THE CULT

Following a succession of name and stylistic changes, the Cult emerged in 1984 as one of England's leading heavy metal revivalists. The Cult gained a dedicated following in their native Britain with mid-'80s singles like "She Sells Sanctuary" before breaking into the American metal market in the late '80s with "Love Removal Machine." Though the group managed one Top Ten American with 1989's Sonic Temple, the band was plagued with offstage tensions and problems which prevented them from retaining their popularity. Following a pair of unsuccessful records, the Cult split in 1995.

The origins of the Cult lie in the Southern Death Cult, a goth-rock outfit formed by vocalist Ian Astbury in 1981. Following the disbandment of the Southern Death Cult, Astbury shortened the name of the group to Death Cult and recruited guitarist Billy Duffy - and drummer Ray Mondo and bassist Jamie Stewart, who had previously played with Ritual. Death Cult released an eponymous EP in the summer of 1983; on the EP, Astbury reverted back to his given name.

In early 1984, the band shed "Death" from the title, fearing that the word gave them the mis-leading appearance of being a goth band. Where both Southern Death Cult and Death Cult had been overtly influenced by post-punk, the Cult was a heavy hard-rock band, with slight psychedelic flourishes. Dreamtime, the group's first album, was released in the autumn of 1984, accompanied by a single "Spiritwalker," which reached number one on the UK in the spring. Dreamtime reached number 21 on the UK charts. In the spring of 1985, Preston left the group. For the group's summer single, "She Sells Sanctuary," the band was joined by Big Country's drummer, Mark Brzezicki. "She Sells Sanctuary" became a major UK hit, peaking at number 15. During the recording of the group's second album, drummer Les Warner joined the group. Love, released in the fall of 1985, continued the hard-rock direction of its teaser single and became a number four hit in Britain.

For their third album, the Cult shuffled its lineup -- Stewart moved to rhythm guitar, while former Zodiac Mindwarp bassist Kid Chaos joined the lineup -- and hired Rick Rubin as producer and the result, Electric, was their hardest, heaviest record to date. The first single from the album, "Love Removal Machine," became a number 18 hit in the spring of 1987, which the album itself reached number four in the UK upon its April release.

In 1988, the group fired Chaos and Warner, replacing the latter with Matt Sorum; the band failed to hire another bassist. The new lineup released Sonic Temple, which would prove to be its most successful album. The hit single "Fire Woman" helped propel the album into the American Top 10 and within no time. Though the group was experiencing its best sales, it was fraying behind the scenes, due to in-fighting and substance abuse. By the time they recorded their follow-up to Sonic Temple, Sorum had left to join Guns N Roses and Stewart had quit; they were replaced by drummer Mickey Curry and bassist Charlie Drayton. The resulting album, Ceremony, was released in the fall of 1991 to weak reviews and disappointing sales.

Following the release of Ceremony, the group took a break for the next three years. In 1993, the band released the UK-only hits compilation, Pure Cult, which debuted at number one. By the summer of 1993, the Cult had a new rhythm section, featuring former Mission bassist Craig Adams and drummer Scott Garrett. This lineup recorded The Cult, which was released in late 1994 to poor reviews and sales. In the spring of 1995, the Cult disbanded, with Ian Astbury forming the Holy Barbarians later in the year.