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The Cult is an alternative hard rock band born in Yorkshire, England, in 1984, with ex-members of the Southern Death Cult and then Death Cult.
On the end of the 70´s, a young man called Ian Astbury decided to make a band. That was the origin of the Southern Death Cult, a gothic rock band.
In 1983, with the end of the Southern Death Cult, Ian Astbury joins up with Billy Duffy (ex-Theatre of Hate), Jamie Stewart (ex-Ritual) and Ray Mondo (drummer), and the band became to call Death Cult.
In July 1983 the band lunch an Death Cult, um EP with four songs. In September Ray left the band and Nigel Preston (ex-Sex Gang Children) took his place. With the new drummer, the Death Cult launches a new single in October de 1983, God Zoo single.
On a Friday (January, 13th of 1984) before a tv show, Ian decide that the band will be called The Cult, removing, this way, the "gothic" connotation from the band. Astbury justified the change with those words; "We are more life than death ".
The Cult has signed a long term contract with Beggars Banquet and to consolidate it popularity on the four corner of England, the single Spiritwalker goes to the first place on the independent top parade. Those precede the European tour before the Dreamtime launcher (on august 1984).
Dreamtime (1984) , shows a very eclectic and unconventional band. At the time, the American magazines have classified The Cult as "very much gothic for the general public, very heavy for the gothic public and much progressive for the punks". Even with all this indecision, the album has great songs that are played live until today. After that launch, Mark Brzezicki have replaced the drummer Preston.
During the recordings of the second album, Mark was replaced by Les Warner and the record Love (1985) was launched. That album is a tribute to the 60s and 70s bands, like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, among others that have influenced them. The band had succeeded world projection, reaching enormous success with the song She Sells Sanctuary.
