UK hard rock royalty The Cult are back with a capital "B," proving that Parliament isn't the only thing on fire this week in Britain. The men from West Yorkshire—vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy—dropped "Give Me Mercy," the first single from their forthcoming LP, Under the Midnight Sun, available on October 7 via Black Hill Records. You can check out the video above.
On "Give Me Mercy," Astbury's baritone croon begs powerfully for grace, as he seeks reincarnation within love's most-high natural Earth Mother. After all, this is The Cult we're talking about, and fans will absolutely swoon to Astbury's shaman-in-sunglasses reverie as Duffy roars from his iconic black Gibson Les Paul. Under the Midnight Sun will be The Cult's eleventh album, and their first new new music since the most-excellent Hidden City LP in 2016.
The Cult formed in 1983 originally as Southern Death Cult, before changing their name to The Cult and releasing their first album Dreamtime in 1984. The band followed that up the following year with the album Love which produced the UK Top 40 single and US alternative radio classic, "She Sells Sanctuary."
In 1987, the band hardened its sound while teaming up with Slayer producer Rick Rubin to record Electric, the hard-charging LP that drew influences from Led Zeppelin and AC/DC and scored several hits on either side of the pond, including "Lil' Devil," "Wild Flower," and the seminal "Love Removal Machine." Massive support slots on tour with Metallica and Guns N' Roses only increased The Cult's profile further, and in 1989, they achieved their biggest success to date with Sonic Temple, which featured the band's biggest hit to date, the mega-smash "Fire Woman."
In the wake of the success of Sonic Temple, The Cult pulled back from the limelight while shying away from the mainstream rock scene. They released their fifth album Ceremony in 1991 to critical acclaim, but it underperformed drastically compared to its predecessor. Around this time, The Cult also contributed the techno-industrial influenced song "The Witch" to the Cool World soundtrack. After a self-titled LP in 1996, the group went on hiatus, and did not release any new music or tour until Beyond Good and Evil in 2001.
The Cult currently consists of mainstays Astbury and Duffy, former White Zombie drummer John Tempesta, bassist Grant Fitzpatrick, and keyboardist Damon Fox (Cheap Trick, Hole).
