Car burns by the roadside
Smoke swirls into grey light
Barricades are fading
Fates that guide me gently
What I face I can't see
Just escaped with my...
Recent world events demand some kind of visceral response, and sonically, musically and emotionally, Hidden City's primal, from-the-heart worldview represents just that, unwittingly or not. [Mar 2016, p.90]
Sometimes there's a feeling of business as usual--both 'Heathens' and 'Avalanche Of Light' fall into that category--but then when your legacy is as distinguished as The Cult's, such a trait should not be scoffed at.
Hidden City would have made a great EP, but falls far short of the mark as an album. It closes this arbitrary trilogy on a strange and unsatisfying note.
Hello, this is a default review because i'm forced to use 75 characters. I'll edit this review in the future talking about the game, don'tHello, this is a default review because i'm forced to use 75 characters. I'll edit this review in the future talking about the game, don't worry ;)
This is no "Love", "Sonic Temple", or even "Electric" but Hidden City is up there with them. A fantastic album from beginning to end. MoreThis is no "Love", "Sonic Temple", or even "Electric" but Hidden City is up there with them. A fantastic album from beginning to end. More listenable than their last couple of releases, imo.…Expand
This is quite frankly maybe the best Cult record ever, at par with Love album and artistically far more articulated than their most successfulThis is quite frankly maybe the best Cult record ever, at par with Love album and artistically far more articulated than their most successful Sonic Temple album (which is in my opinion severely overproduced and overrated).
Hidden City is a work of a band that is artistically confident, with excellent instrumentation (Duffy and Tempesta especially) and mix that is just eclectic enough-this time, it seems, Bob Rock was reined in a bit, thankfully. The songs are atmospheric, moody and beautiful and weird Astbury's lyricism just adds more mystery to it. If it was not for the overblown and quite unnecessary GOAT, this album would deserve a full 10 stars in my opinion. From the goth and dark (In Blood, Birds of Paradise...) to the classic Cult propulsion and swagger (Dance the Night, Heathens....) it is all here and extremely well executed.
Stuff it in your car's CD/ iPod player and hit the road already...you"ll know what im talking about.…Expand
"Hidden City" is last album in Ian and Billy's self-described "trilogy" of releases starting with the under-appreciated "Born Into This" and"Hidden City" is last album in Ian and Billy's self-described "trilogy" of releases starting with the under-appreciated "Born Into This" and it heavier predecessor "Choice of Weapon". If you have been a fan of The Cult as a group, and not just individual songs that you may have added to your best of the 80's/90's mix-tapes, you would know already that they rarely sit still and produce the same riff/music/album over and over. Its what defines them and is the conscious musical direction that Ian/Billy set out on in their effort to continue to produce quality and relevant music as opposed to being, in Ian's words, a "legacy act". This was true when they scrapped the "Peace" album and re-did it with Rick Rubin as "Electric"; it was still true when they enlisted Bob Rock for the first time to produce "Sonic Temple" to continue to tweak their sound; it was true when they went rawer and more personal on the "Black Sheep" album after the disappointment of "Ceremony". After 2001's "Beyond Good and Evil's" line-up fell apart due to a dispute with Atlantic, you were left wondering where they would go from there...or would they come back again. It was at this time it appeared they made a decision to just play what they felt would be good music while continuing to evolve which they successfully demonstrated on their past two releases.
So, while "Born Into This" may be feel like the first steps into a new vision, and "Choice of Weapon" may feel like a more confident realization of that vision, this release ties it all together by combining their new found knowledge with lessons from the past. You can hear all The Cult's records in this one at different points but they are more allusions than direct references and they don't forget to add new flourishes. Hard rockers like "Dark Energy" and "No Love Lost" have a nice tribal drum beat by Tempesta, who has really locked down their rhythm section since coming on board with "Born Into This", and the guitars are explosive without being riff-dependent. "Dance The Night" is a really a different kind of rocker for them - its flows and grooves with a nice payoff in the chorus. The time shifts nicely with "In The Blood" and "Birds of Paradise" taking advantage of the addition of keyboards/piano that hinted on previously in songs like "For The Animals". In general, the keyboards add a melodic depth to the songs that gives this album a unique sound in relation to the band's previous nine albums. "Hinterland" is a beast...a driving pulsating beast...its this albums "Lucifer" in terms of a stand-out track. "G O A T" is a down and dirty riff-rocker reminiscent of classic Zeppelin or Sabbath. "Deeply Ordered Chaos" shifts the tone considerably with a thoughtful sonic and lyrical tribute to the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris. "Avalanche of Light" picks the album back up as a brisk rocker with solid guitar work from Billy and a melody line that stretches but doesn't break Ian vocals. "Lillies" has a nice Spanish feel in its rhythm and phrasing with Billy copping some Sananta-esque lines. "Heathens" is notable for its driving beat and heavy bottom thick with distortion, a mere trifle but fun. Ending with "Sound and Fury" was a nice choice as it allowed the album to end on a very open and vulnerable note. Ian's voice is rougher but what it lost in elasticity it gained in character...
If you are expecting "Love Removal Machine" or "Lil' Devil" Part 5 or 6, you are going to be disappointed but that's kind of the point. They aren't going to do that and they haven't done it for years. However, if you want to listen to a great rock band play some incredible new music than this is the album for you.…Expand
