Choice of Weapon

Choice of Weapon is the ninth album by the British rock band The Cult. The album was planned for release in 2011, but the release date had since been pushed to 22 May 2012.[1][2] Recording sessions for Choice of Weapon began in March 2011 with Chris Goss, who produced the 2010 Capsule EPs. The sessions took place at studios in New York City, Los Angeles, California, and the "California desert". The album was finished in January 2012. During the recording sessions, Bob Rock teamed up with The Cult for the first time since 2001's Beyond Good and Evil and co-produced Choice of Weapon. Choice of Weapon was named iTunes "Rock Album of the Year" in 2012.[3]

Choice of Weapon
Studio album by
The Cult
Released22 May 2012
RecordedMarch 2011–January 2012
GenreHard rock
Length41:40 (Original)
58:10 (Deluxe Edition)
LabelCooking Vinyl
ProducerChris Goss, Bob Rock
The Cult chronology
Born into This
(2007)		 Choice of Weapon
(2012)		 Hidden City
(2016)

This album marks the first and, so far, only time the band did not make any personnel changes over two consecutive albums. However, it would end up being their final album with bassist Chris Wyse.

Background and recording

The Cult returned in 2006, after a four-year hiatus, releasing the studio album Born into This in 2007. Although Born into This sold well, The Cult were dropped from Roadrunner Records, and in July 2009, frontman Ian Astbury stated that The Cult would not make any more albums.[4] Asked in September 2009 why The Cult would not make another album, Astbury replied, "It's a dead format; we don't have the attention span for albums. By the time you put it out, it's already been leaked. It's a year-and-a-half worth's of work down the fucking tubes. We need to put out bite-sized chunks."[5] Instead of releasing albums, The Cult released two EPs, titled Capsule 1 and Capsule 2, released in September and November 2010 respectively and the band toured to support them.

During The Cult's concert at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 21 January 2011, Astbury declared that The Cult would be recording a new album directly after the tour. They also announced that they would be working with Chris Goss, who performed with Masters of Reality as a supporting act the same evening. On 11 March 2011, it was announced that The Cult were back in the studio recording the album with Goss.[6] By May, the band had been writing and recording new demos at its Witch Mountain studio hideaway in the Hollywood Hills, and began recording their new album at Hollywood Recording Studios.[7] In October 2011, bassist Chris Wyse stated the album was almost finished and expected to be released in April 2012. Wyse also described it as a "Zep/Stooges mix of energy."[8] On 29 November 2011, it was announced that the album would be produced by Bob Rock, who provided the same role on Sonic Temple, The Cult and Beyond Good and Evil.[9]

The first single from Choice of Weapon, titled "For the Animals", was made available for online streaming via the Rolling Stone website on 23 March 2012, and was released to radio on 26 March.[10]

In October 2012, Weapon of Choice, a collection of ten demo tracks, was made available through iTunes.

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Premier Guitar4.5/5[13]

The album debuted at number 15 in Canada and number 36 in USA.[14] In its first week of sales, the album gained the Number 1 spot on the U.K. Rock Chart on 27/05/2012 (according to the Radio 1 Official Chart).

Track listing

All songs written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy.

  1. "Honey from a Knife" - 3:06
  2. "Elemental Light" - 4:45
  3. "The Wolf" - 3:33
  4. "Life>Death" - 5:32
  5. "For the Animals" - 4:28
  6. "Amnesia" - 3:02
  7. "Wilderness Now" - 4:33
  8. "Lucifer" - 4:40
  9. "A Pale Horse" - 3:14
  10. "This Night in the City Forever" - 4:45

Bonus Tracks (Deluxe Edition)
  1. "Every Man And Woman Is A Star" - 3:26
  2. "Embers" - 5:01
  3. "Until The Light Takes Us" - 4:19
  4. "Siberia" - 3:36

Personnel

Additional Musicians
  • Jamie Edwards - keyboards, strings
  • Chris Goss - guitars, background vocals
  • A.J. Celi - background vocals (on Honey From a Knife)

Trivia

This album marks the only time the band did not make any personnel changes over two consecutive albums. However, it would end up being their final album with bassist Chris Wyse.

The cover of the album shows an Plains Indian shaman of an undisclosed tribe. Astbury said he had possession of this picture for many years, and selected it for the album cover to express his interest in indigenous cultures, which was cultivated at a very early age.[15]

References
  1. "The Cult Return With Intense New Album". Rolling Stone. 30 January 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  2. "The Cult: New Album Title, Release Date Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Ian Astbury Says There Will Be No New The Cult Album". Blabbermouth.net. 7 July 2009. Archived from the original on 10 July 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  5. "The Cult Singer Says Album Is 'A Dead Format'". Blabbermouth.net. 13 September 2009. Archived from the original on 22 September 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  6. "The Cult Back In The Studio". Blabbermouth.net. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  7. "The Cult, Cooking Vinyl Records Comment On New Record Deal". Blabbermouth.net. 14 May 2011. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  8. "The Cult's New Album Has A 'Zep/Stooges Mix Of Energy,' Says Bassist". Blabbermouth.net. 20 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  9. "The Cult Re-Teams With Producer Bob Rock and Mixer Mike Fraser For New Album". Blabbermouth.net. 29 November 2011. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  10. "THE CULT: New Single Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. 23 March 2012. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  11. "Choice of Weapon by The Cult". Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  12. The Cult - Choice of Weapon review by AllMusic
  13. Osweiler, Rich (6 April 2012). "Album Review: The Cult – "Choice of Weapon"". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  14. "CANOE -- JAM! Music - SoundScan Charts". canoe.ca. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008.
  15. "The Cult Return With Intense New Album". Rolling Stone.
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