Mountain
06. I Assassin
07. Illuminated
08. Tiger In the Sun
09. Savages
10. Sound Of Destruction

Disc II [Savage Edition bonus]
01. Stand Alone
02. War Pony Destroyer
03. I Assassin [Demo]
04. Sound Of Destruction [Demo]
05. Savages [Full Length Version]

It would be wrong (although forgivable) to expect for The Cult to satisfy a particular musical craving, whether it is a syringe full of atavistic goth rock, a snort of macho hard rock or just a puff of alternative metal that we so desperately seek. Astbury and Duffy seem to be undergoing withdrawal from all of these and serve us with a dangerous cocktail, filled with all the ingredients, and called Born Into This. A high so late in the game will never be as good as that first high though, and sadly, this album is just proof of this.

The music on Born Into This is about as exciting as dialogue in pornography. Unlike porn, the band doesn't deliver that at what it hints, leaving us unsatisfied. Which is not to say that those hints aren't sexy at all but lets face it - fans expect more and deserve to get it. "Citizen" initially promises a nice meaty lead comparable to "Rain" but never pays up. "Diamonds" drowns the otherwise interesting goth-inspired leads in a mundane alt-rock format. Even a much better song such as "I, Assassin" contains some glaring flaws due to its broken up groove, which harms an otherwise well composed song with powerfully bellowed vocals.

Luckily, we are also given two excellent songs on this album. "Illuminated" wouldn't sound out of place on Sonic Temple, while "Tiger In The Sun" is a very successful goth rock song with Astbury going as far as imitating his old singing style. This is really not enough though. It's like having only one sex scene in an adult film.

Perhaps I am being a little tough on The Cult. All the similes aside, Born Into This is far from being a total embarrassment. Nevertheless, with a band like this, one that has been so influential and relevant back in the day, I think harsh criticism isn't out of place. If you are a Cult fan, this dish will most likely not cause you to run to the toilet but it will definitely not satisfy your hunger either - and isn't being mediocre even worse than being amusingly pathetic?