The Cult - Under The Midnight Sun

Just leaving my first impression listening to this album.
There is no tracks i dislike, but i don't see killer tracks from this first listening. Apart from the 2 single tracks already known, i really like impermanence.
I always like to state the first impression on an album, and see how it evolves through the listenings.
Mirror : A classic rock track for the cult.
vendetta X : In a way in more in the mood off the "dreamtime" period, but is not a gothic track ! Dancing rythm with an atmospheric touch. Strange title but not harmfull for the ears.
outer heaven : I also think that this track has something from the "dreamtime" period but with symphonic elements, the riffing is more from the recent period. Again a strange mix but interesting i think. Some parts remind me of the "kiss me" cure album.
knife through butterfly heart : Another atmospheric track with long instrumental part at the end even if it ends with ian saying "your heart". Really nice riffing.
Impermanence : I like the atmosphere of that track with duffy's guitar sequence all through the title. Again i see a comparison with the dreamtime period.
UTMS : Slow title, again atmospheric with a symphonic touch. A bit disapointing for a final track.

Overall first impression :
My overall impression is that this is definitely an atmospheric album. I never had this type of feeling after listening to their previous albums. It's not a progressive album either wich is disapointing since atmospheric and progressive often goes together. Nothing to do with "hidden city", even less with "beyond good and evil", "electric" or "sonic temple". No bluesy or doorsy touch here like in the black sheep album. I see no amerindian touch either. Not as rock as the "love" album. It has nothing to do with "gothic rock" but i think that in the ambiance the closest album to this one is "dreamtime" in a certain way (a flower in the desert is the type of track i think of). but with more actual riffing, symphonic parts, less groove and more atmospheric parts than in all their previous albums.
Finally the cult produced as they are used to an album with a style they had never touched before and even if on any tracks the cult is reconizable there's no album from their discography that could be compared to this one. My impression is therefore positive, and i think that this album needs to be played a few times to really apreciate it.

Comment below sums all up, great comment actually.
This somehow reminds me a story about Warrior Soul. Maybe best album after ''Sonic Temple'', No next two was better a bit but all after yes. It has some good songs, but no super hits . This iconic band needs a some super hits. Its closer to bad, as closer to good, but somehow it flies up somehow .

The best record since 1994.

Written by Blackcrowe on 10.10.2022 at 15:55

The best record since 1994.

Hi ! was wondering how you would consider this album since your worst album was dreamtime.
Do you see sometime in some track a correlation with the cure (head/kiss me/desintegration). I really think on some tracks the keyboard has something to do with it. For the moment i graded it at 8 after around 10 listenings. It's deadly difficult for me to say wich one i like the best. My favorite is the black sheep and the dreamtime album, then ceremony, and all the others i just can't order them. The only exception is hidden city that is my least favourite ! But anyway it's another good album, really short (35mins) but a good album.
According to the tracks i really like knife and impermanence. The singles are good, but again i ssee no killer tracks, and that's the main black spot of the album.

Written by jeffster69 on 10.10.2022 at 17:44

Written by Blackcrowe on 10.10.2022 at 15:55

The best record since 1994.

Hi ! was wondering how you would consider this album since your worst album was dreamtime.
Do you see sometime in some track a correlation with the cure (head/kiss me/desintegration). I really think on some tracks the keyboard has something to do with it. For the moment i graded it at 8 after around 10 listenings. It's deadly difficult for me to say wich one i like the best. My favorite is the black sheep and the dreamtime album, then ceremony, and all the others i just can't order them. The only exception is hidden city that is my least favourite ! But anyway it's another good album, really short (35mins) but a good album.
According to the tracks i really like knife and impermanence. The singles are good, but again i ssee no killer tracks, and that's the main black spot of the album.

Hi Jeff, I've been listening to The Cult since I was 15 years old, “Love” was the first thing I heard from them and it's one of my favorite bands that's why I find it hard to be impartial with them.
I never said that Dreamtime was The Cult's worst album, if it's the one I least like it.
It is difficult to decide or rank The Cult because the band is very even and has practically has no low points.
At Dreamtime the band was experimenting and starting their search and experimenting with sounds. Horse Nation is a powerful song, Spiritwalker it is maybe the best Cult song ever. The rest lost the interest a bit until Dreamtime a really solid song or Rider in the snow.
Under The Midnight Sun is a 35-minute album that is short but very powerful, which makes so irresistible and it does have many elements that remind me of Dreamtime or Love but with the hardness and strength of Sonic Temple or Hidden City. Under The Midnight Sun could be the best recording of the band, time will decide for now it is one of the best for my taste a 4.5 out of 5

See You

I'm really enjoying this album, it has some really nice smooth hard rock melodies and I dig the sound immensely. Top quality band

Top quality hard rock. These guys are creating sonic landscapes with their music.

I liked this album. Their best since early 90s.